Whether you are building a home or considering changing your current geyser, you need to know about the different geyser options you have. We explore the three most popular geyser choices for South African homes: electrical geysers, solar geysers, and gas geysers. We highlight how each geyser works and then list the advantages and disadvantages for you to compare and make the best decision for your home. Whether you have selected an electric, solar, or gas geyser, Plumbing Ways is the plumber near me that will easily and affordably install your selected geyser in your home.
Electrical Geysers:
Electrical geysers are the most common geyser that you will find in South African homes. If you already have an electric geyser but are considering changing to a different geyser, you can assess the advantages and disadvantages to decide whether the change will be beneficial for your home.
How Electrical Geysers Work:
An electrical geyser is composed of an insulated water tank, a cold water inlet pipe, a hot water outlet pipe, heating elements, a thermostat, and a pressure relief valve. When you turn a hot water tap on, cold water flows into your geyser through the cold water inlet pipe. The heating elements within the geyser use electricity to then heat the cold water. The thermostat controls the temperature of the heating elements to ensure that the temperature of the water remains consistent and does not go above the selected temperature.
Advantages:
Easy and Affordable Installation: The initial cost of purchasing an electric geyser is steep, but the installation is easy and affordable. As many homes in South Africa have access to electricity, an electric geyser is easy to install. The convenience of the installation also makes the installation affordable, which is why so many homeowners opt for an electric geyser in their homes.
Suitable for Large Families: Electric geysers are usually preferred for homes with larger families with increased showering, dishwashing, and laundry needs. Electric geysers come in various sizes, allowing you to select a geyser size that will produce the quantity of hot water suitable to the size of your family and your hot water needs.
Disadvantages:
Load-shedding: Load-shedding has become a pervading problem that South Africans have to cope with. Especially when load-shedding is in the higher stages in your area, the heating of your electric geyser will be affected. An electric geyser generally takes two hours to reheat after the electricity has been off, which means load-shedding can have a huge impact on the temperature of your water from your electric geyser.
Running Costs are High: Electric geysers will heavily impact your monthly electricity costs. Electric geysers draw a lot of electricity to heat your water, and this can increase if you have selected a larger electric geyser for your home. You can mitigate these costs by opting for a smaller electric geyser, installing a geyser blanket, installing a geyser timer, or switching off your geyser when not in use.
Solar Geysers:
With the increasing threat of Climate Change, there is a global shifting towards choosing more environmentally-friendly options across the board. South African homeowners are opting to have solar geysers in their homes as a way to play their part in reducing their environmental impact. Find out all there is to know about solar geysers to see if this is a good option for your home.
How Solar Geysers Work:
Your solar geyser will be installed on your roof where there is the easiest access to consistent sunshine. Cold water is pumped into the bottom of the solar panel collectors. As the sun heats the solar panel collectors, the cold water is heated. Through convection, the hot water rises to the top of the collectors and into a storage tank at the top of the solar geyser. When you switch your hot water tank on, the hot water flows through pipes from your solar geyser and to your bathroom or kitchen.
Advantages:
Environmentally-Friendly: Solar geysers are the best option for the environment. Solar geysers do not rely on the burning of fossil fuels and do not emit any pollution in the generation of heat. Making use of the renewable energy resource from the heat of the sun benefits both the environment and your monthly budget, making it an all-around friendly option.
Low Running Costs: South Africa generally experiences plentiful sunshine, allowing you to have access to a free energy supply for heating water in your home. This will radically reduce your monthly electricity costs and allow you to enjoy having more budget to spend on other household needs. If you do need to use gas or electricity to ensure hot water on rainy days, this will be a low cost in your overall spending on your heated water.
Disadvantages:
Expensive and Challenging to Install: Solar geysers are your most expensive geyser option and they are challenging to install. Solar panels and collectors need to be fixed onto your roof, with the difficulty depending on the type of roof you have on your home. Then there is the storage tank, piping, pump, controls, and possible automated electric or gas installation. It is always recommended to choose expert solar geyser installers to reduce your risks of leaks or problems, which is an additional cost due to the expertise needed.
Performance Affected By Weather: Solar geysers are highly dependent on the weather. The downside to solar geysers is that if there is a few days of rain, your solar panel will not be heated. Once you have used up your stored hot water, you will be having cold showers until the next sunny day. To reduce this disadvantage, you can automate the gas geyser with gas or electricity to have a guarantee of hot water whenever you need it.
Gas Geysers:
Gas geysers are quickly becoming a popular choice for many homeowners across South Africa. If you do not have access to electricity and the initial costs of solar geyser installation are beyond your budget, then a gas geyser is an excellent choice. There are certain disadvantages to having a gas geyser, therefore, compare these to the advantages to assess whether a gas geyser is a great fit for your home.
How Gas Geysers Work:
A gas geyser will have a gas pipe inlet, a cold water pipe inlet, and a hot water outlet pipe. When you turn on a hot tap in your home, cold water will flow into your gas geyser. The inlet of water will cause the gas geyser to ignite and burn the gas. The cold water flows through pipes in the heat exchanger causing the cold water to become heated to your selected temperature. Once you switch off the hot tap, the gas geyser turns off. Gas geysers are usually installed on an outside wall to ensure there is adequate ventilation.
Advantages:
Running Costs are Low: While running costs are not as low as solar geysers, gas geyser operational costs are significantly lower than electric geysers. Gas geysers generally burn liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from LPG cylinders, which is an affordable gas option in South Africa. If you have access to natural gas pipelines in your area, you can also use these for your gas geyser. Gas geysers only use gas when water is being heated, which means you can use your gas geyser for a large family home without drastically increasing your monthly expenses for water heating.
Instant Hot Water at Desired Temperature: The heating process in a gas geyser is instantaneous. This process allows you to have hot water, set at your desired temperature, at any moment throughout the day. This makes gas geysers an incredibly efficient and convenient water heating option for homes.
Disadvantages:
Safety Risks: One of the major deterring factors for homeowners is the safety risks associated with gas geysers. If the installation is done incorrectly or the gas geyser does not have adequate ventilation, there can be devastating consequences if something goes wrong with your gas geyser. Gas leaks can lead to explosions or toxic inhalation and overheating can cause the gas geyser to explode.
Requires Expert Installation: Due to the safety risks associated with gas geysers, it is imperative that you use an accredited gas geyser installer. The last thing you need is a gas leak from the gas pipes within your home threatening the safety of your family. Due to the expertise required for gas geyser installation, it can be an expensive installation depending on the company you use.
Plumber Near Me for Geyser Installation:
Plumbing Ways is your plumber near me for your selected geyser installation. We can install an electric, gas, or solar geyser in your home, ensuring that we are the plumber near me that covers all your geyser installation needs. As your plumber near me, all you need to worry about is choosing the best geyser for your home and we will handle the rest.
The Plumbing Ways plumber near me team is comprised of fully qualified and highly experienced plumbers. This ensures that no matter your selected geyser, your geyser installation will be performed by experts. If you additionally require maintenance on your selected geyser, we are the plumber near me that are experienced in offering an expert maintenance service and professional maintenance advice.
If you are located in the Northern Suburbs, Southern Suburbs, City Centre, Winelands, Cape Peninsula, or Atlantic Seaboard, we are the plumber near me for your geyser installation. We offer our services to this wide area to ensure that many homes have access to our professional and efficient service. If you are looking for a fast and professional plumber near me for geyser installation or maintenance, then Plumbing Ways is your go-to plumbing company.
If you have any queries about which geyser is best suited to your home and needs, you are welcome to contact Plumbing Ways. We are your friendly plumber near me that is always happy to address any of your geyser-related questions or concerns.
About Plumbing Ways, Your Plumber Near Me:
Plumbing Ways plumber near me is a 24/7 plumbing service. Plumbing problems often occur at the most inconvenient times, which is why we are always available to assist you. From leaking toilets to burst geysers to overflowing drains, we are the plumber near me that is just a phone call away to rectify your plumbing problem quickly and effectively.
We are your affordable plumber near me for any plumbing installations, maintenance, or problem fixing. No matter the day or time, we offer a set payment rate to prevent you from facing extra callout costs after hours. We also offer free quotations for any of your plumbing projects. You can enjoy the benefits of a quality plumber near me without the exorbitant price tag with Plumbing Ways.
Plumbing Ways is the plumber near me for any desired geyser installation in your home.