Geyser Maintenance
The geyser quality in the South African market is very poor. The best
guarantee on one of the industry’s largest geyser producers, Kwikot is 5 years.
W.E Geysers, the producers of Solartherm and Duratherm, offer a 10 year
guarantee. This is a very short period of time when you consider that very few
geysers installed in Europe carry less than a 25 year guarantee. (Drip trays
are not used in the UK market because geysers don’t split)
Most geysers are installed in the ceiling space and failure can cause
serious damage. Ensuring that your home and business insurance is up to date
and covers both the damage caused by a burst geyser and the geyser replacement
itself is recommended.
One of the reasons for burst geysers is the failure of the geyser
lining. Some geyser manufacturers persist with making geysers with steel inner
linings. Steel is used in many applications but when it comes in contact with
water, it rusts. The manufacturers have tried to prolong the life of the steel
by using sacrificial anodes in the geysers. These are usually aluminium based
and ‘attract’ corrosive properties of the water thus protecting the steel. When
these anodes have fully corroded, the steel lining is attacked. Most people
don’t know if their geyser has a sacrificial anode and fewer people have these
anodes replaced periodically to prolong the life of the geyser. The speed of
anode corrosion depends on the quality and quantity of water used by the
household.
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| New Anode |
 |
| Anode sediment |
 |
| 4 year old anode |
The first picture is a new anode pre installation. The second picture is
an anode about 4 years old from a 200l Kwikot geyser in a two person house in
Newlands, Cape Town. The third picture is the sediment remains of an anode from
a burst Kwikot geyser about 10 years old in Table View, Cape Town.
A new sacrificial anode costs
between R120 and R160 and it should only take 1 hour for a plumber to replace.
On rare occasions the geyser has been installed in such a way that the anode is
inaccessible. Replacing the anode will prolong the life of your geyser! But
won’t prevent eventual failure.
OTHER HINTS:
Investigate the possibility
of installing your new or replacement geyser on the outside of the house. Some
insurance companies (Outsurance) say there is no difference in premiums if the
geyser is installed on the outside of the property. Miway Insurance suggested
that there may be a premium saving depending on the security of you property. It
is very important for the homeowner to understand the guarentee smallprint when
having a geyser installed. This will ensure the homeowner knows his/her rights
in the event of a failure.
Shop around for geyser
installation quotes. R1000’s can be saved by finding the right installer.
