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  1. #1
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    Default Geyser-on permanent or on/off

    I have been trying to be a good citizen by switching my geyser on every night for about 90 minutes and then go and put it off again.On average this consumes about 10 units in that 90 minutes.i have not really taken much notice what is been used during the day.My question,has anyone done a comparison in leaving geyser on or switching every night.In winter i'm sure it takes longer so maybe chows more electricity and besides i'm tired of trying to be a good citizen while the fat cats sit back and rake in the dough.

    Dean Watson

  2. #2
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    Hi

    I had one of the Eskom contractors come exchange all my normal lights for LED and also fit a Geyser timer which switches the geyser on between 03:00 and 06:00 and 15:00 and 18:00 and all other times are switched off. All this made a R1200 difference on our monthly bill.
    I'm not saying it is going to work for everyone or that it is the way to go BUT it definately worked for me.
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  3. #3
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    Default

    And also forgetting to switch it back on and SWAMBO wants to take a bath.

  4. #4
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    We did a test when I was with PE Municipality in the 80's and found the energy required to re-heat the water that has cooled down, exceeded the saving during the "off" time. At the time it only made sense if the geyser was switched off for 48 hrs or more at a time.

    Geyser insulation has improved drastically in the mean time, so this test is probably not valid anymore.

    When switched on, with no hot water consumption, the thermostat should only draw current for a very short burst at time to maintain the heat, while it will keep the current to the element full time to re-heat water that has cooled down during the period the geyser was switched off.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by ThysleRoux View Post
    When switched on, with no hot water consumption, the thermostat should only draw current for a very short burst at time to maintain the heat, while it will keep the current to the element full time to re-heat water that has cooled down during the period the geyser was switched off.
    I had the same reasoning....got tired of arguing with everybody and decided to test it.......guess what.....I was wrong. Since I did the test, we continued to operate this way....sometimes it bites you in the behind when you forget to switch on the geyser....but we started saving approx 30% on our electricity bill so it's worth it.

    One day......I will install a timer to runs this on auto.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by ThysleRoux View Post
    We did a test when I was with PE Municipality in the 80's and found the energy required to re-heat the water that has cooled down, exceeded the saving during the "off" time. At the time it only made sense if the geyser was switched off for 48 hrs or more at a time.

    Geyser insulation has improved drastically in the mean time, so this test is probably not valid anymore.

    When switched on, with no hot water consumption, the thermostat should only draw current for a very short burst at time to maintain the heat, while it will keep the current to the element full time to re-heat water that has cooled down during the period the geyser was switched off.
    Wrong, it has deteriorated so bad that you now are advised to wrap external insulation around.
    In fact Thys, the quality of Hot water cylinders now is below par.
    It has become a money making racket. Galvanised cylinders rust,
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  7. #7
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    Hi Dumpie there are so many possibilities to consider and so many fights will erupt here as per the 2SO thread on my statement to save elect.Who is at home during the day to use hot water when geyser is off,when do u switch geyser off after bath and when do u switch it on etc etc.The best thing is to have a timer installed ( make sure the timer has a battery back up and not a spring ),set your on times and off times.We did a test of leaving a gyser on all day vs off,we found leaving a geyser on all day actually saved compared off/on/off.This test was done having people in the house during the day ie maid at home,kids back from school which meant hot water used all day for dishes,hands etc using a std geyser and no additional insulation .When on holiday and house empty it saves to switch off geysers (time your arrival right to allow geyser to heat up).

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  8. #8
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    I installed a timer in the geyser circuit and switch the geyser on at 05h00 and off at 07h00. By 16h00 there is still warm (not hot) water.
    Next I am going to play around with the geyser temperature setting.

    We combined this with energy saving awareness in general. Also changed the pool pump on times.

    Made a huge difference to my electricity bill. Daily usage approx 16 units.

    Next, I am going to change cooking to LPG gas. Not so much to save money but rather to become less dependant on eishkom.
    Find the solutions, not the problems.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by ThysleRoux View Post
    We did a test when I was with PE Municipality in the 80's and found the energy required to re-heat the water that has cooled down, exceeded the saving during the "off" time. At the time it only made sense if the geyser was switched off for 48 hrs or more at a time.

    When switched on, with no hot water consumption, the thermostat should only draw current for a very short burst at time to maintain the heat, while it will keep the current to the element full time to re-heat water that has cooled down during the period the geyser was switched off.
    +10

    Also turn your temperature down so that it is how enough that you almost don't need to use cold water with it.

    Our current temperature is +-47 degrees and it makes a huge difference. At the coldest I had to lift it to +-55 during this winter.
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by JacoE View Post
    +10

    Also turn your temperature down so that it is how enough that you almost don't need to use cold water with it.

    Our current temperature is +-47 degrees and it makes a huge difference.

    This is ideal, more than adequate, going very much lower, then you will have bacteria build up, which you dont want
    ORA
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  11. #11
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    What is working well for us is a solar unit hooked up to the geyser. Geyser runs on electricity from 4am to about 7am, from there the solar panel kicks in, that keeps the water warm during the day. Geyser runs of electricity again from about 4pm till 7pm.

    The control unit is set on 55 degrees, and solar maintains it quite well during the day. What I have noticed is with it getting a bit warmer now, I get up to 67 degrees from the solar panel. So when winter is gone, I will only set it on electrical power in the mornings.

    I have no idea what the consumption impact is, as we got the house with this setup
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  12. #12
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Geelwortel View Post
    Hi

    I had one of the Eskom contractors come exchange all my normal lights for LED and also fit a Geyser timer which switches the geyser on between 03:00 and 06:00 and 15:00 and 18:00 and all other times are switched off. All this made a R1200 difference on our monthly bill.
    I'm not saying it is going to work for everyone or that it is the way to go BUT it definately worked for me.
    Did you contact Eskom to come aound and do this or did they just knock on the door?

  13. #13
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    Default

    Um, doesn't legionaires bacteria grow in sub 50degree water?
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  14. #14
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    "Warm, stagnant water provides ideal conditions for growth. At temperatures between 20°C-50°C (68°-122°F) the organism can multiply. Temperatures of 32°C-40°C (90°-105°F) are ideal for growth. Rust (iron), scale, and the presence of other microorganisms can also promote the growth of LDB."

    Key word here I would say is stagnant which I would say a geyser in daily use is not.
    Then 50°C seems to be cut-off point for ideal growth situation.
    Robert van den Berg
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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by hunter26 View Post
    Hi Dumpie there are so many possibilities to consider and so many fights will erupt here as per the 2SO thread on my statement to save elect.Who is at home during the day to use hot water when geyser is off,when do u switch geyser off after bath and when do u switch it on etc etc.The best thing is to have a timer installed ( make sure the timer has a battery back up and not a spring ),set your on times and off times.We did a test of leaving a gyser on all day vs off,we found leaving a geyser on all day actually saved compared off/on/off.This test was done having people in the house during the day ie maid at home,kids back from school which meant hot water used all day for dishes,hands etc using a std geyser and no additional insulation .When on holiday and house empty it saves to switch off geysers (time your arrival right to allow geyser to heat up).

    Craig
    My child lives with my ex and o do not have any need for hot water during the day.The only time i need hot water is at night.Thing is i have a 200l geyser and not a standard 150 litre so it probably takes more.I am not convinced a timer will help as i am putting it on and off,maybe better to conduct my own test to see the difference.

    Dean Watson

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by DUMPIE View Post
    My child lives with my ex and o do not have any need for hot water during the day.The only time i need hot water is at night.Thing is i have a 200l geyser and not a standard 150 litre so it probably takes more.I am not convinced a timer will help as i am putting it on and off,maybe better to conduct my own test to see the difference.

    Dumpie if u alone at home ie only person then switch off during day and put on an hour before bath and leave for 2 hours after bath.

    Craig
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  17. #17
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    Interresting comments!

    This is my game and I can surely say that a timer does make a difference. Combine that with a geyser blanket and you can easily save(the average household) 40% of GEYSER power consumption.

    The geyser uses about 50% of the total electric consumed, thus you are looking at a total of around 20-25% of your current electrical bill.

    If allowed, mods please advise, have a look at my site www.plumbtenance.co.za to see the unit that I install.

    It comes with a control and display unit that get installed in your house(eg. cupboard) and you can adjust/manage your geyser from the display unit.
    I have met some crazy people. They have made me their leader...

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  18. #18
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    Check this tread for some math that I did a while back.. in the beginning I was also convinced the saving would be Nul or insignificant, but after installing a timer into my boet's house and turning our geysers on and off the bill decrease a great deal.. if insulation was good this would not have been possible..

    http://4x4community.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=112462
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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by DUMPIE View Post
    I have been trying to be a good citizen by switching my geyser on every night for about 90 minutes and then go and put it off again.On average this consumes about 10 units in that 90 minutes.i have not really taken much notice what is been used during the day.My question,has anyone done a comparison in leaving geyser on or switching every night.In winter i'm sure it takes longer so maybe chows more electricity and besides i'm tired of trying to be a good citizen while the fat cats sit back and rake in the dough.
    A geyser is typically a 3kW devise. 3 x 1,5 = 4,5 kW.h

    If you have a larger home and bigger geyser with a 4kW element, then it can consume upto 6kW.h in 90 minutes.


    On average a "cold" geyser may take 45 to 60 minutes to heat up, IF you are having a shower or bath in this period it stands to reason that the geyser will stay on heating .... but then you are actually just paying for you are using in any case.




    the hard fact is that switching off a geyser DO save electricity - the quantity saved has been hotly debated time after time ..... we have it on a timer and over more than a decade I still believe it saves us money.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by thabogrobler View Post
    Interresting comments!

    This is my game and I can surely say that a timer does make a difference. Combine that with a geyser blanket and you can easily save(the average household) 40% of GEYSER power consumption.

    The geyser uses about 50% of the total electric consumed, thus you are looking at a total of around 20-25% of your current electrical bill.

    If allowed, mods please advise, have a look at my site www.plumbtenance.co.za to see the unit that I install.

    It comes with a control and display unit that get installed in your house(eg. cupboard) and you can adjust/manage your geyser from the display unit.
    I have the unit in your link installed with the solar setup as well. Works really well

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