Have you scored a cheap hot water installation quote recently? While we all love a good deal, no one likes hidden costs. Unfortunately, too many hot water system quotes exclude many of the routine, inevitable costs that are required for their successful installation. Customers are presented with a cheap quote, enticing them to sign away, only to wish later they had delved a little deeper into the fine print. Read on to know what costs to be aware of and see if your hot water system quote is missing any of these costs.
1. Tempering Valves
Too often, hot water system quotes will exclude prices that pertain to the many regularity valves that need to be replaced with a new system. Several valves are legally required to be installed on a new hot water system. A tempering valve acts as a scald protection valve to regulate the temperature from the tank to the house fixtures. Most tempering valves are preset to regulate water temperature to 50 degrees. These will cost around $110 + to purchase over the counter. This cost is a legal requirement for a safe hot water system and must always be included in your quote.
2. Repositioning of hot water system
If you are relocating your hot water system to another site on the property, this will also raise the price of your hot water installation – by roughly another $1100 to $2100. The plumbing and electrical work required will influence this figure. Again, this is a big cost and is often excluded or ‘hidden’ in the quote, so always comb through the fine print!
3. Changing Energy Type
Are you switching energy types? Perhaps from electric to gas, or gas to solar? If you are changing energy types for your hot water system installation, this requires additional work by your technician. Generally, this extra work will cost anywhere between $1500 to $3000. Again, if the size of your hot water system is also changing, this may require extra plumbing and electrical work.
6. Length of Time
Another component of the hot water system installation price is the time expended on the job. Most of the time, hot water installations are simple and straightforward. They really should be completed in roughly two hours for a routine size and energy type.
Certain factors can impact the length of time required to install the hot water system. A common reason a hot water system installation will take longer changes to the new hot water system’s size – its height, width or depth. Changes to these manufactured products tend to occur to improve efficiency and materials. So your updated system may specify the same litres or energy specifications, but the modified size may impact the way it needs to be installed when replacing the previous model. With the extra time the installation therefore takes, this can impact the overall cost of the hot water system installation.
5. Plumber Qualifications & Licenses
As a final cost to be aware of – you want to make sure your plumber knows what they are doing, so you don’t waste any time or money. This may not be on the quote itself, but it’s best to check that your plumber has a restricted electrical license to disconnect and reconnect the hot water system to the mains power supply.
Avoid Unexpected Costs
A cheap price on your hot water installation can quickly turn into a huge headache. Too often, these quotes will only include the tank and installation. But eventually, the customer is slapped with a long list of extra costs – perhaps one of the most common being the replacing of valves. At Brisbane Metro Plumbing & Gas, we pride ourselves on offering a capped price on our hot water installations, which includes all valves, pipework and fittings – brand new. Our team is highly qualified and experienced, and you can trust we will get the job done efficiently. If you’d like to inquire about a quote on a hot water system, contact our team today.