Geyser Maintenance Guide: Tips To Keep Your Water Heater Away From Problems

Last Updated on November 24, 2022 by Asif Iqbal Shaik

Now that you’ve successfully purchased an electric water heater with the help of our in-depth Geyser Buying Guide for the Indian market, it is time for you to know the precautions you should take to keep your newly-purchased water heater away from problems for a long time. By following the steps mentioned below, you can not only extend the life of your electric geyser by leaps and bounds but also save a ton of money in the long run.

Top Geyser Maintenance Tips

1. Use Geyser With Soft Water; Avoid Using Hard Water
2. Don’t Run The Water Heater With An Empty Tank
3. Don’t Keep Geyser Turned On For A Very Long Time
4. Check Geyser And Valves For Water Leakages Regularly
5. Make Sure That Water Doesn’t Enter The Power Outlet Socket
6. Set Optimal Temperature In Water Heater
7. Get Your Water Heater Serviced Periodically

1. Use Geyser With Soft Water; Avoid Using Hard Water

If you are supplying hard water to your geyser, the high amounts of minerals and salts in it will stick to the internal components of the water heater and quickly form scale, a white-coloured chalk-like substance. Scaling inside your geyser could lead to a number of problems, ranging from reduced efficiency to complete failure of your water heater.

The most important component of a water heater is the heating element. It converts electricity into heat to heat up the water. The build-up of scale on it will reduce the rate at which the heat transfers from the heating element to the water. As a result, your geyser will take a longer time to heat up the water and, thereby, consume more electricity.

Another crucial component of an electric water heater is the thermostat. It turns on the heating element whenever the temperature of the water inside the tank drops below a certain point. The formation of scale on the thermostat will cause it to fail. That means the thermostat can no longer activate the heating element, rendering your electric geyser useless.

Over time, when the scale gets deposited inside the water heater in excessive amounts, it can cause the metal components, such as the heating element, to corrode. Eventually, the corrosion will cause these parts to fail. At that point, the only solution to get your geyser up and running is to replace those parts, burning a big hole in your pocket.

If you want to keep your geyser away from these problems, supply it with soft water. The number of salts and minerals in it is low enough to not cause any issues to your water heater for a very long time. If you don’t have access to soft water, you could consider getting a water softener. It removes or lowers the hardness of water, making it safe for your geyser.

2. Don’t Run The Water Heater With An Empty Tank

When the water in the overhead tank runs out, it usually goes unnoticed by people until they turn on a water tap to find that there’s no water coming from it. In that case, if you happen to turn on the tap or shower that’s connected to your geyser, you’ll still get water, and that’s because the geyser has its own water storage. But what happens when even the water in the water heater tank runs out?

Well, the components that are used inside a geyser, especially the heating element, are made to work inside water. So, if you keep your geyser running for a long period of time when there’s no water inside its tank, various components inside your water heater, including the heating element and thermostat, could develop a fault and eventually stop working.

So, the next time you turn on the water heater, make sure that there’s water in the overhead tank to avoid any damage to your geyser.

3. Don’t Keep Geyser Turned On For A Very Long Time

Generally, many people keep their water heater running for a very long time. The most common reason behind it is that they simply forget to turn off the geyser after they are done using it. The other reason is that if there are many people who need to take a shower with hot water back-to-back, the geyser has to be kept running until everyone is done using it. 

Well, keeping the water heater running for a very long time will not only increase your electricity bill but the constant process of heating up the water could put the geyser under stress, causing it to fail. If you are someone who forgets to turn the water heater off, you could get a smart plug, which will automatically turn off the geyser after a set period of time. 

If the water heater is running for a long time because there are many people who need to take a shower, here’s a simple tip that can reduce the stress on your geyser. Ask the members at your home to turn off the water heater as soon as they come out of the bathroom. The next person going in can turn it back on. This little break for your geyser can be beneficial in the long run.

4. Check Geyser And Valves For Water Leakages Regularly

The installation of a water heater involves four water connectors; a set of water inlet and outlet connectors on your geyser and a set of water inlet and outlet connectors that are connected to the plumbing system located on the bathroom wall. During the installation of the geyser, if any of these connectors are not installed properly, the water could leak from them. If not, these connectors, either due to hard water or due to their age, could corrode, causing a water leak.

The water leaking from these connectors could enter the power outlet socket or your geyser’s electronic components, and it could cause them to short-circuit, leading to a serious safety concern. As a result of the water leakage, your water heater might not get enough water, which could not only result in lower water pressure in the shower head but also damage the internal components of the geyser. Not to mention the wastage of water and water stains on the walls.

To avoid all those issues, you should check all the water connectors related to your geyser from time to time. You could set a reminder on your smartphone to inspect the geyser and its water connectors for leakages so that the task doesn’t slip from your mind.

5. Make Sure That Water Doesn’t Enter The Power Outlet Socket

Typically, a power outlet that’s meant to be used for powering up a geyser is placed very high on the wall. That’s because a water heater is usually installed close to the roof of the bathroom, and the power outlet socket should be within reach of the geyser’s power cord. The other reason for installing the power outlet high on the wall is to safeguard it from the splashes of water. So, for the most part, the power outlet socket is safe from water splashing around in the bathroom.

However, when cleaning the bathroom, people spray water on the walls/tiles, and it is very much possible that the water could enter the power outlet socket, causing the electrical system and the geyser to short-circuit, leading to a serious safety issue. So, whenever you wash your bathroom, make sure that you don’t spray water near the power outlet socket of your geyser. Simultaneously, turn off the power outlet for the water heater whenever you clean the bathroom.

6. Set The Optimal Temperature In Water Heater

According to experts, the temperature of water for having a bath should be between 40-degree and 45-degree Celsius. However, many people, mainly due to the lack of information, set the required temperature of water in the geyser much higher than that. When they turn on the shower and find that the water is too hot to bathe, they mix it up with cold water to bring down the temperature of the water to a point where it is comfortable for them. 

That’s not only a waste of electricity but also a wastage of your hard-earned money. So, next time, make sure that you set the required temperature of water to what’s comfortable for you. It will be lighter on nature and your pocket. If your geyser lacks a display to show the exact temperature and instead comes with a dial to adjust the temperature, experiment with it to see at which position of the dial you get the right temperature of water to bathe in.

7. Get Your Water Heater Serviced Periodically

Do you remember that we suggested you supply soft water to your geyser to avoid the formation of scale inside it? Well, even soft water has little amounts of minerals and salts in it. So, even though soft water is much safer for your geyser compared to hard water, over time, the soft water could also lead to the formation of scale inside the water tank. So, what should you do at this point?

Well, the simplest way to get rid of scaling is to remove it manually. Since this process requires the disassembly of the water heater, the job is better left to the experts. Onsitego offers Geyser Maintenance Service at just ₹399, and it includes the removal of scale from the water tank so that the geyser heats up the water quickly, consumes less electricity, and keeps running for longer.

Apart from the removal of scale, the Onsitego Geyser Maintenance Service also includes inspection of water connectors and hoses for leakages and a thorough checkup of the thermostat to see if it is working properly. Basically, we check your geyser for all the possible problems and fix them promptly so that you can continue enjoying hot showers. 

We also offer geyser installation, uninstallation, and repairs at affordable prices. For more information, visit our Geyser Repair Service page.