Repairs, the Brisbane way
A leak shows up on your bill
Urban Utilities charges owners for every litre the meter records, leaks included. Its own leak checklist names solar hot water and pool heating as places to look, so a dripping unit is worth fixing quickly.
Hard water and scale
Water in the Brisbane and Ipswich supply averaged 120 mg/L of hardness in 2024-25. Urban Utilities calls the region's water hard to moderately hard, and scale inside the system is one of the effects it lists.
Gas repairs need a gas licence
In Queensland, repairing or servicing a gas water heater is gas work. A gas work licence (servicing) is enough for a repair, but not for fitting a new unit.
What you're seeing, and who to call
| What it often points to | Who fixes it | |
|---|---|---|
| No hot water from an electric unit | A failed element or thermostat, or a tripped circuit | A hot water plumber. Queensland Health says thermostat settings are for a licensed electrician to change. |
| A gas unit won't light or keeps going out | An ignition, gas supply or safety device fault | A gas fitter with a current Queensland gas work licence |
| Water running from the relief valve drain | A worn valve, or pressure that's too high | A hot water plumber |
| Water leaking from the tank itself | A failed tank, which usually can't be repaired | See hot water replacement in Brisbane |
| Weak flow from hot and cold taps alike | Often a supply issue rather than the heater | Check the pressure reduction valve first (below) |
Checks you can do first
You can
- Look at the switchboard for a tripped switch on the hot water circuit, and leave it off if it trips again.
- In a home built after 2005, find the pressure reduction valve, usually at the side of the house. Urban Utilities says its blue handle is easy to bump shut.
- Photograph the rating plate so the plumber knows the brand, model and age.
- If water is pooling, turn the cold supply off at the unit or at the meter's isolation valve, which needs only a quarter turn.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Opening the unit, testing parts and replacing valves, elements or thermostats.
- Any work on gas pipes, burners or controls, by a licensed gas fitter.
- Changing the thermostat setting, which Queensland Health leaves to a licensed electrician.
If the gas fitter finds something unsafe
A Queensland gas fitter who has safety concerns about your system must give you a defect notice, unless they fix the problem on the spot. Keep it, and don't relight or use the unit until the fault is sorted.
For general gas work and licence checks, see gas fitters in Brisbane.
Warning signs on a repair call
- Being told the whole system has to go, with no explanation of which part failed or why the tank can't be saved.
- A gas fitter whose licence you can't find on the RSHQ Portal, or whose licence doesn't cover the work.
- An offer to turn the storage temperature right down to stop scalding. Queensland needs stored water at 60°C or more; a temperature control device is the fix.
What we would do
Do the quick checks, then get the fault diagnosed before you talk about replacing anything. Ask the plumber to name the failed part, say whether the tank is sound, and give you the repair price and the replacement price side by side. If the unit runs on gas, confirm the fitter's licence on the RSHQ Portal first. And if water is escaping anywhere, shut it off: Urban Utilities bills you for it either way.