Burst geysers account for approximately 35% of all domestic insurance claims, with the winter months being the most common time for this inconvenience.

While it may be stressful finding water all over floors, ceilings saturated with water and furniture damaged, often the most frustrating experience is waiting for plumbing assistance to arrive. Now, however, there is a solution, says Standard Bank Insurance Limited, which has introduced a three-hour response time into their homeowners’ policies.

This offering will see policyholders in the major metropolitan areas of Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape being able to fast- track their geyser claims by using the Standard Bank mobile banking app to lodge particulars of the claim online. Within three hours of a claim being lodged, the problem will have been attended to, says Natasha Pershad, Head of Claims: Homeowners Comprehensive Insurance of Standard Insurance Limited.

“Our hope it that this accelerated response time will assist policyholders and minimise the negative implications, and frustrations, of having to deal with a burst geyser. A home without water is difficult to live in and creates complications for the entire family, especially when help only arrives in hours, or days. Hence, our move to partner with our registered service suppliers to streamline the claims process and vastly speed up responses,” says Ms Pershad.

“We do ask customers to recognise, however, that there may be times when a responding plumber may find that a problem is caused by a fault that will require additional work or a repair cannot be completed because a specialised geyser other than a normal domestic geyser is required. In these or similar cases, the plumber will liaise with the homeowner and take the short-term action necessary to restore the water supply.”

“Clients will also have the option to make appointments with plumbers, so that more suitable arrangements can be made should they not be at home during the fast response period.”

This offer also excludes after-hours claims for now. In such cases, problems will be attended to first thing the very next day.

There are various causes for geyser failure. Some of the most common are:

·         Changes in temperature. During winter, the temperature of cold water entering a geyser may be considerably lower. The difference between the temperature of the hot water leaving the geyser and the cold water going in can lead to metal fatigue and failure. Stop this from occurring, and help to save heating costs, by using a geyser ‘blanket’.  These specially formulated materials keep the geyser warmer by reducing heat loss and avoiding the possibility of burst geysers taking place.  If the geyser stays warm, less electricity is needed to warm the appliance.

·         Age.  Like any appliance, geysers are subject to wear and tear that can result in leaks and bursts. To identify whether a geyser could begin leaking, an occasional check is advised to see whether there are signs of rust around connection points or anywhere on the geyser itself. If there is corrosion, consider getting an expert opinion and having the damaged part replaced.

·         An increase in pressure and temperature in the geyser, to a point that exceeds recommended limits for the installation. Avoiding this is simple. If you keep the temperature down, experts suggest at around the 60°C, you will not only reduce the likelihood of geyser failure but also cut back on electricity costs. A bonus is that injuries due to scalding by hot water coming from taps will be avoided by the family.

·         The use of substandard materials and poor construction. Corrosion resistant materials like copper piping and stainless steel fittings should be used on geysers. If low-grade pipes have been used in your installation, it will pay dividends to get these replaced.

·         Not having a drip tray. A drip tray underneath a geyser will catch the water that is leaking from the vessel; it stops water damage to a ceiling until the drip tray itself overflows. But, small volumes of water in a drip tray should not be ignored. The presence of water means that the geyser is leaking and the weak spot should be found and fixed before the problems worsens. Legally, drip trays these have been a requirement in South Africa since 2001 for all in-ceiling geysers. Geysers on the outside of the building do not require a drip tray.

Should you have a leak, the following actions are recommended:

·         In an emergency, reduce the strength of a water leak by opening all the hot taps throughout the house. The pressure in the cylinder will drop quickly, and the leak will subside.
·         Stop water entering the geyser by closing the main supply into the appliance. This will prevent water continuing to fill up the geyser so that further damage can be avoided.
·         Switching the geyser off at the house’s main electrical distribution board, as a geyser should be electrically isolated once it has leaked. This switch is usually identified. If it isn’t, find out which switch it is and label it accordingly for future.
·         If the water supply main on the geyser is difficult to locate, the best thing to do is to switch off the water mains completely. In South Africa, the water mains tap, or often a lever, is found attached to the municipal water meter situated near the boundary of a property.

“Paying attention to your geyser is the best way to ensure it continues to function optimally. You may be insured against a bursting geyser, but avoiding it from happening can save a lot of inconvenience and personal stress,” concludes Ms Pershad.