Geyser (water heater) maintenance: a simple yearly checklist
· 4 min read
Service an electric storage geyser once a year: descale the tank and heating element, inspect the magnesium anode rod, and test the pressure-relief valve. The anode rod is the step most often skipped and the one that decides whether the tank eventually rusts through, and replacing it every year or two costs a fraction of a new geyser.
A storage geyser is one of the highest-power appliances in the house and one of the most ignored. A yearly service extends its life, keeps the electricity bill down, and — most importantly — keeps it safe.
The yearly checklist
Four jobs, and a proper service does all four. If the technician descales and leaves, you have paid for roughly half a service.
- Descale the tank and heating element. In hard-water areas, scale builds on the element, wastes electricity, and eventually burns it out.
- Inspect the anode rod (magnesium rod). It corrodes on purpose to protect the tank; once it's gone, the tank rusts. Replacing it every 1–2 years is far cheaper than a new geyser.
- Test the pressure-relief valve. A stuck valve is a genuine safety hazard on a pressurised tank.
- Check the thermostat and any visible wiring for heat damage.
Signs of trouble
Slow heating is the common one and it is almost always scale on the element. The electrical symptoms in this list are different in kind — those mean stop using it now, not book a service for next week.
- Water takes much longer to heat than it used to (usually scale on the element).
- Rusty or discoloured water from the hot tap.
- Tripping the MCB or any tingling sensation — stop using it and call an electrician immediately.
- Visible leaking around the tank.
Note the install date and the last descaling. Storage geysers typically last 8–10 years with care; knowing the age tells you whether a fault is worth fixing or a sign it's time to replace.
Common questions
How often should a geyser be serviced?
Once a year for an electric storage geyser. In hard-water areas, where scale forms faster on the heating element, it is worth doing before each heavy-use season rather than waiting for the annual date to come round.
What is an anode rod and why does it matter?
It is a magnesium rod inside the tank that corrodes deliberately so the steel tank doesn't. It is a sacrificial part, which means it is supposed to be consumed and then replaced. Once it has fully corroded away the tank itself starts rusting from the inside, and at that point the geyser is on a countdown rather than in need of a repair.
Why does my geyser take longer to heat than it used to?
Scale on the heating element, most of the time. Scale insulates the element from the water, so the same power takes longer to do the same job and your bill goes up while performance goes down. Descaling usually restores it. If descaling doesn't, the element or the thermostat is the next thing to check.
How long does a storage geyser last?
Typically 8 to 10 years with regular servicing, less in hard water and less again if the anode rod has never been changed. The age matters when something fails: on a two-year-old unit a new element is an easy call, on a nine-year-old one with a rusting tank it usually isn't.
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