HEALTH AND SANITATION
29
Copper
geysers’
revival
Copper geysers are making a strong
comeback with the recent addition of
high-pressure systems adding to the
traditional gravity-fed system in that field.
By Warren Robertson
The gravity-fed system is a low-pressure
system that uses gravity to create
pressure. The higher the geyser is installed
above the working area, the higher the
water pressure. Whereas this system
is ideal for garden flats where a single
hot water tap will be used at a time, the
general usage is limited. The addition of
the high-pressure systems (up to 400kpa)
will now make copper geysers a serious
competitor to other geyser options.
Copper’s benefits have been well detailed and
when it comes to plumbing, pipes and copper
have been undisputed leaders for decades as
far as material in this industry goes, but its use
in geyser technology has fallen by the wayside
despite the fact that some of these benefits
give copper geysers a clear advantage.
While initial costs are significantly higher,
copper geysers have proven to last up to five
times longer than the competition, as they are
corrosion resistant and do not require periodic
servicing for something like anode replacements.
This fact has led to claims that in the long run,
they are, in fact, cheaper. Additionally, copper is
an environmentally friendly metal that is easily
recycled at the end of the geyser’s life cycle
because it does not deteriorate.
The real benefit, however, for the modern
consumer is that copper is naturally biostatic,
so it prevents bacterial growth on its surface.
This leads to less chance of bacterial infection
of the general system.
Tests have shown that after seven days of
immersion in water, 80% of stainless steel and
90% of plastics were coated in a biofilm, which
is where bacteria begins to form — this was not
the case with copper, as copper has a natural
ability to inhibit the growth of 99.9% of bacteria
such as legionella , MRSA, and E. coli, which
makes a copper-based system inherently safer
for the well-being of users.
Dr Bill Keevil at the Centre for Applied
Microbiology & Research (CAMR) recently
found that while it took 34 days for E. coli
0157 to die on stainless steel, and four days
on brass, it took just four hours to die on
copper. Tecron is the principle supplier of
copper geysers in South Africa and they state
that all their geysers come with a seven-year
guarantee, use standard SABS-approved
thermostats and elements, and are all locally
manufactured. The company offers a full
range of geysers from 50, 100, 150, 200,
and 250 litre standard geysers, to small
15 litre under-basin geysers and 25 litre
horizontal square geysers.
While they are currently C-rated for energy
efficiency, the company is hoping for an upgrade
to a B rating in the near future. PA
Continued on page 31 >>
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
January 2019 Volume 25 I Number 1