Geyser Installation – How to DIY Install a Water Heater?

When it comes to water heaters, or more commonly known as geysers in India, purchasing the best one can be a task. There are tons of options to choose from, and finding the one that best suits your needs can be quite the chore. That said, once you have, geysers are rather easy appliances to install. While we suggest you get a professional to help you with it, you can still go ahead and try and install it yourself. You would have to be ultra careful and take all the safety precautions, but effectively, geyser installation can be done by yourself.

Again, we shall mention, installing a geyser is achievable, but you should totally get a professional to do it for you. You can even ask them to teach a few things to make sure you can do it completely by yourself the next time.

Geyser Installation – Install a Water Heater Yourself

Installing a water heater all by yourself is not as difficult as you might think. It can be slightly tricky, but if you know what you are doing, and with some little help, you might just be able to install a water heater all by yourself. Finding the Best electric water heater in India is a rather easy feat, but installing one could be potentially difficult if you haven’t done it before.

How do you start? What all do you need? Let us take a look at exactly how to install a geyser all by yourself.

Installing a geyser is actually quite the easy process. You only need to know about a few things before hand and basic understanding of how electronics and plumbing works. That said, if you even make the slightest mistake, you might ruin your water heater and would have to buy a new one. Just to be sure this does not happen, get a professional’s help. If you still wish to do it yourself, be very, very careful and understand all the safety procedures before heading in.

If a geyser malfunctions early in its life cycle, it can often be attributed to incorrect geyser installation. So, do be careful.

What would you need to DIY Install a Water Heater?

There are only a handful of things you would need to install a water heater in your home. Chances are you already probably have these in your toolbox.

1. Adjustable wrench
2. Safety gloves
3. Pencil/Marker
4. Flexible hose kit
5. Pipe cutter
6. Washers

What to do before installing a Water Heater?

Now, there are few things you would have to do before you get to installing your water heater. These are crucial, so do not try and skip any of these. Also, if you haven’t done this before, having professional help around is always helpful. We will explain to the best of our ability, what exactly to do while installing a geyser.

Make sure of these things first, then you can go ahead and start with the geyser installation.

• Keep your hardware close: Before starting off, make sure you have all necessary items to begin your geyser installation. The list mentioned above are crucial equipment you must have with you when you are installing a geyser. You can even emulate the list by adding screws, washers, and a few more safety equipment to really complete your tool box.
• Make sure you have enough space: The first step in installing a water heater is to make sure you have the required space to install it. Depending on the size and capacity of your geyser, you would have to allocate space to adequately fit the geyser and have some buffer space as well. A tight fit is not suggested, you should always keep some open space around the water heater for the janky pipes that go in and out.
• Avoid local help: A lot of people tend to get local plumbers and electricians to install their water heater. If you are going to take professional help, get someone authorized directly from the manufacturers. Local people might cause damage to the appliance, in which case your warranty also gets void.
• Safety should be your highest priority: Make sure you put safety first. Get some rubber gloves, wear protective eye gear if you have to, and make sure you disable the electricity to the room you are installing the geyser in first hand.
• Water pipes are crucial: Water pipes and sufficient pressure is crucial to the working of your water heater. Make sure the faucet you connect your geyser to has enough pressure. Also, make sure all your attachments are strong and fortified. Without that, your geyser might not even begin to function and break down almost instantly.
• Use the manual: If you are new to this, use the manual that comes with the water heater. While most water heaters are the same, each brand has something different which requires special care. Make sure you get your hands on the manual and refer to it whenever necessary.

How to Install a Geyser?

Now, let us begin by what exactly you have to do in order to successfully install a water heater. There are a few things you need, as mentioned above, and having some help, professional or otherwise, is always a bonus. Here, we will majorly talk about electrical water heaters and not gas ones. For gas water heaters, it is imperative that you get professional help.

Also, installing a storage water heater is a little easier than installing one of the best instant water heaters.

Keep safe, and follow these steps to make sure you get the geyser installation right.

1. Start by turning off electricity in your house, or the room you are installing the geyser in

The first step is to turn off the electricity to the bathroom or kitchen you are going to install the geyser in. Switch the MCB’s off from the mains so that there is no electricity flowing. This is a crucial step, and without it, you might harm yourself fatally if you are not being careful.

2. Drain any remaining water in your old water heater and remove it

If you are replacing an old water heater, in order to remove it, you first have to drain it of any water stored in it. Then, carefully take out the screws that hold it to the wall, and using some help, bring it down gently.

1. Make sure the electricity supply is turned off, and unplug the geyser from its socket
2. Turn off the inlet valve that brings water into the water heater
3. Open the outlet valve that brings water out, and let the geyser empty out
4. Once done, remove all water hose connections
5. Use a wrench and tube cutters wherever necessary
6. If your old geyser has broken down, consider hiring a removal service to properly dispose off the old appliance
7. If it it still functioning and you just wish to install a new one, carefully set it down in its box and safely store it away

3. Setting up your new Geyser

Once you have removed the old appliance, if the new water heaters fits in its place, screw it on with some help. The appliance is generally really heavy, and you would need some help installing it. Connect all valves and make sure they are secure. Check the inlet and outlet valves for consistent pressure, and make sure they are all set properly without any leaks.

1. Find the right space for your new geyser and with the help of someone bring it up to the space where you need it installed.
2. Screw it in place tightly and make sure it is secure.
3. Connect the inlet and outlet valve, and make sure they are properly secure. Use washers wherever necessary to make sure there are no leaks.

4. Attach the wires and connect the geyser to an electrical socket

Once you have set the space for your geyser, which you should make sure it nearby an electricity outlet, attach all the wires and plug it into the socket.

1. Different geysers might have different wire configurations. Check the manual to see if there is something you have to do with the model you have purchased.
2. Make sure you connect the geyser to a power outlet, otherwise you run the risk of melting the socket itself.
3. If you are not very adept with working with electricity and wires, get professional help.

5. Fill the Geyser with water and check for leaks

Once you have connected all valves to the water heater, before turning it on, fill the geyser with water and check for any possible leaks. If you find the valves not acting properly, reattach them and use washers to ensure there are no leaks.

1. Once you have connected all the water valves, fill the geyser with water. Make sure it is not connected to an electrical outlet yet.
2. If there are leaks, reattach the leaky parts and use washers to tighten them.
3. Make sure you do not connect your geyser to any electrical outlet until you have made sure all leaks are gone.

6. Turn on the geyser and check if it is working

Once you have set everything up, turn on the geyser and make sure both the inlet and the outlet valves are open. If it comes with a thermostat, set the temperature to no more than 50°C and let it run for a few minutes. Check if the geyser is working by turning on the faucet the outlet valve is connected to. Check for the correct pressure and make double sure that there are no leaks.

1. Once you have set up all the valves and the electricity outlet, turn on the geyser. Make sure there are no leaks prior to doing this.
2. If you have a thermostat, set the temperature to 50°C. This ensures that the water is hot enough to check if the geyser is working, plus it gives time for the new pipes to handle hot water in the first go.
3. Let the geyser run for a few minutes.
4. Open the faucet the outlet valve is connected to and see if it gives you hot water.

That is all! Once you have followed these steps and made sure of the safety procedures, you have officially installed a geyser all by yourself, with some help of course. We suggest again, seek professional help if you are doing it for the first time. You can even learn the best way to do things by looking at them.

Also read: Best Geysers Guides, Reviews & Comparisons

Geyser Installation Tips and Tricks

If you are really going to install a water heater all by yourself, you might as well learn a few things about the do’s and the don’ts of geyser installation. Here are a few tips that will come in handy the next time you are installing a water heater.

• Make sure it is placed at a height of 6 feet or greater
• Keep ample space around the geyser for all the hoses that connect to and from it
• Make sure the electrical connection stay away from any potential water splashes
• Check the pressure on the inlet and outlet valves to make sure everything is working well
• Do annual maintenance runs to make sure your geyser is working smoothly

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

So, that is all you need to know about installing a water heater all by yourself. If you are adept at plumbing and electrical work, you might find it incredibly easy to install a water heater. However, if it would be your first time, we suggest taking professional help to properly install your geyser. Also, you would probably need some help with all the lifting and setting the geyser up anyway, so do remember to have someone around. Also, keep safety precautions maximized around you while installing a geyser. Use gloves and remember to unplug the electricity before you start installing your geyser.

Best of luck!