Frequently Asked Questions

What is a gas geyser?

A Gas Geyser, also known as a Gas Water Heater, is a water heating system that runs on gas. The traditional gas geyser does not have a reservoir to store hot water. Instead, it heats the water instantly/ on-demand. If someone opens the hot tap, the gas geyser will activate and send hot water to the tap. The gas geyser will deactivate when the tap is closed and stop producing hot water.

How does a gas geyser work?

As soon as a hot water tap is opened, water flows through the pipes at a sufficient flow. That flow triggers a sensor inside the gas geyser, igniting the gas burner. The water flows through the pipes absorbing the maximum heat emitting from the heat exchanger. Once the tap is turned off, the sensor again is triggered, and the burner switches off.

What type of gas do your gas geysers use?

Gas geysers use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), a combination of butane, propane, or a mix. LPG is a clean burning and efficient hydrocarbon gas produced by-product of oil refining or natural gas extraction. When compressed in a tank or cylinder, it becomes a liquid released as a gas.

Why use LPG?

Please click on this link so you can read all about why using LPG is a very sensible thing to do: Why Us

Do I need a Certificate of Compliance/Conformity (CoC) for my gas installation?

A CoC is proof that your gas installation is safe and complies with the rules and regulations laid out in the South African National Standards (SANS) 10087-1.

The law requires that you be always in possession of a CoC for gas installations, as does your insurance company. If your property suffers damage from a gas fault, your insurance company will expect you to produce a valid certificate. Not being able to produce one may invalidate your claim.

When must a CoC be issued?

A Certificate of Conformity (CoC) must be issued for a PERMANENT installation:

• On completion of a new gas installation,
• After any modification, alteration, or maintenance of an existing gas installation
• On change of ownership of a property housing an existing gas installation. (When you sell your property).

What is a permanent gas installation?

Legislation deems a permanent gas installation to be a gas installation that is a fixture in a building, immovable and not of a temporary nature. This would include all built-in gas equipment – Gas fires, Heaters, Gas Braais, Stoves, Ovens, and Hot water systems. Movable gas heaters and gas braais on wheels are seen as temporary and do not require a CoC.

How regularly must an LPG installation be serviced?

According to legislation, the manifold system (which includes the regulator/s) should be inspected and serviced at intervals not exceeding five years.

Am I allowed to have a gas cylinder inside my house?

Yes, according to the SA National Standards (SANS).

• If you live in a flat, you may have a maximum of 9kg gas either stored or permanently installed inside.
• If you live in either a free-standing house, cluster house or in-group housing (not exceeding two storeys), you are entitled to a maximum of 19kg. There are, however, strict regulations regarding the positioning of gas cylinders inside a flat or house and necessary ventilation.

What makes gas geysers different?

Gas geysers are the most energy-efficient geysers available. Unlike the traditional electric geyser that acts as a reservoir for your water, heating it constantly over time - gas geysers don't store copious amounts of water internally. Instead, gas geysers heat water on demand. Meaning they only heat water when your hot water tap is turned on.

Why should I choose a gas geyser over an electric geyser?

Well, for starters, gas geysers supply endless hot water as long as you have gas

Are gas geysers safe for home use?

YES. ABSOLUTELY! Gas geysers are 100% safe, provided you work with professional experts, registered suppliers, and installers like us. There is no shortcut around this – Precautious and adequate safety measures must be taken to select, install, and use any gas geyser. ALL our gas geysers have safety features: a flame failure device, an over-heat protection device, a gas and water stability device, a combustion safety device, and an oxygen depletion sensor device.

• Install in a well-ventilated area.

  If you live in a flat, you may have a maximum of 9kg gas either stored or permanently installed inside.

• Be on the Lookout for gas Leaks.

  The second measure that ensures safety is to ALWAYS be on the lookout for gas leaks. Loosely fitted pipes or other utility fixtures become one of the most common causes of gas leaks at home. Be exceptionally vigilant when it comes to gas leaks!

• Keep out of reach of children!

  Like any potentially harmful device, KEEP OUT OF CHILDREN'S REACH! NEVER ask your child to turn on or off the gas geyser or let them fiddle its knobs. We always install your gas geyser in an area out of reach of children and recommend that you keep it locked. In instances where the home has limited placement, for example, in an apartment building, we install a safety grill around the geyser to ensure the safety of young children.

• Keep a watchful eye on your thermostat.

  The thermostat allows you to set your temperature at your desired levels. Avoid setting your temperature to 'very hot' for extended periods, as boiling water can accumulate extreme steam pressures. So, please re-set your thermostat to your 'normal' temperature after using boiling water. Fortunately for you, ALL our gas geysers are modern and have safety features that make them very safe. For example, if there is increased heat in the gas geyser, it has temperature sensors for the air temperature exiting the unit. If the temperature is too high, it will stop supplying gas to the burners. If that were to fail, there is a second water temperature sensor. If the outgoing water temperature is too high, it will stop supplying gas to the burner.

• Servicing and Maintenance.

  We keep track of our purchases to remind ALL our clients of the need for one of our installers to come and run a thorough service/maintenance on your gas geyser every 12 months. Your gas geyser needs to be maintained regularly like any mechanised item, including your car, washing machine, and stove. If your gas geyser hasn't been used for a while, please contact us, and one of our expert technicians will inspect it before turning it on.

Why are gas geysers great?

1. Gas water geysers provide Just in Time heating! Use It Right Now! Hot water. They don't store the hot water to pre-heat. Instead, they instantaneously heat your water as it passes through the gas appliance.
2. You aren't wasting energy by constantly heating the water. From a cost perspective, it will cost you less to run and operate a gas geyser than paying for electricity, based on the gas you use.
3. You only need to set it to your desired temperature. For some arbitrary reason, Electric geysers in South Africa are typically set to 65 degrees Celsius. Anything higher than 50 degrees is likely to scorch you. That's why we usually mix in cold water to reach a tolerable temperature. How wasteful!

Where is a gas geyser installed?

The majority of the gas geysers are installed on the outside of buildings mainly for safety reasons for better ventilation, easy access to gas cylinders or piped gas lines as well as no issues drilling holes in ceilings for the installation of flue pipes.

Do I have to have the gas geyser or gas cylinder inside my house?

No, not necessarily. It is even more recommendable to install the gas geyser on the outside of the building mainly for safety reasons for better ventilation, easy access to gas cylinders or piped gas lines as well as no issues drilling holes in ceilings for the installation of flue pipes.

Why do you have an installation charge for plumbing as well as for gas, what is the difference?

Gas geysers tap into the existing waterlines coming from your electrical geyser. Gas geysers are in general installed close to the main bathroom(s), so the hot water does not have to travel so far and you have access to hot water almost instantly. So instead of the water traveling through the electrical geyser it is now being directed into the gas geyser. The gas geyser will also have to be connected to gas via gas cylinders or piped gas (natural gas or LPG). Inlet: gas and water (cold); outlet: water (hot).

Can I purchase the gas geyser and you just install it?

Yes, you can, but Hotwater24 only works with certain brands as we do not want to jeopardize on safety as we only want to work with proven and renown gas geyser brands that have proven their quality, durability, efficiency and have a proven track records when it comes to service & maintenance.

Can the gas cylinder supply a gas stove and a gas geyser, or does it have to run separately?

Both appliances (gas geyser and gas stove) can run from the same gas cylinder.

How long does it take to complete an installation?

An installation on average takes 1 full day to complete when it concerns 1 single unit and in case it is for an existing building (not under construction). In some cases, when multiple units are involved, the installation can take up to 2 days.

Is the water flow from a borehole sufficient to operate a gas geyser?

Yes, but the gas geyser only operates at a certain pressure, so when we come out and do a site inspection, we will check the pressure of the water in order to recommend the correct gas geyser. In case the pressure is too low, we will also mention. Borehole water has to be filtered.

Do you offer other gas solutions?

Yes, we also offer the installation of gas stoves, fire places and even gas sauna’s.

Can I buy a gas geyser separately?

Yes you can, we do offer the geysers standalone without installation.