Hot Water Systems Lane Cove | Repairs & Replacement

The building decided this in 1968

Sydney's water is soft, so the usual killer is not scale. A storage tank is protected by a sacrificial anode that corrodes so the steel does not, and once it is spent the tank starts corroding instead. That or a failed element is most of what we attend.

What is different in a walk-up is that the hot water arrangement was designed once, for the whole building, at the time it was built. Where the unit sits, what fuel reaches it, and what space exists around it were all settled then.

So changing it in one apartment runs into decisions made for the block. Gas may not reach your unit. A flue needs an external wall, and the outside of the building is common property.

None of that makes a change impossible, it just makes it a question to answer before ordering rather than after. We would rather establish it in a phone call than on the day.

Call 1300 381 569 Book a look

Repair quoted firstReplacement only where it is genuinely warranted
Often same-dayAcross Lane Cove and the river suburbs
Access priced upfrontNot discovered on the day
Licensed plumberNSW Licence 368473C, fully insured

Local hot water guide

Hot water in Lane Cove housing

Soft water, so anodes rather than scale

Sydney's supply is soft. The sacrificial anode is what protects a storage tank, and once it goes the tank corrodes.

Replacing an anode costs a fraction of the tank it protects, and it is the single most worthwhile thing to do to a unit worth keeping.

The position was chosen for 1968

Internal cupboards, tight balcony corners and shared risers were all normal when these blocks went up.

Nobody was thinking about servicing it decades later, so access is a genuine part of what the work costs here.

Changing type is a building question

A continuous flow unit needs gas at the apartment and an external wall position for the flue.

The outside of the building is common property, so the owners corporation has a say. Worth settling before anything is ordered.

A leak in a unit is not just your problem

A leaking storage tank in an apartment reaches the home below quickly, and the water damage outruns the cost of the unit.

Isolate it, tell the neighbour, and treat it as urgent rather than something to watch.

Age decides repair against replace

The compliance plate carries the date. A young system with a failed component is normally worth repairing.

One well into its life with a leaking tank is not, and we would rather say that than sell a repair that buys a season.

Which system, and what the building will actually allow

Type and size decide most changeovers. In a walk-up there are two prior questions: whether gas reaches your apartment at all, and whether the owners corporation permits a flue on what is common property. Both are worth settling before anything is ordered.

Indicative service life. What you get depends on how hard the system is worked, whether the anode was ever changed, and whether it was installed somewhere anybody could service it.
System	How it heats	Typical life	Suits a Lane Cove property when
Electric storage	An element heats a tank, often overnight on a controlled load tariff	8 to 12 years	There is no gas at the unit and the existing cupboard already fits a tank
Gas storage	A burner under a tank keeps a stored volume hot	8 to 12 years	Gas reaches the property and there is room for a tank plus flue clearances
Continuous flow	Gas heats water on demand, nothing is stored	15 to 20 years	Gas reaches the unit and the building permits a flue on an external wall
Heat pump	Moves heat from the air into the tank rather than making it	10 to 15 years	There is outdoor space with airflow and the compressor is not beside a bedroom
Solar with boost	Roof collectors, with an element or burner covering the gap	15 to 20 years	It is a house, or a block where the roof is being done as a whole

Sizing it for the household

A starting point rather than a rule. Storage size is about how much you can draw before it runs out, so what matters is how many people want hot water inside the same hour.

Continuous flow is rated in litres per minute rather than capacity, because it stores nothing and so never runs out partway through.
People in the home	Electric storage	Gas storage	Continuous flow
1 to 2	125 to 160 L	90 to 135 L	16 L/min
3 to 4	250 to 315 L	135 to 170 L	20 L/min
5 or more	315 to 400 L	170 L or twin	26 L/min
Two bathrooms in use at once	Size up a step	Size up a step	26 L/min, no wait

What hot water work costs in Lane Cove

Fixed price agreed before anything starts. These are indicative 2026 ranges, and awkward access is priced in the quote rather than added later.

Diagnosis and report $120 – $250

Credited against the repair if you go ahead with it.

Element or thermostat replaced $250 – $550

The most common fault on electric storage, and a repair rather than a replacement.

Anode replaced $300 – $600

The cheapest worthwhile thing you can do for a tank you intend to keep.

Storage system replaced $1,400 – $2,800

Supplied and installed, with access and disposal priced in.

Continuous flow changeover $2,000 – $3,800

Where gas reaches the unit and the building permits the flue position.

How a hot water call-out runs.

Step 01

Booking a hot water call-out in Lane Cove

We ask where it sits

And whether it is a house or a unit. In this housing that shapes both the access and what can legitimately be installed.

Step 02

Diagnosing a hot water system in a Lane Cove unit

Diagnosed, and dated

We find the compliance plate and tell you the age before anyone starts talking about replacement.

Step 03

Repairing a hot water system in a Lane Cove building

Repair quoted first

If an anode, an element or a thermostat genuinely fixes it, that is the quote you get.

Step 04

Installing a replacement hot water system in Lane Cove

Replaced properly if it is time

Old unit removed and disposed of, the new one installed to standard and warranted in writing.

Hot water questions.

What Lane Cove locals ask us before booking a plumber.

Ask us yours Licensed plumbing van covering Lane Cove and the surrounding suburbs

No hot water at all. What should I check first?

On electric storage, look at the switchboard for a tripped circuit, because a fair number of call-outs end there. On gas, check the pilot or ignition and that the supply is on. In a unit, also check whether anyone has been working on common services that day. If none of that explains it, stop and ring rather than opening anything.

Can I put a continuous flow unit in my apartment?

Sometimes, and it is a good outcome when it works. It depends on whether gas reaches the unit, whether there is an external wall position that suits a flue, and what the owners corporation permits, because the outside of the building is common property. That last part catches people out. Establish it before ordering anything.

Why does the tank sit in such an awkward spot?

Because the position was chosen when the building went up, for the plumbing layout of 1968 rather than for anyone servicing it in 2026. Internal cupboards, tight balconies and shared risers were all normal. It is worth knowing before a quote, because access is a genuine part of the price in this housing.

Is it always the anode?

Very often. Sydney's water is soft, so the scale that finishes tanks in hard-water regions is not the story here. Instead the sacrificial anode corrodes away protecting the steel, and once it is spent the tank starts corroding. That or a failed element accounts for most of what we see, and both are frequently repairs.

The unit is leaking into the flat below. What now?

Isolate it and tell the home below immediately, then ring us. A leaking storage tank is not a repair, and in a block the cost of the water damage rapidly exceeds the cost of the unit. Do not wait to see whether it settles down, because it will not.

How long should a system last?

It depends on type, installation and whether the anode was ever looked at, so we will not put a figure on a unit we have not seen. What we will do is find the compliance plate, tell you the age, and give you a straight view on whether repairing it makes sense.

What does hot water work cost in Lane Cove?

Diagnosis and report is $120 to $250, credited against the repair if you proceed. An element or thermostat is $250 to $550. An anode replaced is $300 to $600 and is the cheapest useful thing you can do for a tank worth keeping. A storage replacement is $1,400 to $2,800 installed, with any awkward access priced into the quote.

Hot water in a
Lane Cove block

Get a hot water callback

The building decided this in 1968

Tank in an impossible cupboard?