We often hear the question: “How can I maintain my geyser? There are no moving parts!”
The fact is, most geysers in South Africa can be maintained - and should be. Besides a plumber doing a check on the components and checking on compliance, the anode needs to be replaced every year or so.The fact is, most geysers in South Africa can be maintained - and should be. Besides a plumber doing a check on the components and checking on compliance, the anode needs to be replaced every year or so.
This self-sacrificing anode is a rod that can be replaced. It sacrifices itself while protecting the geyser by preventing corrosion. Once completely sacrificed, it can no longer protect the geyser.
Geysers which are serviced every 12 to 18 months will last far longer. We have seen evidence of this via claims history when comparing schemes which are proactive in this regard versus those whose geysers are never serviced.
Prescribed rules or Sectional Title Regulations place an obligation on owners to maintain their own geysers. Essentially, this means owners should be doing far more in respect of loss prevention and maintenance. Geyser replacement accounts for a large portion of insurance claims.
Trustees can manage claims with very few tools, one of those being negotiating a higher excess. Rather than higher excesses, preventative measures should be encouraged.
There are geysers on the market which do not need anodes as they have a pex lining or coating, however, the majority of installed geysers have the anode.
The dynamics of every scheme are different, and in some cases it can be easy for trustees to arrange servicing of geysers periodically.
In other circumstances, it would be an almost impossible task. Where possible, we encourage managing agents to coach their client community schemes about the anode with a view to, where possible, encouraging a more proactive approach to prevention. - Mike Addison, Addsure
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