What to check before the installer leaves

Ten minutes of checking on installation day prevents most of the complaints that turn up in the first year — and several of them would not have been covered by warranty.

Who should install it

It depends on what your bathroom already has. If the electrical point exists but there is no plumbing connection, a plumber is the one who can finish the job. If the plumbing is ready but there is no electrical point, you need an electrician.

Either way, use someone qualified. Installation faults are excluded from every geyser warranty, so a cheap installation can cost you the cover on an expensive appliance.

What the installer should bring

• A set of two connecting pipes, geyser to your existing water connections
• Wiring from the unit to the socket, of adequate rating
• Wall anchors suited to your wall — not whatever came to hand
• Teflon tape and basic plumbing consumables

Before they start

• Check the carton is sealed and the model is what you ordered. Capacity and model are on the label.
• Photograph the rating plate on the body before it goes on the wall. Once mounted it is often unreadable, and you will want it for warranty registration.
• Agree the position. Two things matter: it must be reachable for service, and if it ever leaks the water must have somewhere safe to go. Directly above an electrical board is a bad idea.

Ten checks before the installer leaves

1. Earthing. Not optional, not "the building is earthed". The geyser must be properly earthed. This is the single most important item on this list.
2. Pressure relief valve fitted. It comes in the box. It is a safety device. Some installers skip it because the outlet is awkward — do not let that happen.
3. Tank filled before switching on. Open the hot tap and wait for a steady flow, so you know the tank is full. Dry running destroys the element in seconds.
4. No leaks at either connection once under pressure. Look, and feel the joints with a finger.
5. Mounting is solid. A full 25 litre tank weighs over 30 kg. Push it gently and watch for movement.
6. Indicator light behaves. It should come on when heating and go off when the thermostat cuts in.
7. Water actually gets hot — wait it out. Roughly 30 minutes in normal winter.
8. Isolating switch is accessible and you know where it is.
9. Thermostat set sensibly, around 55–60 °C rather than maximum.
10. Invoice and warranty card in hand, with model and date correct on both.

Then do two things

Keep the invoice somewhere you will find it in three years. A warranty claim needs the original invoice or the warranty card — one of the two. Photograph both and email them to yourself.

Register the warranty online. It is not mandatory and your cover is valid either way, but it means there is a copy that does not depend on you finding a piece of paper years later.

In the first week

• Check for moisture around the unit and the joints once a day.
• Listen while it heats — it should be quiet.
• Notice how long a full heat takes, so you have a baseline. When that time starts creeping up, it is scale, and it is time to descale.