It’s amazing to see today just how many ticking time bombs homes, businesses and offices have installed inside there cupboards or in the laundries and just how many plumbers in Adelaide are not aware of the current requirements when installing a new hot water system.
It is a rule of the Government of South Australia and the Office of Technical Regulator (OTR) that when a new internal storage hot water system (gas (LPG/Natural Gas) or electrically powered) is installed inside a building that two things should be performed in order to avoid major flooding in the case of a hot water system failure.
Safe Tray
A safe tray is an item which the hot water system sits inside of. It is typically square in shape and most of the time it is plastic for domestic applications.
In commercial applications a hydraulic engineer might specify that the safe tray be made out of copper or stainless steel as these materials last longer and, in some cases, the hot water system itself is designed to also last longer if also made out of stainless steel for commercial and industrial purposes.
Mildred Water Shut Off Valve For Internal Hot Water Systems
When a new installation is performed correctly in Adelaide or the Adelaide Hills of South Australia there will be a non-return water shut off valve installed on the incoming cold water supply line to the hot water system. After this valve is where the Mildred water shut off valve should be installed.
The Mildred water shut off valve comes with a cord approx. 500mm in length. At the end of the cord is a water sensor probe which sits inside the safe tray. This probe senses if water makes it way inside the safe tray if the hot water service is ever to split or if a fitting fails and leaks. Once water is sensed it will terminate any further water entering the hot water system eliminating any additional water escaping and also avoiding a further pressure build up in the vessel minimising flooding.
The advantages of using the Mildred water shut off valve is that it can be installed vertically and horizontally. The internal shut off valve is non directional which means there is not a forward or reverse location of water flow which it must be installed with (easier installation).
Regular Maintenance Of The Mildred Water Shut Off Valve
It is important to test the water shut off valve initially once installed to ensure that it is working. We typically do this by wetting a finger and place it across both probes. The probes will sense the water and close the supply. A green button on the front of the water shut off valve can then be depressed and you will hear the water shut off valve resetting to the open position.
Mayfair Plumbing recommend that the batteries inside this device be changed every 12 months to ensure reliability of this water shut off device. If you are looking to have your hot water system in Adelaide serviced, please get in contact today on 0429 361 819.
