Your geyser is the single most expensive appliance in the house — both to run (about 40% of your electricity bill) and to replace (R8,000–R18,000 installed). The good news: a few cheap habits can add years to its life and noticeably cut your Eskom bill.
1. Drain a bucket from the safety valve every 6 months
The little lever on your geyser's safety/pressure-control valve releases pressurised water from the bottom of the tank — the part where sediment settles. Lifting it for 5 seconds every six months flushes that grit out before it cooks onto your element. Do it from the overflow outlet outside the house, not from inside the ceiling.
2. Drop the thermostat to 55–60°C
Most geysers ship pre-set to 65–70°C, which is hotter than you actually need. Setting it to 55–60°C reduces standing heat loss, slows scale build-up on the element and saves around 5% per degree on running cost — without affecting your shower comfort.
3. Insulate the first 2 metres of hot water pipe
An uninsulated hot pipe leaving the geyser bleeds heat into the ceiling 24/7. A R200 split foam jacket on the first 2 metres of pipe pays for itself in the first month or two of cold weather.
4. Add a Geyserwise (or similar) timer
If nobody's home from 8am to 5pm, your geyser shouldn't be heating water all day for nothing. A smart timer like Geyserwise schedules heating around your actual hot water use and typically saves 25–35% on geyser electricity. As accredited installers we can fit and commission one in under two hours.
5. Replace the magnesium anode every 4–5 years
The sacrificial anode is a magnesium rod inside the geyser that corrodes instead of the steel cylinder walls. Once it's gone, the cylinder starts rusting from the inside. Swapping the anode every 4–5 years can double your geyser's lifespan and is a fraction of the cost of a full replacement.
6. Check your drip tray and overflow annually
The drip tray catches a leak before it floods your ceiling — but only if the overflow pipe is clear and the tray itself isn't cracked or full of dust and leaves. A 60-second visual check once a year can save you a R30,000 ceiling repair.
When to replace, not repair
Geysers older than 8–10 years that are leaking from the cylinder (not just the inlet/outlet fittings) should be replaced rather than patched. We recommend a like-for-like swap to a SABS-approved geyser with vacuum breakers, isolator switch and a fresh Plumbing COC included.
Need a geyser swap, service or Geyserwise install? Phone 082 886 9119 or book online. We service Sandton, Midrand and Northern Johannesburg Monday to Saturday.