Case Study: To Repair or Replace?

rinnai infinity gas hot water system

Kym and Andrew from Lyall Bay, Wellington had been experiencing issues with their gas califont (continuous gas hot water system) cutting in and out of hot water. Andrew called us to look at the issue, only to find that everything was working as expected. So we suggested they carry out a routine service to investigate the problem further.

In doing so, we discovered signs of rust and corrosion on the controller connections, unit connector block, and heat exchanger. Kim and Andrew were shown the rust and told that this is the expected condition due to their living so close to the ocean for 10 years.

We advised Kim and Andrew that their money would be best invested into a new unit and controller.

“Paramount were great. They said they could do a quick fix and advised cost, but suggested it might be wasted money spent as the copper heating element was getting corroded and that within a few months, we may need to replace it anyway” – Kym and Andrew

Kim and Andrew went ahead and booked Paramount Plumbing for the existing unit to be replaced with a Rinnai A26 Natural Gas Infinity and a Rinnai MC601A controller.

“We booked in the time for the job and when they had time free up on their scheduling we were contacted to see if we’d like them earlier- which of course we did”.

Upon installation, the pipework was carried out with Dux Secura pipe and fittings, and the gas pipework and fittings were from the SPK-Riefing range. The exposed pipework was protected from UV rays with solar lagging and lastly, the new valve kit for the infinity is the Aqualine IK20.

During the replacement, Paramount Plumbers also identified more corrosion on an existing galv gas main in numerous places. This proved to be sound upon testing, however, they suggested to Kym and Andrew that they protect it in the meantime, and begin to budget for replacing it in the near future.

“We decided given our good experience we’d just book that in and get it replaced. We have booked that and are booked in to get it fixed next week. I can highly recommend Paramount Plumbing”.

The full installation was carried out, and tested and the system was recommissioned. The job was issued certification for safety and compliance.

Kym and Andrew were ecstatic with the results and price, stating that

“With the whole job we were really expecting the price we’d been quoted plus GST – but when billed we were happy to find it was inclusive of GST”.

About Paramount Plumbing & Gas

Paramount Plumbing and Gas is a locally owned, Wellington-based company founded to provide an unrivalled, top-quality service to homes and businesses alike. We are experienced in attending to many plumbing & gas related tasks, whether it’s fixing emergency leaks, performing repairs or working on major installations.

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