Repairs, replacements, servicing and new installations for heat pump, solar, electric, gas and continuous-flow systems. Practical advice based on your property, your existing connections and how much hot water your household actually uses.
Heat pump, solar, electric, gas and continuous flow
You speak to Richard, who does the work
12 month workmanship warranty on what we install
24 hour emergency call-out
What we do
Sunshine Coast hot water services
Hot Water Repairs
No hot water, not hot enough, running out sooner than it used to, leaking, making a noise or tripping the power. We work out what has actually failed before quoting anything, because a system that has stopped producing hot water can be a twenty minute fix or a finished cylinder, and those two have very different answers. Diagnosis covers heat pump, solar, electric, gas and continuous flow. Send a photo of the unit and its data plate and we can usually narrow it before we arrive.
A tank leaking from the body rather than a valve, a smell of gas near the system, or a system repeatedly tripping the switchboard. Call rather than filling in a form: a failed cylinder can put a great deal of water into a wall cavity or under a slab in a few hours, and the damage often costs more than the system. We will tell you what to isolate before we arrive, and be straight with you about when we can be there for your address.
Like-for-like, or a considered upgrade. We look at age, tank condition, repair history and how you actually use hot water before recommending anything, rather than defaulting to a new unit. A replacement is also the one moment where correcting an undersized system, a poor position or a running cost you have been complaining about costs nothing extra, so it is worth five minutes of conversation even when the answer turns out to be the same system again. Removal and disposal of the old unit is part of the job, and you should expect any quote you compare to say so explicitly.
New builds, renovations, energy-source conversions and capacity upgrades. These are six different jobs that people describe with one word, and they differ enormously in what they involve. The quote follows from which one it is and from what the property already has: switchboard capacity, gas supply, outdoor space with real airflow, roof orientation. We establish that before quoting rather than discovering it on installation day, because the most common surprise on a hot water job is a gas line or a circuit that was sized for whatever was there before. On a new build the useful conversation happens before the walls close.
Preventive maintenance to what your manufacturer actually requires, rather than a blanket annual figure. Requirements vary by system type and model, and some warranties depend on them being met. Solar systems in particular fail quietly: when the pump or controller stops contributing, the booster takes over and you keep getting hot water while the bill climbs, so the failure shows up as a cost rather than a cold shower. Coastal air is hard on roof-mounted and outdoor components, and the relief valve and sacrificial anode on any storage tank are worth attention.
RCM Hot Water does one thing. Repairs, replacements, servicing and new installations across heat pump, solar, electric, gas and continuous-flow systems, on the Sunshine Coast. A general plumber handles hot water among many other things and plenty of them do it well; the difference on a system behaving strangely is pattern recognition, having seen the same fault on the same model enough times to know where to look first.
When you call, you speak to Richard, and Richard is who turns up. There is no call centre taking a message and no dispatcher deciding what your system probably needs before anyone has looked at it. The reviews on this site say the same two things repeatedly: arriving when promised, and staying with a problem until it is actually solved rather than until something has been replaced.
It also changes the advice. Someone who works across all five system types every week has no reason to push one of them, and a real reason not to: recommending a heat pump for a property with nowhere sensible to put it produces a complaint six months later. The same applies to the repair-or-replace conversation, where the commercial incentive obviously points at replace. We would rather tell you the tank is sound and the fault is a cheap part, because the alternative is winning one job and losing the next three.
Extended coverage: Gympie, Bribie Island, Morayfield. Outside our regular Sunshine Coast run, on different terms. Call to check availability before booking rather than assuming.
Five ways to heat water, and none of them wins everywhere
Here is where each one tends to fit. The system pages go into what decides it at a specific property.
Heat Pump
Uses considerably less electricity than conventional electric storage. Suits a property with outdoor space that has genuine airflow, away from bedroom windows.
Heat pump, solar, electric storage, gas and continuous flow each suit some properties and not others. What is already connected, where a system can physically go, how many people live there and whether hot water gets drawn in two places at once decide it between them.
Position rules options in or out faster than price does. A heat pump needs outdoor space with real airflow and tolerance for fan noise. Solar needs a roof facing the right way and unshaded. Gas needs supply with enough capacity, which is not the same as having gas connected. Continuous flow is limited by flow rate rather than volume. Once those are on the table the field usually narrows on its own.
Two things decide most of it: how old the system is, and whether the fault is a component or the tank itself. A younger tank with a failed element, thermostat, pump or controller is usually worth repairing. One near the end of its life, already repaired more than once, or no longer supported for parts, usually is not.
A cylinder leaking from the body rather than a valve ends the conversation at any age. It is a sealed pressure vessel with an internal lining, and once that lining fails the steel behind it corrodes from the inside. It cannot be patched safely or legally.
Call, or send the details. What the system is doing, how long it has been doing it, and whether anything changed around the same time.
02
Send a photo if you can
The whole system from a couple of steps back, and the data plate. Between them they usually tell us the type, the age and the likely fault.
03
We assess the system and the site
What has failed, whether the tank is sound, what the property has connected, and how the household actually uses hot water.
04
You get the options and the reasoning
Repair or replacement, with why one is recommended over the other. If a repair is the better call we will say so.
05
You approve the work
Nothing proceeds on assumption. If something found on site changes the position, you hear about it before it changes the price.
06
Work is completed and handed over
Installed, connected, filled and commissioned, with the manufacturer's documentation left with you since that governs the product warranty.
Systems and brands
The systems and brands we work on
RCM installs and repairs all five hot water types: heat pump, solar, electric storage, gas storage and continuous flow. Solar and gas are the specialisms. On brands, what matters far more than the badge is whether parts are still made for your model, which is why the model number from the data plate is the most useful thing you can send us. We publish named manufacturer relationships only where we hold the documentation for them, so if you want to know whether we work on yours, ask and you will get a straight answer.
Brands we install
Rheem
Brands we repair
Solahart
Thermann
Rinnai
Chromagen
Midea
What customers say
Reviews from Sunshine Coast customers
Reviews published on RCM’s Google listing, reproduced with the names as they appear there.
Richard (RCM Hot Water) was superb in his tenacious problem-solving in which the solution was far from obvious and ultimately required ruling-out several potential problems to restore our solar hot water system to full working order. I would most definitely use his cheerful services again... and again...
A
Andrew Keir
Sunshine Coast
5 out of 5
Best trades service I have had on the Sunshine Coast in 36 years. I would have no hesitation in recommending Richard and his business to anyone.
L
Lynette Wilson
Sunshine Coast
5 out of 5
Cannot fault the service Richard provided, even when we threw him a few curve balls. Communication was excellent. Highly recommend RCM Hot Water Services.
S
Sascha Colley
Rental property, same day replacement
5 out of 5
Richard from RCM Hot Water Services was amazing. The old hot water system of our rental property stopped working suddenly. I contacted Richard at 7.30am, he had the new hot water system quoted and installed by 2pm on the same day. He was helpful, knowledgeable and provided advice on placement of the system to suit our needs. I highly recommend Richard and RCM Hot Water Services! Great service, quality workmanship and competitive price.
C
Craig Talbot
Heat pump installation
5 out of 5
Richard installed our new Rheem 270lt Sidevent heat pump water heater quickly and efficiently, and he cleaned up and took the old heater and all the packaging. The cost was extremely reasonable. We are so happy with the system. We have hot water all the time, even when we have a house full of guests, and best of all, we are saving money as the heater is so efficient, more so than solar. Highly recommend RCM, and would give it more stars if I could.
A
Alicia Ruth
Emergency replacement
5 out of 5
I called RCM when my hot water system failed. Richard was on site to assist within a couple of hours, and the system was replaced the same day. Clear communication and excellent service. Thank you!
K
Kate
Hot water replacement
5 out of 5
Great service from Richard. He explained prior to commencing the job what possible extra costs may be involved and completed the replacement of the hot water system quickly and efficiently. A quality job completed and left perfectly tidy. Thanks Richard.
G
Griffin Bambach
Same day replacement
5 out of 5
Got Richard in to fix my hot water system, realised pretty quickly I needed a new one, and within a couple of hours he had been, gone, come back and hooked up a new system for me. Great conversation and very quick and efficient service. Wouldn't recommend more highly!
J
Jesse
Hot water replacement
5 out of 5
Prompt, fast response! Professional, very competitive pricing. Now I have a perfectly installed (very neat, took the old system away, no hassle) and working hot water system that is higher quality than my old one. Highly recommend.
G
Gregory Galbacs
Sunshine Coast
5 out of 5
Richard is one of those out there who would not ask you to leave a review but you do it anyway because you would like to let others know how professional and punctual his service is. Rare find. Got yourself a customer for life, mate!
P
Pauline Miller
Next morning call out
5 out of 5
Rich responded to my text straight away and was able to make time to come out the next morning. He was so polite and was able to complete the job quickly. Definitely highly recommend.
D
Deidre Phillips
Weekend enquiry
5 out of 5
Richard was great. He responded to my online enquiry on a Sunday morning! His advice was very much appreciated and the quality and efficiency of his work was 10/10. I would highly recommend RCM Hot Water Systems. Thanks Richard, we appreciate the work.
E
Elizabeth Dennis
Sunshine Coast
5 out of 5
Great quality, reliable and friendly service! Highly recommend RCM Hot Water.
These are reproduced from RCM’s Google reviews with the names as published. This is a selection rather than the full set. Read them all on Google
Heat pump, solar, electric storage, gas storage and continuous flow. Working across all five matters more than it sounds: it means there is no reason to steer you toward one, and a real reason not to, since recommending a system your property cannot take produces a complaint six months later.
Can RCM repair my existing system?
Usually. Most hot water calls turn out to be a component rather than a finished tank, and components are repairable. What decides it is whether the cylinder is sound and whether parts are still available for that model, which is why the model number from the data plate is the most useful thing you can send us.
Do you provide emergency hot water repairs?
Yes. RCM runs a 24 hour emergency call-out, seven days, across the Sunshine Coast, on the same number as everything else. Call rather than filling in a form if you have no hot water, a tank leaking from the body rather than a valve, or a system tripping the power. Ask about timing for your address when you call and you will get a straight answer.
How do I know whether to repair or replace?
Age and the nature of the fault decide most of it. A younger tank with a failed element or thermostat is usually worth repairing. A tank near the end of its life, one repaired more than once, or any tank leaking from the cylinder itself, is usually a replacement. A leaking cylinder is the one case with no alternative.
What system is best for a Sunshine Coast home?
There is no single answer, and anyone who gives you one has not looked at your property. What is connected, where a system can physically go, how many people live there and whether hot water gets drawn in two places at once decide it between them. The comparison page sets out the factors side by side.
Are heat pump or solar systems eligible for incentives?
Eligible solar water heater and air-source heat pump models can create Small-scale Technology Certificates under the federal scheme. Eligibility is specific to the model rather than the category and is checked against the current official register, so get the exact model number onto any quote you are comparing.
How quickly can a replacement be completed?
A straightforward like-for-like swap is usually a few hours once we are there. It takes longer if the system is changing type, moving position, or if the electrical or gas side needs work. How soon we can get to you depends on the day and your address, so call and ask rather than assuming.
What information should I provide when requesting a quote?
A photo of the whole system from a couple of steps back, a photo of the data plate carrying the brand and model, where the system sits, what it is actually doing, and your suburb. Those five things usually let us give you a real answer rather than a range with an asterisk on it.
Do you remove the old hot water system?
Removal and disposal of the old unit is a normal part of a replacement. It is worth confirming on any quote you compare, because an old cylinder is heavy, awkward and not free to dispose of, and being left with one in the yard is an irritating way to find out it was excluded.
What areas do you service?
The Sunshine Coast and hinterland, including Noosaville, Cooroy, Nambour, Maleny and the Glass House Mountains. We also travel further north and south, but those trips are on different terms and worth confirming before you book. The service areas page sets out which is which.
