Relax you have come to the right place; we deal with this daily and the insurers see this all the time.
- Step 1. Turn the water off, if you don’t know where to then ask your neighbor or security if you live in a complex.
- Step 2. Open the hot taps
- Step 3. Turn the geyser circuit breaker off in the electrical board.
- Step 4. Put buckets and towels down to catch the water
- Step 5. Call 0861Waterlite or your insurance call center.
There are only a few inevitabilities in life, death, taxes and your geyser will fail at some point!!
- Trip switch on your DB Board
- Isolator switch near your geyser is switched off
- Need a new element
- Need a new thermostat
- Geyser has failed and water is dripping onto the electrical connection
- Possible faulty thermostat
- Temperature setting may need adjustment
- Ripple relay may be off
- Timing issue with load sheading
The electrical portion of a geyser is made up of cable, a circuit breaker, an isolator switch, possibly a timer and ripple relay, an element and a thermostat. They age all together at the same rate. The possibility of the isolator switch or circuit breaker failing right after a element and thermostat is replaced is very real and possible due to the new element pulling the full amount of power down a cable and the next week link may just fail soon thereafter.
Due to the fact that the geyser limits chosen do not allow for the replacement of all components, there is a limit. Had you have paid for an increased geyser maintenance limit of say R3500 geyser maintenance we would have gladly done so; it would have been to our benefit.
- Geyser may be overheating
- Temperature may be set too high on the thermostat
- May be a faulty thermostat
- Geyser may have failed
A standard mild steel geyser needs to have its anode replaced every 2 years.
Typically, the valves around the geyser also need replacing and normally every 2 years is the prescribed timeframe by manufacturers.
A WaterLite stainless steel geyser needs less maintenance as it has no need for an anode, however the valves would still require maintenance. This would be substantially less costly.
It is up to you or your scheme management in the case of a sectional title scheme to arrange insurance cover for the maintenance, repair and replacement of geysers. However, strictly speaking in sectional title, the geyser is an owners’ responsibility and arguably should not be covered. Most schemes, however, arrange geyser cover and maintenance as it makes the insurers and the homeowners life a whole lot easier.
It is up to the owner in the case of a separate home or the body corporate in the case of sectional title, to negotiate premium, excess and rate with the insurer. In some cases, high loss ratio / high claims history may result in higher excesses than normal.
The excess is not a deposit firstly. It is a clause agreed to by the homeowner when signing the insurance document, setout by the broker or insurer, to the first commitment of loss. It is setout that the homeowner is to pay the excess prior to any work being done in the contract. It has nothing to do with the contractors’ terms and conditions, it cannot be discounted and unfortunately the onus is put on the contractor to collect the excess prior to doing any work as setout in the insurance policy. The policy is set out by the insurer, broker and homeowner proper contractors should issue a vat registered invoice for the excess.
Typically the team onsite will take all the necessary pictures. This would then be costed, and a quotation sent the insurer. The insurer has a costing matrix and approval may be received thereafter. This can take a few days to complete. Often a further assessment needs to be done to confirm loss, especially when wood is involved. That being said, because something got wet doesn’t mean it needs replacement.
The geyser is normally covered under the geyser section of the policy and carries an excess of it own. The resultant damage is covered under a different section of the policy and carries its own excess as its not only a geyser that can cause resultant damage. Eg a burst pipe or a damaged roof or a gutter that is blocked, all can result in resultant damage and needs to be separated from the geyser as its not the only potential cause of resultant damage.
This is a sticker or metal plate placed on the geyser by the manufacturer bearing the serial number, and code. The code usually denotes the age of the geyser. It is needed to verify whether a failed geyser is still under warranty.
Most family homes have a 100liter, 150 litre or 200 litre geysers. There are larger geysers such as 250 litre and 300 litre and even larger ones for multi living however, 100, 150 lite and 200 litre are most common.
As a rule of thumb, provided that the insurer has a good panel of plumbers linked to their call center, the call center is most often the best option for several reasons, mostly for accountability.
Most manufacturers offer a 5 year warranty on their tanks and a 1 – 2 year warranty on their components. The WaterLite stainless-steel geyser carries a 10-year warranty on its tank and a 1 – 2 year warranty on its components. Insurers pay claims for replacement of geysers when they are out of warranty only.
The stainless-steel geyser fully installed costs a bit more than a mild steel geyser, but however has much lower maintenance costs and will at least have a useful life double that of a mild steel geyser. It carries a warranty of 10 years compared to the usual 5-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Strictly speaking not but is nonetheless needed where a geyser is installed. The prv/pcv is a valve used to 1. Protect the house from extremely high incoming, from municipal lines, or outgoing (back pressure from an overly hot geyser) water pressure and 2. Deliver balanced water pressure to the dwelling. Meaning hot and cold water are of equal and balance pressure.
Referred to a sacrificial anode, this is a magnesium alloy rod inserted into the geyser which through a reaction, sacrifices itself to transfer a layer of elements to rusting and/or corroding steel inside the geyser while in use. This anode needs to be replaced every 12 to 18 months in order to preserve the geyser by reducing corrosion. It should be treated as risky if it has not been done in 3 years. This is not needed in the WaterLite stainless steel geyser as the tank does not rust/corrode.
Industry insurance experts tell us that geyser replacements and resulting damages account for some 70% of all claims in sectional title. Premiums are thus often higher than what they should be, especially where there is no mitigation effort or geyser management plans in place.
The insurance advisor/broker can play a crucial role together with hot water installation experts WaterLite. By tailoring a plan based on the dynamics of a scheme and structuring an insurance policy to fit, has proven to substantially reduce claims, subsequently reduce premiums and improve matters all round.
This is generally a sensible route and trustees should consult with credible experts. WaterLite have been specializing in solar for more than 30 years and can offer the most reliable and cost-effective solutions. Done correctly and sized appropriately can see a scheme and homeowner save more money than the finance costs.
It is normally very viable and cost models show that some 50% to 60% of household electricity is saved. Coupled with savings on insurance, even if the system is financed, the systems pays back within five years and is often cash flow positive from day one. In other words, there is often no outlay.
No, the Insurer insures the geyser. If the homeowner has built a box around the geyser and the geyser cannot be accessed or the geyser is in a cupboard under the sink, it is the owner’s responsibility to facilitate access to that geyser for maintenance and replacement. The geyser is covered however the insurer will not pay for dismantling the cupboard to gain access to the geyser. NB access and excess in a geyser claim are two different things!!!!
Access can be covered in a shortfall if the contractor has the capacity to do the necessary so the plumbing teams can gain access to the geyser.
Typically insurers set a limit on a geyser replacement, let’s say R10,000. The excess is R2,000. This means the insurer will only pay R8,000. Now if the geyser is 3 stories in the air and takes an entire day to build scaffolding, or a custom geyser needs to be installed due to space constraints or the homeowner chooses to move the geyser to outside, this would incur additional cost. Let’s say the total would be R12,000. The homeowner would be liable for the difference between the R8,000 and the R12,000 (R4,000.) This why it is so important to work through your insurers call center or with honest contractors and contractors who have the correct equipment and experience when working at heights.