What to Do if You Have a Leaking Saxon Hot Water System
Is your Saxon hot water heater leaking?
It may be leaking from the tank or leaking from the overflow pipe.
If you have a Saxon hot water system, then it’s most likely 10+ years old.
Saxon hot water heaters are not made anymore and have not been since 2009 which is when Saxon Industries went into liquidation.
The expected life of a Saxon electric hot water tank is approx. 10 -13 years. There should be a plate on the side of the tank showing the date of manufacture (DOM).
How do I check if my Saxon hot water system is leaking?
There are 2 likely areas where your Saxon is leaking.
Tank leaking from either the top, bottom or side, OR
Water is constantly leaking from the overflow pipe on the side of the tank or from a pipe from the hot water heater.
1. What to do if your tank is leaking from the top or at the bottom
If you can see water leaking from the tank itself, then there is no repair that can save your tank. It is time for it to be replaced.
Behind the outer casing is insulation, then an inner tank.
It is this inner tank that is compromised and leaking.
In most cases the inner tank has rusted around the electrical connections or pipe work on the tank.
If your hot water system replaced, it cannot be replaced with another Saxon hot water system.
There are new rules and regulations that mean you must use a licensed and experienced plumber to install your new hot water system.
If your new hot water heater is not installed correctly or to these new strict regulations, you may void the warranty on your new tank.
A form 4 must be submitted to QBCC or the manufacturer of your replacement new tank may not be covered under warranty.
2. What to do if your Saxon Hot Water System is Leaking from Overflow
There are 2 reasons why water leaks constantly from the overflow pipe.
There is a valve failure
The heat exchange has failed
There is a slight chance that your Saxon hot water heater is leaking from the valve itself, indicating a valve failure.
How do I test if the valve has failed?
Listen to the valve by putting your ear up close.
If hot water is leaking, be very careful not to touch the hot water.
Listen for the slight sound of water running through the valve & not the tank.
This sound is different to the hissing sound that I talk about in the next paragraph. It is just the sound of water running through the valve.
This is the sound of a failed valve.
At this time, you have to make a decision and ask yourself - do I replace the valve, or put that money towards a new hot water heater?
Your tank is most likely at its expected life, and although it is just a valve failure at this time, there would be other corrosive elements happening to your hot water tank at this time.
Most of our clients opt to replace the hot water heater at this time.
If you choose to replace the valve and the tank fails not long after, you will not be able to refund a used hot water valve.*
How do I test for failed heat exchange?
It is easy to check for this even without any tools.
Put your ear up to the tank. Can you hear a slight hissing noise?
If you can, then you have a failed heat exchange.
A heat exchange is a coil pipe on the inside of the inner tank.
If it has a small pin hole, then you will hear a hissing sound.
Here is an easy way to explain why a failed coil leaks from the overflow pipe…
Cold water goes into the tank, and into the coil, which exchanges cold water for hot water.
It then stores the heated water in the inner tank, ready for use. Once the heat exchange coil has a hole, water leaks from the coil, into the storage & now runs out the overflow.
Depending on the water type eg: hard or soft water, going into the Saxon hot water heater, we have seen tanks as young as 6 years of age, fail from this problem, but it mostly happens after the age of 10 years.
If your tank has a failed heat exchange, it needs to be replaced.
Now that you have diagnosed if your Saxon hot water system is repairable or needs to be replaced, we recommend you isolate the water to the leaking Saxon hot water system to save you wasting water & electricity.
You can do this at the tank itself & not have to turn off all the water to your home. This will allow you to still have cold water to the other fixtures in the home, along with still being able to flush your toilets.
If you are unsure how to do this, you can check out our ‘How to shut off hot water tank’ blog. It will give you full written instructions or you can simply follow along with our short instructional video.
Locate the tap or isolation valve on the cold-water line to the Saxon hot water heater.
It is usually down low coming out of the wall. Turn if to the right or clock wise to the OFF position. The water should stop leaking.
If your plumber cannot make it to your home asap, you can turn this tap/valve on & off to use the hot water tank.
If you have turned the tap OFF & intend NOT to use any hot water until your plumber arrives, then you will also need to isolate the power to the hot water tank.
Locate your electrical switch board. It is most likely in the garage, laundry or carport. There should be a switch that says ‘Hot Water’. Flick this switch down to the off position.
Then contact your plumber.
If you’re a local living between South Brisbane and the Northern Gold Coast, give Moyle Plumbing & Gasfitting a call on 0447 671 095.
This is our emergency plumber number and if you call us before 11:00am we can offer you same-day service.
We never charge a call our fee and all our prices are upfront and affordable.
If we’re not your local plumber, we strongly recommend you use a reputable.
Get a licensed plumber to install your new hot water heater.
The rules & regulations have changed a lot since Saxon Hot Water Systems were installed, and a form 4 must be submitted to QBCC which assures the regulating body that the plumber installed the new hot water tank to the regulations and gives you piece of mind that your new tank will be covered under warranty & installed correctly.
Give Moyle a call today on 0447 671 095
All of our hot water installations are installed in compliance with Standards AS/NZS 3500.4, AS/NZS 3000 and all local codes and regulatory authority requirements.
We will even dump your old hot water tank & leave our work are clean & tidy.
