Hot water across the Perth metro
Cold shower this morning, or a tank you know is on borrowed time? Complete Hot Water Perth puts you in touch with an independent local plumber or gas fitter who looks at the system, explains the options and puts a price in writing.
Complete Hot Water Perth arranges hot water system replacement, new installations, repairs and routine servicing for homes and small businesses throughout the Perth metropolitan area. We cover electric storage tanks, gas storage and continuous flow units, heat pumps and roof-mounted solar systems. Ring the main Perth line on 08 7830 0936, or one of the local lines for Bibra Lake, Merriwa and Wangara, and an independent local plumber or gas fitter will talk through the problem and quote in writing.
We do not employ the tradespeople. We are a referral website: we pass your job to a contractor who works in your part of Perth, and the contract for the work is between you and them. The upside is that one call reaches someone local without you ringing round a list, and the quote you get should read the same way whoever gives it.
Most calls start the same way: a cold tap, a puddle under the tank, or a unit that keeps tripping the power. Before anyone talks about a new system, a few things are worth checking.
Anything beyond those checks involves gas parts, live electrical components, pressurised valves or scalding water, and is a job for a licensed tradesperson.
Perth is unusually well suited to the efficient options. Winters are mild, the sun shines for most of the year, and that makes heat pumps and solar systems work well. Natural gas is reticulated through most established suburbs, and many newer estates were built with gas as standard. Plenty of homes still run an electric storage tank in the laundry or outside wall, and those tanks are among the more costly appliances to run.
Like-for-like is the quickest swap and sometimes the right call, especially when the old unit failed without warning and the household needs hot water tomorrow. When there is a little more time, it is worth pricing one alternative alongside it. A household with a twenty-year-old electric tank can often move to a heat pump, with a discount from the federal small-scale technology certificate scheme taken off the price. The contractor can lay out both options so you see the upfront and running cost side by side.
Sizing matters as much as fuel. A storage tank too small for the household runs out at the third shower. A continuous flow unit with too low a flow rating struggles to supply two showers at once. The quote should name the capacity or flow rate and explain why it suits your household.
Water Corporation supplies the metro from a mix of desalination plants, groundwater bores and dams, and the balance shifts by suburb and season. Where the supply is harder, scale builds up on electric elements and in valves, and sediment collects in the bottom of storage tanks. The sacrificial anode, which protects the tank lining, is used up faster in some water than others. A service every few years that checks the anode and relief valve and flushes sediment is cheap insurance for a storage tank. Our lifespan guide covers it in detail.
Check the quote names the brand and model, the size, any tempering valve, removal of the old unit and the compliance paperwork. Compare that with the 2026 Perth price bands, and read the service details for the job you need. If something on the quote is unclear, ask before work starts rather than after.
What gets quoted
A failed or tired unit swapped out like-for-like, or a change of fuel, with the valves, tempering and paperwork a compliant job needs.
Cold showers, leaks, tripping power, pilot and ignition faults - the fault found first, so you only replace when it makes sense.
Relief valve checks, anode inspections and sediment flushing, which matter more where Perth's scheme water is on the hard side.
Gas storage tanks and continuous flow units on natural gas or LPG, sized to the household and to the gas supply at the meter.
Heat pumps and roof-mounted solar systems, with honest answers on placement, noise, running costs and the federal certificate discount.
How we keep it straight
We are a referral service, so the work is done by independent contractors. These are the things we ask for on your behalf, and the things worth checking yourself.
An element, thermostat, thermocouple or valve is a far smaller bill than a new unit. The contractor checks those first and tells you plainly which way the numbers fall.
In WA, hot water work is plumbing work and gas connections need a gas fitting permit, both overseen by Building and Energy. We ask the contractors we work with to hold the licences and insurance the job needs - ask to see them before work starts.
Brand, model, capacity or flow rate, fuel, tempering valve, removal of the old unit and any electrical or gas work, each written down so two prices can be compared line for line.
Ask for the compliance paperwork for the plumbing, gas and electrical parts of the job, and file it with the warranty card. You will want it if the unit ever needs a warranty claim.
Stock photography of the kind of work involved, not a particular Perth home.
Guide
Perth's scheme water is a blend of desalinated seawater, groundwater and dam water, and in many suburbs it leaves scale behind. That shortens the life of elements, anodes and valves. The guide covers typical service life by system type, the warning signs, and the cheap checks that buy a tank extra years.
Read the guideIt depends on the system and what is in stock. A like-for-like electric or gas storage tank is often the fastest job, because common sizes are widely held by Perth suppliers. A change of fuel, a heat pump or a solar system takes longer because there is more to plan. Tell us the make, size and fuel of the old unit when you call so the contractor can check stock straight away.
If the tank itself is leaking, it has to be replaced; a corroded cylinder cannot be patched. If the tank is sound and the fault is a part such as an element, thermostat, thermocouple or valve, a repair is usually the cheaper path, particularly on a unit that is still fairly young. On an older unit, ask for both prices and weigh the repair against the years the tank has left.
For most households a heat pump or a solar system with a boost uses the least bought energy, because Perth has a mild climate and a lot of sunshine. Upfront prices are higher, so the payback depends on household size, how much hot water you use and your electricity or gas tariff. Ask for the running-cost assumptions behind any comparison you are shown.
Yes. Connecting a water heater to the water supply is plumbing work in Western Australia, connecting to gas is gas fitting work, and hard-wiring an electric unit is electrical work. Each is licensed through Building and Energy. We ask the contractors we work with to hold the licences and insurance the job needs, and you are welcome to ask to see them.
Nothing. Quotes are free and come with no obligation. For a straightforward replacement, photos of the old unit, its compliance plate and the area around it are often enough for a firm price; other jobs need a site visit.