How Often Should a Geyser Be Serviced?

Short answer: once a year for most Kolkata homes, and the right month is October — before the geyser goes from months of disuse to daily winter demand. In hard-water areas, or where a unit runs constantly, every eight to ten months is more realistic.

Why October matters more than the interval

A geyser that has sat unused since March is not resting. Sediment settles, the anode rod keeps corroding, and seals dry out. Then in the first genuinely cold week it goes from zero to twice-daily use overnight, and three things get tested simultaneously: a scaled element, a thermostat that has not cycled in months, and gaskets that have hardened.

Call-outs spike in that first cold week every year. It is not coincidence — it is the predictable result of an appliance being switched from idle to full demand without anyone checking it first.

What an actual service covers

If someone quotes you for a “service” and it takes ten minutes, it was not one. A proper service includes:

• Descaling the heating element. Scale insulates the element, so it runs hotter to reach the same temperature and fails sooner.
• Flushing sediment from the tank. Sediment reduces usable capacity and traps heat against the tank floor, accelerating corrosion.
• Testing the thermostat and thermal cut-out. A drifting thermostat is what usually trips the cut-out.
• Testing the pressure relief valve. Routinely ignored, and it is a safety component.
• Inspecting the anode rod. The single most important item on this list, and the one most often skipped.
• Checking connections, gaskets and earthing.

The anode rod is why serviced geysers outlive unserviced ones

Inside the tank is a sacrificial magnesium or aluminium rod. It corrodes deliberately, so that the tank lining does not. Once it is fully consumed, corrosion moves to the tank itself.

Replacing that rod is inexpensive. Replacing a tank that corroded because nobody looked at the rod is not. This is the main reason two identical geysers installed the same year can be five years apart in usable life.

How to tell yours is overdue

• Water takes noticeably longer to heat than it used to
• You run out of hot water sooner — the effective capacity has shrunk
• Crackling or rumbling while heating (sediment on the element)
• Water that is lukewarm, or scalding with no useful middle setting
• Any discolouration or smell in the hot water
• The unit has never been serviced and is more than two years old

Does servicing actually save money?

Two ways. A scaled element draws the same power for less heat, so an unserviced geyser costs more to run for the same hot water. And a pre-winter service booked in October costs less than an emergency call-out in December, when demand is highest and you need someone the same day.

The larger saving is the tank. Elements and thermostats are cheap; tanks are not.

What about new geysers?

A unit under manufacturer warranty should generally be serviced through the brand’s own service centre, because independent work can affect that cover. Once the warranty ends, an independent service is usually faster and cheaper for the same job. Our guide to the options sets out when each makes sense.

Between services

• Set the thermostat to a moderate temperature rather than maximum. Running flat out accelerates scaling without giving you meaningfully more usable hot water.
• Switch the unit off when it is not needed instead of leaving it on all day.
• If the relief valve starts discharging continuously, or the MCB trips, treat it as urgent rather than seasonal.

Book a pre-winter service

Call +91 82740 66348 to arrange geyser servicing anywhere in our Kolkata service area. Booking in October rather than December means you get a slot when you want one.

Frequently asked questions