Hot Water Shortland

Shortland Plumbing Co repairs and replaces hot water systems in Shortland and the Newcastle suburbs nearby, covering electric storage, instant electric, gas storage, continuous-flow gas, heat pump and solar. Each visit starts with testing the unit, and you hear a fixed price before any part is changed.

For drains, gas and urgent work, see Shortland Plumbing Co.

Call (02) 4063 1093 Request a quote

Licensed plumbers and gas fitters · NSW Lic. 359278C

Last updated October 2026

Available 24/7
No call-out fee (excluding after-hours)
Fixed, up-front quotes
365-day warranty on all work

Two plumbers removing an old hot water tank

Why Do Hot Water Systems Here Fail Early?

An older housing stock

Shortland filled up in the 1950s and 60s with homes for returned servicemen and commission tenants, and plenty of them still rely on old hot water units and their first fittings.

Pipes that starve the unit

Galvanised steel supply, still common in the suburb's postwar houses, corrodes from within, narrowing the bore and starving the tank of flow.

Little warning

An ageing storage tank can run normally one day and leak from the base the next, and the cold months are when an old element or thermostat is working hardest.

Instantaneous hot water unit fitted under a sink

Repair or Replace?

This decision sits here, on the hub, because it comes before every other choice. Testing the unit comes first, and the plumber names the failed part.

Repair if the cylinder holds water and only one component has failed: an element, a thermostat, a pressure relief valve, a gas control or a pilot assembly.
Replace if the cylinder is leaking or rusted through, or a new part would only be bolted onto a tank that is worn out.

You see the faulty part and hear what each option involves before you pick one.

Electric Storage and Instant Electric

Electric storage

heats a tank of water on an element and holds it ready. It suits households that want a simple swap into the same spot in the laundry or outside wall.

Instant electric

heats water as the tap opens, with no tank to store it. It suits a small flat or a granny flat where space is tight, as long as the house wiring can carry the load.

Gas Storage and Continuous-Flow Gas

Gas storage

keeps a tank of water hot with a gas burner and recovers quickly after a run of showers.

Continuous-flow gas

lights its burner when a hot tap opens and shuts off when it closes, so nothing sits heating overnight. A licensed gas fitter makes the connection for either type, and the gas pipework is explained on the gas fitting hub.

Heat Pump and Solar

Heat pumps

run a compressor and refrigerant circuit that draws heat from the air around the unit and passes it to stored water. Area-level figures count 484 heat pump installs here, and the full detail sits on the heat pump hot water page.

Solar

uses roof collectors to heat water that is stored in a tank, boosted by gas or electricity through cloudy weeks. Area-level figures put solar hot water installs at 376.

What Moves the Price of Hot Water Work?

We provide up-front, honest quotes that will always match the final price, should you decide to go ahead.

The system type is the biggest single factor. A like-for-like electric cylinder and a new heat pump sit at very different prices.

Beyond the unit, the price reflects:

The supply pipes Where rusted galvanised feeding the new unit may need replacing too
Where the unit goes As a laundry swap is simpler than a tight side path or a new location
Weekend or overnight work Which is charged as after-hours

How a Hot Water Visit Runs

01
Ring or send the form
Call (02) 4063 1093 or use the form to explain the fault. We ask enough to bring the right equipment the first time.
02
A fixed price first
A plumber inspects the job and names a fixed figure up front. Nothing gets started until you give the go-ahead.
03
Test, name the fault, fix or swap
The unit is checked part by part, the failure is shown to you, and the agreed repair or replacement goes ahead.
04
Covered for a year
Every job carries our 365-day warranty on all work. If something we did isn't right, ring the same number.

The Postwar Housing Stock and Its Tanks

Old pipe feeding new units

Where the original galvanised line still supplies the house, a new hot water system can only deliver what that pipe lets through, so the plumber checks the pressure and the pipe before recommending a unit.

A temporary tank when you need one

A replacement that is not in stock need not mean cold showers: a temporary hot water tank covers the days until it arrives.

What Customers Say

They looked after an issue with the hot water system for us. It turned out that the unit was faulty. To ensure hot water, they immediately replaced the unit with a temporary one.

Martin

Where a Hot Water Job Routes Next

When we're not the right call. If an electric unit is getting no power because of a blown fuse, a burnt cable or a faulty isolator, that wiring belongs to an electrician. A gas fault on the street side of the meter is reported to the gas network.

A damp patch near the unit with no clear source is a leak detection job, and a tank that has failed at night goes to the emergency plumber page.

Shortland Hot Water Services

No hot water at all

Ring (02) 4063 1093 and we start with the test above.

A unit past saving

Replacement, with all six system types on offer and a temporary tank if needed.

Moving to a heat pump

Heat pump hot water covers placement, sizing and the switch from a storage tank.

Hot Water Questions, Answered

How do I know if my hot water system needs replacing or just repairing?

A plumber tests it first. Water seeping from the bottom of a storage tank means the cylinder has rusted through and the unit has to go; a dead element, a worn thermostat or a dripping relief valve can be replaced as a single part.

Can you keep hot water running while a replacement is sorted?

Yes. When a replacement is on back order, we connect a temporary hot water tank so the household still has showers and washing up.

Which hot water systems suit older postwar houses?

Start with the pipes. Plenty of the fibro and brick houses here still run on galvanised supply lines that restrict flow, so we look at those before suggesting electric storage, gas, a heat pump or solar.

Do you quote hot water work in writing?

Yes. The written quote arrives ahead of the install and itemises the unit, parts and fitting, so it lines up easily against another plumber's figure.

Need a plumber? Call or send the form

Call (02) 4063 1093 or send the form below. Available 24/7, you see a fixed figure ahead of any work, and every job carries our 365-day warranty on all work.

Call (02) 4063 1093

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