The Job
This Malvern home had an ageing storage hot water system that had been limping along for two years — the pressure relief valve had started dripping, recovery time was getting longer, and the owners were regularly running out of hot water with a family of four. Classic signs of a storage unit approaching end of life.
Rather than replace like-for-like, the owners chose to upgrade to a Rinnai continuous flow unit. For a family of this size, it's the right call — no tank to run out of, no standby heat loss, and a compact wall-mounted unit that takes up a fraction of the space the old system occupied.
The Installation
The Rinnai unit was wall-mounted on the existing side-of-house brick wall — the same location as the previous system, which kept pipework runs short and minimised the work involved. We ran new copper pipe connections for both the cold inlet and hot outlet, connected the gas line, and ran the flue exhaust directly up the wall face.
- Removed and disposed of the old storage tank
- Wall-mounted new Rinnai continuous flow unit at the same position
- New copper pipe connections — cold inlet, hot outlet, pressure relief discharge
- Gas connection and pressure test
- Set temperature to 50°C at the unit (scalding prevention for household with children)
- Commissioned, tested at all hot water outlets throughout the home
Continuous flow heats water on demand — no tank, no running out. Storage systems heat a set volume and hold it. For households of 3+ people in Malvern and inner-east Melbourne, continuous flow almost always makes more sense on running costs and convenience.
Why Malvern Properties Suit Continuous Flow
Malvern's housing stock — predominately larger brick homes and period properties — tends to have higher hot water demand than typical units or townhouses. Multiple bathrooms, guests, and the general expectation of reliable hot water make storage systems less ideal. Continuous flow units also suit the side-of-house installations common in Malvern's brick homes, where there's usually a clear wall suitable for mounting and a short run to the gas meter.
Hot Water System Upgrade in Malvern?
We supply and install Rinnai, Rheem, Thermann, and all major brands. Same-day service across Malvern and the inner east.