Hot Water Cylinder Repairs, Replacement & Gas Installation - Hastings
Infinity Gas Hot Water | Hot Water Cylinders | Hot Water Heat Pumps
APlus handles hot water cylinder repairs, replacement, and gas hot water installation across Hastings, Napier, and Hawke's Bay. Jaeydn leads our cylinder installs and gas work; Rei runs maintenance and emergency callouts.
Call us to book a job, or request a quote if you're planning a replacement or new install.
06 870 6000 | Same business day on most callouts · Hastings, Napier & Hawke's Bay
Hot water cylinder repairs and maintenance
Hot water cylinder repairs cover leaks, no hot water, inconsistent temperature, sediment noise, and corrosion damage. We diagnose the fault on site, repair what's worth saving, and let you know straight when replacement makes more sense. If your cylinder failed overnight or you're seeing water pooling, treat it as urgent. That's an after-hours callout.
Common cylinder faults we see:
Leaking or pooling water around the cylinder: usually a faulty valve or fitting, sometimes a cracked tank
No hot water: most often a failed element or thermostat, occasionally a power supply fault
Inconsistent temperature or pressure: sediment buildup on the element, or a pressure-relief valve issue
Popping, hissing, or banging noises: sediment inside the tank
Visible corrosion or rust-tinted water: internal tank failure; usually replacement territory
Most cylinder repairs and emergency callouts go to Rei. He's a qualified plumber and registered drainlayer, on the tools daily.
Repair work is billed by the hour at $90/hr plus parts. If a job's looking like more than a couple of hours, we'll flag it before we keep going.
Hot water cylinder installation and replacement
Modern hot water cylinders typically last 10 to 15 years. Older cylinders that are still going in many Hawke's Bay homes were built tougher and often run 30 years or more. Newer replacements aren't built to the same standard. If yours is older than 15 years, leaking, rusting, or running out of hot water faster than it used to, replacement is usually the smarter call. We replace existing cylinders and install new ones across Hastings, Napier, and Hawke's Bay: straight like-for-like swaps, mains pressure conversions, and gas-to-electric changes.
When to consider replacement:
Cylinder over 15 years old: modern builds trend toward 10–15 years; older heavier-build cylinders sometimes go longer but are worth a check
Rusty or brown-tinted water from hot taps: usually internal tank corrosion, not the supply
Leaks from the cylinder itself (not from valves or fittings): these get worse, not better
Popping or hissing while heating: sediment buildup that's eating efficiency
Hot water runs out faster than it used to: losing capacity from sediment or insulation breakdown
Frequent repair callouts: the cumulative cost passes the replacement cost surprisingly quickly
While the cylinder's out, it's a good time to check any Dux Quest piping running to it. Dux Quest is known to fail in older Hawke's Bay homes. Easier to swap during a cylinder change than after a burst.
Choosing the right cylinder type
Most homes have either mains pressure (high pressure) or low pressure (unequal pressure) hot water. Tapware and shower mixers are usually set up for one or the other, so switching from low to mains pressure often means updating valves and tapware to suit.
Mains pressure conversions. A lot of older Hastings homes still run low pressure hot water. If you're dealing with weak shower pressure or tapware that isn't performing, a mains pressure conversion is usually the fix. It involves replacing the cylinder, often updating the pressure-limiting valves, and sometimes the tapware. We check the existing setup first: whether your current shower mixers and taps are rated for mains pressure, and whether the rest of the system supports the change.
Indoor vs outdoor cylinders
If you're upgrading to mains pressure, an outdoor cylinder is usually about $500 cheaper than indoor. Indoor cylinders need a drip tray and drainage line underneath (Building Code requirement, to catch any leak before it damages the floor or walls), which adds cost and sometimes extra plumbing work. An outdoor install skips that, and you regain a cupboard inside the house.
Most customers don't realise outdoor cylinders are even an option. They assume anything mounted outside is a heat pump. It isn't. A standard electric or gas cylinder can sit outside in the right location, and for many older Hastings homes it's the most cost-effective path to mains pressure hot water.
We'll look at your property and let you know which option fits, factoring in cylinder location (close to the bathroom keeps the hot-water lag short), access, and your existing plumbing.
What we will help you consider
Your current cylinder type (mains pressure or low pressure), and what you want to change
Household demand and how you actually use hot water
Location and access for installation (indoor or outdoor)
Whether your tapware and shower mixers suit the pressure setup
Most cylinder installs and replacements go to Jaeydn. He's the lead on our gas work and bathroom renovations as well, so if the install involves switching from gas to electric (or the other way), the whole job stays in one set of hands.
Infinity gas hot water installation
Gas hot water installation typically runs $3,500 to $5,500 fitted in Hawke's Bay, depending on unit, gas supply, and access. Different brands call it Infinity, califont, or continuous flow gas. They're all the same idea: water heats on demand instead of being stored in a cylinder. Most installs land inside a day's work. We handle the full job: connecting gas supply, fitting the unit, removing the old cylinder, and certifying the gasfitting work.
Infinity gas suits households that:
Want continuous hot water without storage: water heats as you use it, so the cylinder can't run out mid-shower
Are upgrading from an older electric setup: gas runs hotter and faster, useful for back-to-back showers and family-size demand
Need to free up space: wall-mounted units skip the cylinder footprint, useful in tight laundries or older homes
If you're switching from electric to gas, the cylinder comes out the same day the new unit goes in. The full gasfitting certification stays under one roof.
Gas-to-electric and electric-to-gas conversions
Thinking about switching from gas to electric, or the other way? We handle both. The right option depends on your property, what gas supply you have (or want), and the long-term running costs.
We'll lay out the running-cost difference over five and ten years. Sometimes a standard electric cylinder is the smarter option. Sometimes gas makes more sense.
Most gas installs and conversions go to Jaeydn, trained directly by Jacob on the gas side. He keeps detailed notes on every install so the office and the customer both know where the job's at.
Hot water heat pumps
A hot water heat pump uses heat from the air to warm your water, like a reverse air conditioner. Installed cost runs $8,000 to $9,000 against $3,500 to $4,000 for a standard electric cylinder. Savings work out to roughly $70 to $80 a month, but the payback takes around 10 years on a unit with a 5-year manufacturer warranty.
A heat pump can make sense when:
You're planning to stay in the house 10+ years: that's how long it takes to recoup the install premium
You have outdoor space close to where the cylinder sits today: moving location adds plumbing cost and creates hot-water lag inside
You're replacing an old cylinder anyway: the marginal cost of going heat pump (vs standard) is easier to swallow when you're already in the install spend
When a heat pump's the right call, we install Rinnai at the premium end, and Haier or Ecospring at the cheaper end (about $2,500 less than Rinnai). We'll give you the real numbers for your home so you can make the call. Want us to look at your setup? Give us a ring.
Should I repair or replace my hot water cylinder?
Two questions decide it: how isolated is the fault, and how deep is the cylinder's overall condition. Repair makes sense when the cylinder is sound but a single component has failed. Replacement is the smarter call when the cylinder itself is leaking, corroded, or coming up to end-of-life.
Repair is the right call when:
Fault is isolated: a single element, thermostat, or valve has failed, not the cylinder itself
No hot water but no corrosion or leaking: usually fixable with a component swap
Pressure or temperature issues: typically a valve or thermostat, not the tank
Cylinder is under 15 years old: still inside expected service life
Replacement is the smarter call when:
Ongoing leak from the cylinder itself: these get worse, never better; the inner tank is failing
Visible corrosion or rust-tinted hot water: internal tank degradation that can't be patched
You're already renovating or upgrading: install the new cylinder during the same spend
Repair costs are stacking up: at the third or fourth callout, replacement is usually the cheaper math
We'll assess the system on site and tell you straight which way to go.
Hot water systems FAQs
How long does a hot water cylinder last?
Modern hot water cylinders typically last 10 to 15 years. Older heavier-build cylinders that are still going in many Hawke's Bay homes often run 30 years or more, but newer replacements aren't built to the same standard. If yours is over 15 years old and acting up, replacement is usually the smarter call.
How do I know if my cylinder needs replacing?
The clearest signs are rusty or brown-tinted hot water (internal tank corrosion), leaks from the cylinder itself (not from the valves or fittings), and popping or hissing noises while it heats (sediment buildup). Add in repeat repair callouts and a unit over 15 years old, and replacement is usually the right call.
What should I do if my cylinder is leaking?
Treat it as urgent. Switch off the power at the breaker (and the gas at the bottle or meter if it's a gas unit), shut the cold-water inlet to the cylinder, and call us. Avoid touching any electrical components. We can usually tell you over the phone whether it's a valve fix or a replacement before we get there.
Why is water coming out of my cylinder's overflow pipe?
A small amount of overflow drip while the cylinder is heating is normal. That's the pressure relief valve doing its job. Continuous dripping or large volumes usually mean a faulty pressure-relief valve or a failing thermostat letting the cylinder over-pressurise. Worth a callout before it gets worse.
How long does gas hot water installation take?
Most gas hot water installs land inside a day. An outdoor wall-mounted unit usually takes 4 to 6 hours; an indoor install (which needs a flue to vent exhaust gas outside) takes 6 to 8 hours. We arrive with the unit, connect the gas supply, fit and test, certify the gasfitting work, and pull the old cylinder out.
Do you work on low pressure hot water cylinders?
Yes. Many older Hawke's Bay homes still run low pressure systems. We repair and maintain them, and we can talk you through a mains pressure conversion if an upgrade makes sense for your tapware and household demand.
Can a hot water cylinder be installed outside?
Yes. Standard electric and gas cylinders can sit outside in the right location, usually about $500 cheaper than indoor (no safe tray or drainage line required). Most customers assume outdoor cylinders are heat pumps. They're not. We'll look at your property and let you know whether outdoor or indoor fits better.
Are hot water heat pumps worth considering?
They can be, but the economics need to stack up. Heat pumps cost around $8,000 to $9,000 installed versus $3,500 to $4,000 for a standard cylinder. Energy savings work out to roughly $70 to $80 a month but take about 10 years to recoup, while the manufacturer warranty usually runs 5 years. They make most sense for long-term homeowners with suitable outdoor space.
Get Your Hot Water Sorted
If your hot water's gone out or you're thinking about an upgrade, give us a call on 06 870 6000. Rio or one of the boys will pick up, and we'll work out the next step with you. If we get something wrong on a job, we come back and fix it on us.
Page last updated May 2026. Reviewed by Jacob Mildon, director of APlus Plumbing & Gas — certified plumber and gas fitter (NZ Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board), quoting jobs in person across Hawke's Bay since 2020.
