Geyser issues persist during water cuts
A Durban North plumber says he has had a 30 per cent increase in geyser problem call-outs.
IT happens when you least expect it, the day your geyser decides that it’s had enough. In recent times however, since the water restrictions were put in place, more and more residents are having trouble with their geysers. Northglen News recently caught with up local plumber, Joe Boy, who said he has had a 30 per cent increase in call-outs, specifically for geysers problems, since the restrictions started. He added that a major contributor to problems was the lack of awareness of residents during water cuts and geysers installed incorrectly.
“A lot of the time, people are unaware their pressure has been lowered or restricted, what we are finding is that people continue using their household taps not realising why hot water is exiting cold water taps, siphoning water out of the geyser, causing the submersible element to be exposed. I have seen cases where geysers aren’t installed correctly to geyser manufacturers specifications.
“In some cases, the pipe work has been installed incorrectly. I have also seen cases where the wiring to the geyser element and thermostat was done incorrectly especially in older homes, preventing the geyser from switching off properly,” he said.
He urged residents to switch off the power to their geysers during restrictions and water cuts if they are aware of this possibly happening while not at home.
“During a water cut the geyser could fill up with air, so on your return before switching power on open up hot water taps to release air trapped in the geyser, only then switch on,” he said.
Boy added this would save damage to both the geyser and the working parts, like the element and thermostat, which could cause major cost to residents.
