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New three-hour response time for burst geysers
Boitumelo
Community Coordinator

The only thing more stressful than finding out you have a burst geyser is waiting hours – or even days – for professional help to arrive as water seeps into your ceilings, floors or even furniture. At best, you may have to go a day or two without warm water, but that’s a trial in itself during our chilly winters, the season in which geysers are more likely to break down.

Fortunately, if you’re a Standard Insurance Limited policyholder living in the major metropolitan areas of Gauteng, KwaZula-Natal and the Western Cape, you can fast-track the response time to your geyser-associated claims to three hours.

 

From speaking with, and listening to, our customers, we found that, not only is the waiting and clean-up process associated with burst geysers extremely frustrating, it’s also a distraction or barrier from focusing on the things that are important to you; the things each of us needs to do to reach our nexts. So now, you can have your geyser problem attended to by an accredited Standard Bank plumber in as little as three hours by lodging a claim via our banking app. Nothing could be simpler, and the quickened response time minimises the risk of further damage.

Of course, there may be times when our responding plumber can’t complete the repair process in the three-hour timeframe, as more specialised equipment is needed. In such cases, he or she will work out the best short-term solution to restore your water supply and be back ASAP with the necessary tools. For added convenience, you can also make an appointment with your plumber if you can’t be home during the fast-response period.

 

Though Standard Insurance Limited is always on standby to sort out your plumbing problems whenever they occur, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Watch out for these causes of geyser failure:

 

  • Temperature changes: In winter, the difference between the temperature of the hot water leaving the geyser and the cold water going in can cause metal fatigue. You can stop this by using a geyser blanket.
  • Age: Wear and tear can result in leaks and bursts. Check for signs of rust around connection points. If present, replace them.
  • Temperature extremes: Keep the water temperature at about 60˚C. You’ll not only reduce the likelihood of geyser failure, but cut electricity costs.
  • Substandard materials: Corrosion-resistant materials like copper piping and stainless steel fittings should be used on all geysers. If low-grade pipes have been used in yours, replace them.
  • No drip tray: Placed underneath a geyser, a drip tray catches leaking water (until it overflows) and, so, prevents ceiling damage.

If you have a leak, try the following:

 

  • Open all your hot taps. The pressure in your geyser’s cylinder will drop quickly, and the leak should subside.
  • Stop water from entering your geyser by closing the main supply into the appliance.
  • Switch your geyser off at your home’s main electrical board; a geyser should be electrically isolated once it’s leaked.
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