Smart geysers

A LEAKING GEYSER CAN COST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RANDS IN UTILITY BILLS

• A leaking Geyser can go unnoticed for months before becoming a flood that then damages your home. The drip tray often drains into the house gutters, so you don’t notice when it is leaking.

• Whilst leaking, the constant cold water feeding it to replace the leaking water leaves the thermostat permanently turned on, doubling or tripling its electricity consumption, even leaving it permanently on.

• Whilst leaking it is also driving your water consumption sky high.

• Modern geysers typically last between 5-7 years. • They also account for up to 80% of domestic insurance claims.

• Geysers ALMOST NEVER BURST.

• They rust and a tiny hole eventually appears at a weak spot through which the geyser starts to leak. As the corrosion progresses, the leak expands in volume, as the water is under constant pressure.

• A leaking geyser can run up Tens of Thousands of Rands in utility bills before you notice the problem.

WHY DO GEYSERS USE SO MUCH ENERGY?

• Geysers account for up to 60% of household electricity.

• Geyser thermostats are set next to the cold water inlet on the geyser. As cold water flows in when a hot tap is used, the thermostat senses the inrush of cold water and turns on, even if the tap was only used for a few seconds.

• Within a few minutes the element has heated the cold water now sitting around the thermostat and it switches off again.

• Every time a hot tap is opened the geyser switches on for up to 5 minutes, depending on the amount of hot water used.

• The average geyser switches on and off 30 times per day due to mainly kitchen use.

• Switching your geyser off during the day stops this.

• Thermocline is the transition layer between hot upper and cooler lower water.

CLEVA TECH’S SMART GEYSER SYSTEM

SMART GEYSER CONTROLLER REDUCES ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY UP TO 30%.

WiFi enabled Smart Geyser System controlled from your phone or PC.

Prevents financial losses through its water leak sensors to alert you as soon as the geyser starts to leak.

Saves daily energy consumption through controlling the water temperature from your phone.

Geyser thermostats are typically set to 650C. Just reducing the temperature from 650 to 550 reduces energy consumption dramatically without affecting your availability of hot water.

Human skin cannot tolerate water at 550, it starts to burn at 480. Anything above that is just wasting energy and is dangerous when children are around.

To heat your 150L geyser from 220 to 650 uses 7.5KWH. To 550 uses only 5.7KWH. (31% more energy to 650.)

To heat your geyser after a shower from 350 to 650 uses 5.2KWH. To 550 uses only 3.5KH. (48% more energy to 650).

SMART GEYSER TIMER SCHEDULES ENABLE ADDITIONAL ENERGY SAVINGS

Setting timer schedules to only switch the geyser on at times when you need hot water reduces energy consumption.

Modern Class B geysers insulate and retain the water heat extremely well.

The graph opposite shows a geyser that has been switched off for 4 days and the water temperature dropped from 50 to 41 degrees.

The Cleva Tech Smart system enables you to set multiple timer schedules for each day of the week.

Set the timers to suit your personal habits and local load shedding schedules, only switching on 2 hours before your usual shower or bathing time + kitchen time and an hour after and you will have hot water when needed whilst reducing energy consumption by up to 30%.

This saving (depending on individual usage) can save between R250 to R500 per month on your electricity bill.

Until the 1970’s, Geysers used to last up to 30 years and beyond as compared to these days they barely last 5 years, News 24 called this "THE GREAT GEYSER SWINDLE".

SMART GEYSER TIMER SCHEDULES ENABLE ADDITIONAL ENERGY SAVINGS

Geysers are essentially just a steel tank coated with an enamel coating on the inner tank surface to prevent contact with the water and immediate corrosion activity.

However, no coating is entirely free of defects, even when freshly applied. Over time, coating degradation occurs.

Consequently, manufacturers use cathodic protection to extend the life of the tank.

By pairing protective coatings and cathodic protection, it is possible to extend the life of a typical steel geyser’s coating system for immersion service by as much as 20 years.

A Sacrificial Anode is installed which protects the geyser from corrosion by corroding itself first. This process is referred to as galvanic corrosion.

Sacrificial Anodes usually last for between 1 and 2 years by which time they have corroded away and need replacing.

Without cathodic protection, once the Anode is depleted, corrosion begins to attack the tank surface.

WHAT IS CATHODIC PROTECTION?

Cathodic Protection is the method used to control the corrosion of metal surfaces.

When 2 metals are placed in a body of water, the weaker (more electrically active) metal will sacrifice itself, becoming the Anode, and lose its electrons to the stronger (or less active metal), the Cathode, in doing so protecting the Cathode from corrosion. This process is called Galvanic Corrosion.

In fresh water tanks, corrosion activity on internal surfaces usually results in a concentrated pitting attack, which leads to quicker wall penetration than if the corrosion was more uniformly distributed on the metal surface.

This is particularly true on tank interiors that are coated, where the corrosion attack is accelerated at holidays or voids in the coating. The attack is initiated by the development of anodic and cathodic areas on the submerged metal surfaces.

SO WHY DO OUR GEYSERS KEEP FAILING SO OFTEN?

The answer is simple.

NOBODY EVER REPLACES THEIR ANODES IN THEIR GEYSERS !!!

If you replace your geyser’s anode at least every 2 years, your geyser should not corrode and should last well beyond 10 or even 15 years.

It will eventually start leaking due to metal fatigue at the welds because of the constant expansion and contraction of the tank due to the heating and cooling of the water in its daily use. Commonly referred to a pulsing.

Because nobody replaces their anodes, the consequence of that is that once the anode is depleted after 2 years, within the next 3 to 5 years the geyser will have corroded and started to leak.

SACRIFICIAL ANODES COME WITH THEIR OWN PROBLEMS AS WELL.

Sacrificial Anodes are made from Aluminium, Magnesium or Zinc.

Aluminium is intended for use in areas with hard alkaline water, whilst Magnezium anodes are used for soft acidic water. Zinc anodes are used in Salt Water.

If the wrong anode type is used for your water type the anode risks either corroding away extremely quickly, within a few months, or far too slowly, so doesn’t provide the desired level of cathodic protection.

How many people know what anode their geyser has or what water type they are consuming?

Anodes break down into a powder that produces sludge in the geyser which is not good for you nor the environment. Especially aluminium which is linked a several medical conditions, polluting your water and the environment.

IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO PROTECT MY GEYSER WITHOUT HAVING TO REPLACE THE ANODE EVERY YEAR?

The Cleva Tech Smart Geyser system has an ICCP Anode that can be connected to the controller. Impressed Current Cathodic Protection Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) is an electrochemical process used to prevent corrosion by applying a controlled electrical current to the metal. It involves the use of an external power source to apply an electrical current to the metal structure, which effectively creates a cathode of the tank, protecting it form corrosion. The Titanium Anode is connected to the controller and installed in the geyser. It has a designed service life of 20 years and is maintenance free. It works on both alkaline and acidic water and produces no sludge. The condition of the anode is monitored by the Smart Geyser Controller. With the Cleva Tech ICCP anode as part of your Smart Geyser, you can expect your geyser to last between 10 to 15 years or longer. The Cleva Tech Smart Geyser system is the ONLY system to offer ICCP protection. Note: the ICCP anode is only recommended for use with a new geyser.