Hot water in Hobart homes
Tempering valve on replacement
Tasmania requires a temperature control device when a hot water heater is replaced. The one exception is a single storage unit within a range or bank of heaters.
Brown water after a freeze
TasWater says discoloured water after frozen pipes thaw is normal, as ice scours rust from the pipe walls. Run the taps until it clears before blaming the hot water unit.
Old pipes, metallic taste
TasWater says many old pipes and fittings in homes were galvanised iron, cast iron or copper, and corrosion is the most common cause of metallic-tasting water.
Plenty of renters and units
In the City of Hobart's area, 35.6% of homes were rented and 18.8% were flats or apartments at the 2021 Census, well above Tasmania's 5.3%. In a unit, check whether the hot water is yours or shared before calling anyone.
The temperature rules a Hobart plumber works to
Water should be stored at 60°C or more, because Legionella growth drops sharply at that temperature. At bathroom fixtures used for personal hygiene, it must be delivered at no more than 50°C, and in Tasmania that limit applies to new and replacement installations.
So the device sits between a hot tank and your shower, mixing the water down. Kitchen and laundry taps aren't covered by the 50°C rule. Aged care, health care, early childhood centres, schools and facilities for people with a disability have a lower 45°C limit. Our tempering valve page explains the parts.
No Victorian-style gas rule here
In Victoria, from 1 March 2027, a worn-out gas hot water system in an existing home must make way for an efficient electric one. We found no Tasmanian rule like it, so in Hobart the choice of gas, electric, heat pump or solar is yours.
Hobart does have a gas distribution network: the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator lists a Hobart distribution plan among its licence maps. Whether your street has mains gas is something to ask the gas fitter or retailer.
Bringing the price down with STCs
Small-scale technology certificates (STCs) are the federal scheme for eligible heat pumps and solar water heaters. They aren't a rebate. You usually assign the certificates to a registered agent in exchange for a discount or a delayed cash payment.
To qualify, an air source heat pump must be under 425 L and a solar water heater under 700 L, the model must be on the register, and the install must meet Tasmania's licensing rules. The scheme runs until 2030. We couldn't confirm any Tasmanian government hot water rebate, so check with the state before you count on one. Our STC page has more.
Who should do the job
In Tasmania, the business you contract with needs a plumbing contractor licence of the right class, and the person doing the work needs a practitioner licence. If the old or new system runs on gas, gas-fitting work also comes under the Occupational Licensing Act 2005. Ask for both licence numbers before you sign.
Questions for a Hobart hot water plumber
- Is a tempering valve included in this price, and where will it go?
- Can the old unit be repaired, or is the tank itself leaking?
- Is this heat pump on the STC register, and who claims the certificates?
- What's your contractor licence number, and who will do the install?
What we would do
Ask whether the quote includes the temperature control device, because a cheaper quote that leaves it out isn't comparing like with like. If you're weighing a heat pump, ask how the STC discount is shown on the invoice. And in a cold snap, don't assume brown water means the hot water system has failed; run the cold taps first, as TasWater suggests.