Geyser installation: the height and position rules that matter

Most geyser complaints that are not about the geyser are about where it was put. A good installation is quiet about itself for years; a bad one is a daily cold shower or a lurking hazard.

Height

Storage geysers should sit as close to the hot tap as the space allows, with the outlet above the highest tap it serves so the tank stays full. Mounting it high on the wall is common and fine, but every metre of pipe between geyser and tap is water that runs cold before the hot arrives.

Position

• Outside the direct spray zone of the shower — water on the casing is a shock and corrosion risk
• Not above the toilet or basin where a leak drips onto them
• On a wall that can take the weight of a full tank — twenty-five litres is a heavy unit
• With clear access to the front for the thermostat and to the bottom for draining

Electrical

A dedicated circuit with its own MCB, rated for the geyser's draw, and a proper earth. The switch should be reachable without standing in water. A geyser on a shared bathroom circuit with a light and a fan is how breakers trip every morning.

Plumbing

A pressure-release valve on the inlet. A stopcock so the geyser can be isolated for service without turning off the house. Unions rather than soldered joints so it can be removed.

If your geyser is inside the shower's spray, or you have to reach across a wet floor to switch it on, have it moved. Those two installations account for most of the shock incidents involving geysers.

Checking yours

Stand in the bathroom and ask: can water from the shower reach the geyser? Is the switch dry to reach? Does the geyser share a breaker with anything? Any yes is worth a visit.