Plumbers in Parys were running around over the past week to assist with bust pipes and geysers amid the sub-zero temperatures.
According to Willie Hallaby Plumbers, they had 157 calls on Wednesday and Thursday alone, mostly for burst pipes and da- maged ceilings. This is even more than the 130 call-outs they had four weeks ago when another cold front hit the Free State.
Johan de Villiers from JR Handy Hands had over 60 call-outs for burst pipes in only two days.
The record number of calls local plumbers received made it almost impossible to attend to every one immediately. Most had to refer requests due to the high volume of urgency they had to attend to.
A sudden cold spell can wreak havoc on water pipes, geysers and your sense of humour.
The last thing anyone wants to contend with is water pouring out of your ceiling in the middle of an icy winter’s night. But since it is “geyser season”, it is good to know that you have homeowner’s insurance to protect you from the financial implications of such an unforeseeable and inconvenient mishap.
Here are some helpful tips to guide you in dealing with the watery mess and avoiding the considerable resultant damage that could occur to furniture, electrical circuits, ceilings, floors, carpets, curtains and so on.
•Prevention is better than cure: Contrary to popular belief, geysers usually don’t suddenly burst, but rather suffer wear and tear and corrosion over time, which eventually cause a rupture or leak. Regular maintenance will extend the life of your geyser and it should be serviced every three to four years if the water quality is good and every two years if you have what is known as “hard” water.
A service involves checking the mag- nesium sacrificial anode element and thermostat and replacing these if necessary, clearing any scale build-up and checking the overall state of the system. The sacrificial anode protects the geyser from rust by attracting any corrosion to the anode and thus protects the metal components.
Anode rods typically require replacement every five years, depending on the water quality – regular servicing of this will extend the life of your geyser and help avoid unplanned geyser “bursts”.
•Install a drip tray: Ensure that you have a drip tray installed and that it is level – this will catch any leaking water and in the event of a major burst, will channel most of the water outside the ceilings via an outlet pipe, lessening the amount of consequential damage.
•Know where your electricity board, water mains and water stopcock are: The midst of a watery crisis is not the time to try and find out where the household safety features are. Familiarise yourself with where your electricity and water mains and stopcock are located before things go pear-shaped and you break some toes fumbling around in the dark.
•If your geyser has burst, immediately switch off the geyser electrical isolator switch on the main distribution board – it should be marked with a ‘geyser’ label.
•Turn off the water mains and the stopcock fitted to the inlet pipe of the geyser. This will stop all the water flow to your house.
•Open all the hot water taps in your house to relieve the pressure inside the geyser – this will lessen the amount of water pouring out of your geyser and reduce the chances of further water damage.
•Move as much of your furniture and other valuables away from the water and try and limit the damage before it spreads further.
Contact your insurance broker to log your claim and make arrangements for an ac- credited and qualified plumber to assist you.
Not all insurance policies are created equal, so it’s important to make sure that you are properly covered from the outset for the re-placement costs of the geyser, any burst pipes and resultant damage.
Policies vary quite substantially; some may only provide cover for resultant damage and do not cover the replacement of the actual geyser and pipes, which could run into thousands of rands.
Some insurers also stipulate an excess per item claimed for, rather than one excess on the total claim. This could have significant financial implications for you that you may be unaware of.
It is also important to remember that there is a difference between buildings and household contents cover and to know what each one covers,” explains Mandy Barrett, the head of marketing at Aon South Africa.
Your buildings policy covers you for replacing the bricks and mortar and fixtures in your home – which equates to your geyser, pipes and ceilings as a result of a burst geyser. Your household contents cover is separate from buildings cover, however, and insures the contents of your home, like your furniture, clothes and appliances. Should you claim under both buildings and contents policies, you may find that you have to pay two excesses as this would be lodged as two separate claims,” she says.
