Geyser blankets - do they work?

[hj2k_x]

Like this one here (http://www.makro.co.za/ProductDetail.aspx?cat=-1&prod=40163&SKU=000000000000137001|EA).

Apparently, coupled with cladding of outlet and inlet pipes these things can save you nearly 30% on electricity, but just with the blanket it is meant to save 22%...For R69 this would pay for itself in the 1st month....

Has anyone actually noticed these results when using one?

[Goobie]

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
it works!

[Turbo_Aspiration]

Combined with turning the geyser off during the day, we've seen around 30% savings on the electricity bill. Was a mission to get it around the geyser though

[hj2k_x]

Combined with turning the geyser off during the day, we've seen around 30% savings on the electricity bill. Was a mission to get it around the geyser though

Haha, so the whole 'easy DIY' bit is a lie?

I thought that it was established that tunring the geyser off in the day was actually counter-productive cos then the water has to be reheated which uses more electricity in the end?

[hj2k_x]

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
it works!

What kind of savings have you noticed?

[Goobie]

What kind of savings have you noticed?

I have a very old low pressure geyser with no build in insulation that was hot to the touch, installed the blanket a couple of years ago connected it to a geyserwise control unit and I easily save R50-R100 pm.

[hj2k_x]

I have a very old low pressure geyser with no build in insulation that was hot to the touch, installed the blanket a couple of years ago connected it to a geyserwise control unit and I easily save R50-R100 pm.

Cool, we have an old geyser as well - also hot to the touch. So it seems like a good idea then :)

[I am Penguin]

depends on many factors. If the geyser have a lot of heat loss like older, not well insulated, unitstherewill be a saving.

If the geyser is switched off and only sheduled to switch on once a day, in time to heat the water for the whole family to bath and still leave some hot water for breakfast and face wash and then switched off again. Due to the reduced/lack of heat loss during the off period there will me a cost saving. If the heat losses from the geyser/pipes are are very small then leaving it on will make little cost difference. If the geyser temperature is set very high, like in my case, then the losses will be much greater and therefore costs much more. I have a big familly and the 200L+ geyser need to satisfy all.
The size of the geyser also plays a role. Its best to only heat the water volume you need so a correctly sized geyser for the family makes a difference. To heat 200L+ water when only 50-100L is required defeats the object much like boiling a full kettle of water for 1 or 2 cups of tea, so a good investment could be the instant boilers (gas or electric) at basins for hand and dishwashing and then shedule the main geyser for bath times only. Then a solar geyser also comes to mind. Geysers, stoves, ovens, kettles and irons are the real gazz guzzlers so working the savings around those would save a lot fortheextended families.

[hj2k_x]

Also, it seems my geyser is not as hot to the touch as I thought - I take it that means it's quite well insulated then?

[lcbxx]

Well, we've just came out of a 36-hour blackout and me and the wife both had a shower last night and the geyser was still warm (about 34-degrees) at 18:00 tonight before the power came back. I was around 4-6 degrees during the nighttime and around 20-24 degrees during the day over the 36-hours.

Our geyser sits at its default 65-degrees and has a foil-air blanket I managed to score when they installed them at the mine-hostels over here. They were sold by the contractor that installed them for R180 each (excl. fitment). I'm not sure whether that R65 Makro-jobbie will do the same job, though.

[hj2k_x]

Well, we've just came out of a 36-hour blackout and me and the wife both had a shower last night and the geyser was still warm (about 34-degrees) at 18:00 tonight before the power came back. I was around 4-6 degrees during the nighttime and around 20-24 degrees during the day over the 36-hours.

Our geyser sits at its default 65-degrees and has a foil-air blanket I managed to score when they installed them at the mine-hostels over here. They were sold by the contractor that installed them for R180 each (excl. fitment). I'm not sure whether that R65 Makro-jobbie will do the same job, though.

Indeed, I am having some serious second thoughts. Also, our geyser seems to be almost flush with the wall - no idea how I'd even get a blanket around it...

[lcbxx]

Indeed, I am having some serious second thoughts. Also, our geyser seems to be almost flush with the wall - no idea how I'd even get a blanket around it...
Well to me a blanket with heat-insulating properties like foil etc. will be better than a material blanket. Saying that, the standard insulation around a geyser is a type of fibre-ish material. Perhaps you should Google some reviews (if available) for material-type blankets. I'll be worried about gimmicky products since there was a rather big hype around blankets a while back. I'd trust Makro a bit since they won't generally sell crap...they sell Homemark/Verimark though...lol.

Ours sits on its lonesome in a pan inside the roof. I got heavy the mo3r in installing it, since one has to cut all kinds of gaps and heck knowa what else to get it to fit around all the geyser mountings. Took about about and hour to fit the whole thing. The geyser looked like a space satellite afterward!

[butc8]

Solar geyser works like a bomb

[hj2k_x]

Solar geyser works like a bomb

How much did it set you back?

[Goobie]

Well to me a blanket with heat-insulating properties like foil etc. will be better than a material blanket...

foil has 0 insulation properties. A good heat insulator will prevent the conduction of heat from one area (the geyser) to another area (the air surrounding the geyser). Metal foil is a perfect conductor.

My geyser blanket is basically thick "think pink" wrapped in a thick white plastic sheet.

[alf101]

I have a very old low pressure geyser with no build in insulation that was hot to the touch, installed the blanket a couple of years ago connected it to a geyserwise control unit and I easily save R50-R100 pm.

Tried to find the price of those geyserwise units on their site.
They don't mention it.
How much u pay?

[lcbxx]

foil has 0 insulation properties. A good heat insulator will prevent the conduction of heat from one area (the geyser) to another area (the air surrounding the geyser). Metal foil is a perfect conductor.

My geyser blanket is basically thick "think pink" wrapped in a thick white plastic sheet.
I'm no expert. If the blanket sold to a multi-billion dollar mining company gets their thumbs up, who am I to complain? It sure as heck kept my geyser warm for 36-hours in 14-deg average.

[Goobie]

Tried to find the price of those geyserwise units on their site.
They don't mention it.
How much u pay?

Geyserwise is a bit expensive, if I remember correctly it was R700.

[alf101]

Geyserwise is a bit expensive, if I remember correctly it was R700.

tx

[DagegeN]

Tried to find the price of those geyserwise units on their site.
They don't mention it.
How much u pay?

Updated Prices:

Called Giant Holding JHB
(http://www.giantgroup.co.za/default.cp)
Geyserwise Standard is R1425 installed
Geyserwise MAX is R1767 installed

[justplain]

it seems to work.
Myself and buddy(flatmate) were going through 200bucks every 3 weeks. (partly due to his 20 min showers with his girlfriend, but i digress.) I installed a blanket around the geyser, which was a bugger as it was in the roof and close to a support beam and not to mention the pipes attached to it!! anyway...seems I've scored about 5 days extra out my electricity ....so it does seem to help....now if only I can get him to take shorter showers......

[noxibox]

foil has 0 insulation properties.
It's a good insulator when used correctly.


Combined with turning the geyser off during the day, we've seen around 30% savings on the electricity bill.
That only works if you have an old geyser that leaks heat.


I thought that it was established that tunring the geyser off in the day was actually counter-productive cos then the water has to be reheated which uses more electricity in the end?
Should use about the same unless the geyser is leaking a significant amount of heat.

[hj2k_x]

Should use about the same unless the geyser is leaking a significant amount of heat.

You would be surprised by the number of people that swear this has reduced their electricity bills :o

[Borrels]

it seems to work.
Myself and buddy(flatmate) were going through 200bucks every 3 weeks. (partly due to his 20 min showers with his girlfriend, but i digress.) I installed a blanket around the geyser, which was a bugger as it was in the roof and close to a support beam and not to mention the pipes attached to it!! anyway...seems I've scored about 5 days extra out my electricity ....so it does seem to help....now if only I can get him to take shorter showers......
...now if only you can get his girlfriend to take longer showers with you...

[Jase]

On the topic of blankets, my geysor is mounted outside. Are there any external geysor blankets and if so, where can I get one?

[OhGats]

What bugs me is that the geyser should be insulated anyway from the inside tank and the outside shell. Think about it, if your geyser was running at 80 degrees, then the outside shell should also be 80 degrees which would be very hot to touch, however, it is not, the outside shell is only warm. Thats because in most geysers there is already a layer of insulation between the actual tank and the outside shell anyway!

[Frankie]

What bugs me is that the geyser should be insulated anyway from the inside tank and the outside shell. Think about it, if your geyser was running at 80 degrees, then the outside shell should also be 80 degrees which would be very hot to touch, however, it is not, the outside shell is only warm. Thats because in most geysers there is already a layer of insulation between the actual tank and the outside shell anyway!
Economics means that the factory doesn't install the best thermal insulation, and the fact that the outer shell feels warn is an indication that it could do with a little more thermal insulation, but I get your point that improvements in the thermal insulation has it's limits and in many cases any additional insulation is just surplus.

[Frankie]

It's a good insulator when used correctly.

I'm curious to know where foil can actually be used as a thermal insulator.

I know that some thermal insulation packages use foil but for properties other than thermal insulation.

[Tassidar]

I'm curious to know where foil can actually be used as a thermal insulator.

I know that some thermal insulation packages use foil but for properties other than thermal insulation.

Just to clarify:
There are three (or four) ways of heat transfer (depending on whether you read a biology or physics text book):
1. Conduction
2. Convection
3. Radiation
4. Evaporation

The two that count with a geyser would be (2) and (3).

Foil by its nature is an excellent conductor, however it is also excellent a reflecting radiant heat back. Hence the fact that emergency space blankets are made of foil. Ideally therefore, you would have a blanket or such like that traps air (an excellent insulator) surrounded by foil that reflects radiant heat back.

Hope this clarifies the issue a bit.

[Frankie]

Just to clarify:
There are three (or four) ways of heat transfer (depending on whether you read a biology or physics text book):
1. Conduction
2. Convection
3. Radiation
4. Evaporation

The two that count with a geyser would be (2) and (3).

Foil by its nature is an excellent conductor, however it is also excellent a reflecting radiant heat back. Hence the fact that emergency space blankets are made of foil. Ideally therefore, you would have a blanket or such like that traps air (an excellent insulator) surrounded by foil that reflects radiant heat back.

Hope this clarifies the issue a bit.

Your explanation regarding the use of foil, and in the case of my industry (power plant) the use of aluminium cladding, is 100% correct, but it is technically not used a thermal insulator - reflector yes.

[Pietleeu]

Like this one here (http://www.makro.co.za/ProductDetail.aspx?cat=-1&prod=40163&SKU=000000000000137001|EA).

Apparently, coupled with cladding of outlet and inlet pipes these things can save you nearly 30% on electricity, but just with the blanket it is meant to save 22%...For R69 this would pay for itself in the 1st month....

Has anyone actually noticed these results when using one?

I will answer it the way I was explained.

Geyser Blanket - Are you warmer when you wrap yourself in a blanket? - Yes - Its because your body heat cannot escape(its kept in by the blanket) .Your body does not have to work as hard to produce heat so you "save energy". The Geyser works in exactly the same way, keep the heat in and it does not have to work as hard to produce more heat.(The more clothes you wear, the warmer you are - so the "thicker the blanket" the better it will work and obviously the more expensive it is.) However any blanket added will help.

The amount saved is very debatable since there is a lot of factors that affect the results. Coastal or Inland, Winter or Summer, Size of geyser, amount of people using the geyser, when do all of them bath/shower.

BUT..... They definitely do work.

We got one from 4 Seasons Solar(www.4seasonssolar.co.za) ,along with a timer and solar heating system and our electricity has more than halved. We used to pay about R1200/month and its now at R450-500pm. We did however change our lifestyle slightly, all four of us shower now and all four in the evening ( to allow the following days sun to heat the geyser again), it still has a lot of "juice" left in the mornings for washing faces etc.

My entire system cost about R20 000-00 , we have had it a little over a year(14 months) and i keep a spreadsheet to see the savings, so far we have saved about R9800-00 in electricity, which equates to a TOTAL "PAYED FOR ITSELF" scenario in about a years time, it is expected to last about 20 years.