Hadedas on Your Roof? How They Cause Geyser Overflow Tray Leaks

The unlikely culprit behind a soaked ceiling

In suburbs across Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and the Garden Route, Hadeda ibises have become permanent residents. A fully grown Hadeda weighs around 1.2 kg and lands hard. When several of them roost on a roof above your geyser, the cumulative impact cracks concrete tiles and bends the lead flashing around the geyser overflow pipe.

Most South African homeowners only notice when a brown stain appears on the ceiling directly below the geyser — and almost everyone assumes the geyser itself has burst.

How the leak actually happens

A modern geyser installation includes a drip tray under the tank and an overflow pipe running out through the roof or eaves. When Hadedas damage the flashing where that pipe exits:

1. Rainwater enters the roof void around the pipe boot.
2. Water tracks down the outside of the overflow pipe and pools in the drip tray.
3. The tray fills, overflows, and stains the ceiling exactly where you'd expect a burst geyser stain.

The geyser is fine. The roof penetration is not.

How to tell it apart from a real geyser failure

Sign	Hadeda / flashing damage	Burst geyser
When the leak appears	During or right after rain	Any time, often suddenly
Hot water still works	Yes	Often no, or lukewarm
Pressure-relief valve dripping	No	Often yes
Stain location	Directly below overflow pipe exit	Spreads from tank footprint

What to do

• Get a plumber and a roofer to look together — most plumbers won't quote on flashing.
• Ask for the lead or aluminium flashing around the overflow pipe to be re-dressed with a proper EPDM pipe boot.
• Trim overhanging branches Hadedas use as a launch pad.
• Check the drip tray drain line isn't blocked with leaves — that masks the early warning.

When to call someone

If the stain is growing while it's dry outside, treat it as a real geyser issue and shut off the geyser isolator at the DB board. If it only appears after rain, you almost certainly have a roof penetration problem, not a plumbing one — but a plumber can confirm in 15 minutes by checking the tray and the pressure-relief discharge.