{"id":92155,"date":"2025-05-30T10:03:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T00:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=92155"},"modified":"2025-05-29T17:04:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T07:34:22","slug":"hot-water-valve-drainage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It might not appear to be earth-shattering, but a malfunctioning hot water storage tank may just shatter your walls. Here’s how a perfect storm (or an unlicensed idiot) can do real damage.<\/p>\n


\nWith household electrification gathering pace and hot water heat pumps on the rise, we’ve been vetting plumbers to join our network.<\/p>\n

Having reviewed Australia’s plumbing standards, there have been a few things we’ve noticed that vary from place to place and plumber to plumber.<\/p>\n

Obviously, when you turn the tap on there should be water gushing forth steadily, and you’d like it to be hot.<\/p>\n

However, there are quite a few rules to observe when installing the technology to make this happen safely.<\/p>\n

The Rules Are For Safety<\/h2>\n

Legionnaires’ disease is a risk people have learned to live with, but minimising exposure with careful management is written into many laws.<\/p>\n

Cooling towers need to be sanitised with chlorine, but hot water services are a different kettle of fish.<\/p>\n

To kill any potential legionella, your entire storage tank needs to be heated to over 60\u00baC every day.<\/p>\n

Many hot water thermostats are set to 75\u00baC in order to store more energy. There’s more standing losses, but this allows more showers from the same-sized tank.<\/p>\n

Solar thermal hot water services, like the classic Solahart close-coupled units, can boil in summer (a fact my dear mate Derek loved because he could sterilise home brew bottles straight from his tap).<\/p>\n

Scalding Hot Is A Real Danger<\/h2>\n

However, building standards call for water delivered to outlets in your bathroom to be no more than 45 or 50\u00baC<\/a> to prevent burns.<\/p>\n

This is normally done with a tempering valve that mixes cold water into the hot feed as it leaves the tank, so the whole place has “hot” water at a moderate temperature.<\/p>\n

\"iStore

This is a model heat pump install with pipes lagged and valve cosies everywhere. The pink arrow shows where the tempering valve is adjusted. Image credit: Brisbane Solar Repairs<\/p><\/div>\n

Technically speaking, laundry and kitchen areas can have higher delivery temperatures, so they can be fed with an untempered line, but in practice, this seldom ever happens.<\/p>\n

What does occur regularly are complaints about tepid showers, because long uninsulated pipes inside the building dissipate precious heat before it reaches the bathroom.<\/p>\n

The upshot is that people rip the cover off the tempering valve and crank it up to get hotter water through, which sort of defeats the purpose.<\/p>\n

Doing it properly means making the tempering valve readily accessible in the wall of the bathroom, as they do in hospitals, so the water is only tempered once it reaches the destination.<\/p>\n

Houses Aren’t Bomb Proof<\/h2>\n

The explosion risk mentioned at the start of this article can emerge from\u00a0a malfunctioning pressure relief valve. A Boiling Liquid to Vapor Explosion can do real damage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"house

When this tank let go, the results were spectacular.<\/p><\/div>\n

You should go out and operate the valves every three months to make sure they’re clear and not stuck shut.<\/p>\n

And the law says that when you do this maintenance, the hot water discharged from the tank must be visible to you, but not directed at your body.<\/p>\n

Of course this didn’t apply to my high school, where we used to reef the copper pipe around to point at the next hapless kid who rounded the corner of the toilet block. Operating the valve was kind of a fixed artillery version of a water pistol.<\/p>\n

Drips Are To Be Expected<\/h2>\n

Your hot water tank has a non-return valve on the inlet, so if the house is abandoned or power switched off, you won’t be able to backfeed a tank of legionella into the rest of the building or neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

When this tank is heated, the water expands and so the pressure relief will allow a small amount to bleed off. Now if there’s a lot of dissolved minerals in the water, (ie in South Australia) crap can build up and cause it to stick shut or dribble continuously, so it’s recommended the valves are replaced every 5 years.<\/p>\n

The main point is this; pressure relief valves will drip, dribble or gush in normal operation and they have to be drained properly.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If left to drain right next to your foundation, they’ll potentially undermine your building.<\/li>\n
  2. Dripping on a concrete path can grow slime and create a slip hazard.<\/li>\n
  3. At worst, a solar hot water unit may blow off 300 litres in one cycle, so piping must withstand boiling water.<\/li>\n
  4. Rules vary by state but drains must go to an “approved point” which may be a gravel pit or gully trap connected to the sewer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"roof

    Drain lines for close coupled solar hot water units must be copper, they’ll melt plastic downpipes and PEX plumbing alike.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Not All Plumbers Take This Drain Requirement Seriously<\/h2>\n

    Tap water in South Australia<\/a> is generally very hard, so local enforcement is a stringent pain in the arse. The high mineral content means hot water services must have hot and<\/em> cold pressure relief valves fitted.<\/p>\n

    Observing the letter of the law can mean digging a pipe right around a house or spending thousands on a custom-engineered solution.<\/p>\n

    \"heat

    This water heater in SA has a tundish (highlighted in green) but the grey condensate line is haphazardly placed. The pink highlights where there needs to be pipe lagging to make it compliant.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Other states will allow drains to go into the soil, provided the outlet is between 200 & 300mm from the ground. Interestingly, plumbers tell me the pipe has to extend a metre away from the building, but it seems this is lore, not law, as the technical evidence doesn’t seem to exist.<\/p>\n

    \"AS3500

    It’s all about how you define a nuisance. Is it the hot water hitting your feet or the plumbing rules themselves that annoy you.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Interpretations Vary<\/h2>\n

    Having spoken to inspectors from South Australia<\/a>, Victoria, ACT<\/a> and Western Australia<\/a>\u00a0– and finding that Queensland<\/a> only have limited support line hours – I’m disappointed that NSW can’t even respond to an email.<\/p>\n

    What I have confirmed is that the rules are enforced in different ways, so you may need to check with local authorities.<\/p>\n

    For example, Victoria<\/a> has a checklist<\/a> and not one<\/a> but two complimentary guides<\/a> on drains; and the inspector I spoke with doesn’t agree with all the images in the pamphlets.<\/p>\n

    And if you have a tank inside a cupboard or ceiling space where it can’t be seen readily, it must sit in a “safe tray” so that any leaks will be caught and drained away before they pour through the ceiling.
    \n\"hot<\/p>\n

    While the plumbing standard of AS3500 says that pressure relief valves should not<\/em> drain into a safe tray, some deem it acceptable if the pipe coming from the pressure relief sits straight over the safe tray drain, using the whole tray as an oversized tundish.<\/a><\/p>\n

    The Rules Were Set In 2014<\/h2>\n

    While it might seem pedantic, we like seeing nice work which isn’t going to cause grief after installation. We’ve got skin in this game<\/a> so there’s no reason not to follow the rules we’ve touched on here, unless you’re the kind of slacker we don’t want at SolarQuotes.<\/p>\n

    We’ll likely touch on some more in following episodes, like: what is a valve cosy? And where does pipe insulation go?<\/p>\n

    In the interim, read our deep-dive explainer on hot water heat pumps<\/a> to see if they’re right for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It might not appear to be earth-shattering, but a malfunctioning hot water storage tank may just shatter your walls. Here’s how a perfect storm (or an unlicensed idiot) can do real damage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":92303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[789],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-water-heat-pumps","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Poor plumbing installations can cause costly damage and safety risks \u2014 find out why your hot water relief drain might be a hidden hazard.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Poor plumbing installations can cause costly damage and safety risks \u2014 find out why your hot water relief drain might be a hidden hazard.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-30T00:33:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anthony Bennett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Anthony Bennett\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d\"},\"headline\":\"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-30T00:33:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/\"},\"wordCount\":1303,\"commentCount\":9,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Hot Water Heat Pumps\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/\",\"name\":\"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-30T00:33:50+00:00\",\"description\":\"Poor plumbing installations can cause costly damage and safety risks \u2014 find out why your hot water relief drain might be a hidden hazard.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hot Water Heat Pumps\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/hot-water-heat-pumps\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/\",\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d\",\"name\":\"Anthony Bennett\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Anthony Bennett\"},\"description\":\"Anthony joined the SolarQuotes team in 2022. He\u2019s a licensed electrician, builder, roofer and solar installer who for 14 years did jobs all over SA - residential, commercial, on-grid and off-grid. A true enthusiast with a skillset the typical solar installer might not have, his blogs are typically deep dives that draw on his decades of experience in the industry to educate and entertain. Read Anthony's full bio.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/anthony\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day","description":"Poor plumbing installations can cause costly damage and safety risks \u2014 find out why your hot water relief drain might be a hidden hazard.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day","og_description":"Poor plumbing installations can cause costly damage and safety risks \u2014 find out why your hot water relief drain might be a hidden hazard.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2025-05-30T00:33:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Anthony Bennett","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/"},"author":{"name":"Anthony Bennett","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d"},"headline":"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day","datePublished":"2025-05-30T00:33:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/"},"wordCount":1303,"commentCount":9,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg","articleSection":["Hot Water Heat Pumps"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/","name":"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-30T00:33:50+00:00","description":"Poor plumbing installations can cause costly damage and safety risks \u2014 find out why your hot water relief drain might be a hidden hazard.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-valve-drainage\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hot Water Heat Pumps","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/hot-water-heat-pumps\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Dumb Way Plumbers Can Ruin Your Day"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d","name":"Anthony Bennett","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Anthony Bennett"},"description":"Anthony joined the SolarQuotes team in 2022. He\u2019s a licensed electrician, builder, roofer and solar installer who for 14 years did jobs all over SA - residential, commercial, on-grid and off-grid. A true enthusiast with a skillset the typical solar installer might not have, his blogs are typically deep dives that draw on his decades of experience in the industry to educate and entertain. Read Anthony's full bio.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/anthony\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/exploded-hose-wall.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-nYn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":77816,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/are-heat-pumps-better\/","url_meta":{"origin":92155,"position":0},"title":"Are Hot Water Heat Pumps All They’re Cracked Up to Be?","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"August 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, I extolled the virtues of heat pumps, lauding their unparalleled efficiency. As promised, it's time to investigate why these newfangled appliances might not be as splendid as they seem. Strap in as I let off some steam about why using refrigeration technology to heat water just goes against\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Hot Water"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Hot Water","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-hot-water\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"simplified schematic of heat pump hot water operation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/heat-pump-schematic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/heat-pump-schematic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/heat-pump-schematic.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/heat-pump-schematic.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/heat-pump-schematic.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78121,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/copper-solar-hot-water\/","url_meta":{"origin":92155,"position":1},"title":"Copper Hot Water Systems & Solar: A Timeless Combination","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"August 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"If we've noticed anything of late in the SolarQuotes office, it's that water heating isn't just a mundane task; it's a subject passionately debated and deeply entrenched. Who would have thought? With all the talk of woke water heaters and the virtue signalling of efficiency, it seems even the most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Hot Water"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Hot Water","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-hot-water\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hot water copper tank","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/copper-bottomed-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/copper-bottomed-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/copper-bottomed-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/copper-bottomed-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/copper-bottomed-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87432,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/vic-heat-pump-training-mb3023\/","url_meta":{"origin":92155,"position":2},"title":"Hot Water Heat Pumps: Upskilling Victoria’s Plumbers","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"October 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Energy-efficient heat pump hot water systems (HPHWS) have been popular in Victoria. But what's needed are more tradespeople with the skills and knowledge to design and install good quality systems. On Friday, the Victorian Government flagged another round of free HPHWS training for plumbers and fourth-year apprentices under the Upskilling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hot water heat pump system training","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/heat-pump-training.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/heat-pump-training.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/heat-pump-training.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/heat-pump-training.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/heat-pump-training.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77264,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/heat-pumps-explained\/","url_meta":{"origin":92155,"position":3},"title":"Hot Water Heat Pumps: Choose Your Refrigerant & Brand Wisely!","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"August 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Having observed countless passionate discussions in various online forums on hot water heat pumps, it's clear to me that people care - a lot - about this seemingly mundane subject. The conversations start like this : Take innocuous hot water question into hand Remove pin Lob into open energy forum\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Hot Water"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Hot Water","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-hot-water\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"reclaim heat pump","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/reclaim-heat-pump-installed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/reclaim-heat-pump-installed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/reclaim-heat-pump-installed.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/reclaim-heat-pump-installed.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/reclaim-heat-pump-installed.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":93783,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hot-water-heat-pump-savings-are-all-in-the-timing\/","url_meta":{"origin":92155,"position":4},"title":"Hot Water Heat Pump Savings Are All In The Timing","author":"Baran Yildiz","date":"August 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Hot water heat pumps can slash energy bills and carbon emissions due to their sheer efficiency, but take things to another level when timed to draw on cheap solar instead of expensive grid energy. Here\u2019s what your heat pump needs to make this possible. How Do You Time Hot Water\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hot Water Heat Pumps"","block_context":{"text":"Hot Water Heat Pumps","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/hot-water-heat-pumps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A hand turning a hot water heat pump timer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/hot-water-heat-pump-timer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/hot-water-heat-pump-timer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/hot-water-heat-pump-timer.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/hot-water-heat-pump-timer.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/hot-water-heat-pump-timer.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":75143,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-victoria-2023-rules\/","url_meta":{"origin":92155,"position":5},"title":"Solar Victoria Add More Rules For PV, Battery & Heat Pump Installations","author":"Richard Chirgwin","date":"May 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar Victoria has published the 2023-2024 Notice To Market, including five new mandatory requirements and rather more recommendations. The notice lays out the rules retailers have to follow so their customers can take advantage of Victoria\u2019s rebates for solar PV, household battery, and heat pump hot water systems. The requirements,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Policy","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/solar-vic-23-24-rules.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/solar-vic-23-24-rules.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/solar-vic-23-24-rules.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/solar-vic-23-24-rules.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/solar-vic-23-24-rules.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92155"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92326,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92155\/revisions\/92326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}