Chances are that you’ll never need to put in a geyser claim anytime soon. But – what if the odds are not in your favour and your geyser 'decides' to come apart in spectacular fashion? Wouldn’t you rather have your insurer pay for all the damages?
Take it from us: make sure you get buildings insurance in place as soon as you possibly can, consider taking out additional cover against wear and tear, and most importantly – make sure you maintain and service your geyser on a regular basis.
Top 3 geyser tips
At OUTsurance, your buildings insurance package will have you covered for any loss or damage that was caused by the leaking or bursting of geysers, water supply tanks, cisterns and water pipes forming part of the building.
Many insurance companies may not cover the resultant water damage to your fitted carpets, walls or furniture.
Sometimes, you’ll even have to pay two excesses – one for the geyser and one for the damage to your contents.
At OUTsurance, you can expect:
- Full cover for loss or damage caused by burst or leaking geysers.
- Only one fixed excess, always - no matter what.
- Full cover for the resultant damage to permanent fixtures and fittings, e.g. walls, ceilings, fitted carpets, etc.
- If you’ve taken out contents cover with us, we’ll also pay for the resultant damage to items of contents such as bedding, clothing, loose carpets, etc.
- As part of our free 24/7 Help@OUT emergency home assistance service, we’ll pay for the call-out fee for a plumber as well as one hour’s labour.
Please take note that where the cause of the bursting or leaking can be attributed to rust or wear and tear, we will unfortunately not be able to cover the geyser and pipes or any of the resultant damage. That is, unless you’ve taken out our optional 'geyser and pipes wear and tear' cover.
This optional product allows you full cover for any damage caused by the leaking or bursting of a geyser, its parts and any concealed pipes, even if the damage was caused by rust, decay, gradual deterioration, wear and tear, cracking, splitting, faulty materials and workmanship or hidden defects.
We’ll pay to have the geyser, its parts and any concealed pipes repaired or replaced. We’ll also pay a specified maximum amount (as per your schedule) for resultant damage to your fixtures or fittings, even if the damage to your geyser was caused by rust! Please note that damage occurring within the first year of installation, or damage covered by any guarantee is not covered.
Chances are that if you put a regular, scheduled maintenance procedure in place, you’ll never have to worry about geyser claims, ever. In areas where the water supply is of good quality, we suggest you have your geyser serviced every three or four years. If the water supply is of bad quality or where the water is defined as hard, you may want to have your geyser checked every second year.
A regular service usually entails the draining of the geyser; checking on the level of degradation of the anode, and checking the element and thermostat. The plumber will need to replace the thermostat if there’s any excessive lime scale build-up on the element. He will also need to remove any lime scale and sludge from the tank and check the entire unit for leaks.
Finally, always make sure that you have a drip tray fitted beneath the geyser. The tray’s outlet pipe will divert some of the water to prevent further damage.
Your geyser has burst when it breaks open or comes apart suddenly when internal pressure causes the unit to explode. However, this may be the exception to the rule. In reality, it’s basic corrosion or wear and tear combined with a lack of maintenance that finally causes your geyser to give in.
A geyser is made out of steel and is glazed on the inside to help prevent any possible corrosion. Rust will form where there is no protective glazed area. Unfortunately, before the geyser even reaches the retailer – it may have already received a few knocks and bumps which may have created one or two chips in the glazing.
In light of this, geyser manufacturers install a manganese rod ('sacrificial anode'). The rod’s residue is transferred to any exposed chipped parts, which in effect coats the damaged areas and minimises decay. Unfortunately, after 12-18 months when the anode no longer functions properly, the geyser speeds up its internal decay process. Without the anode, the decay may cause serious malfunction and you will probably need to replace the geyser within the next three years.
Yes. Signs to look out for are a rumbling sound coming from the geyser or steam that comes out as soon as you open the hot water taps.