Geyser relays switches in hot water

Accusations of bad workmanship, lack of follow-up on requests for installation and no response from the Call Centre have recently made the mandated municipal geyser relays a hot topic on the Dolphin Coast.

Last month at a public meeting in Ballito, KwaDukuza electrical engineer Nick Hall claimed the Dolphin Coast could have avoided the recent load shedding if all the geyser relays had been installed timeously.

Phase one ran in 2009 and 8000 receivers were installed around KDM.

Phase two began in April, focusing mainly on the area between and including Zimbali and Tinley Manor.

Hall said very few had been installed because the public were refusing to have them.

This caused an outcry from the audience with numerous people reporting bad workmanship and asking how they could refuse something that had never been offered to them.

Current contractor Nationwide Electrical spokesperson Mervyn Ramsamy responded to the Courier, saying so far they had only contacted the estates for installation and had not yet gone door to door in the residential areas.

“Access has been our biggest challenge. We are not allowed to walk in all the estates and the estate managers distribute the letters to residents on our behalf but we have been getting few responses.”

At the meeting Simbithi estate manager Steve van Greunen said all their residents had consented to have the relays installed but no one had arrived to do the work.

Ramsamy said he since arranged a meeting with Van Greunen and has resolved the problem.

“We have commenced with 230 units at Sabuti in the estate.”

Salt Rock resident Tineka Spiers had reported that when her installation was originally done it had been stuck to the wall with prestick and not attached to the geyser at all.

Ramsamy said this was an isolated incident.

“The technician responsible was accompanied by myself to the estate to correct the installation and was dismissed the next day.”

“The technician confirmed that he had done six more installations like this, and pointed out the addresses.”

Ramsamy said they were all rectified. He said they are required by the contract to hire local technicians.

Ballito electrician Grant Laatz said while the majority of switches he has seen are working.

However he has had numerous problems with the Call Centre number advertised on the switches.

“When they are faulty ,the number provided simply does not work,” said Laatz.

Cablewise Electrical Ishaan Ranpersadh said he has been requested to disconnect about 12 switches because the device failed to turn the geysers back on after they switched them off.

Ramsamy said the relays will only switch off or on under the command it receives from the control system.

“The times for switch off and switch on are pre-programmed onto the system and it has battery back-up. The relays are programmed with an under frequency function that is disabled during manufacture. If for some reason this has not been disabled then the relay will switch off for longer periods as the network frequency is unstable. This function can be easily disabled.”

According to Nationwide Electrical the relay switches from the previous installation are the property of the municipality, contact the municipal technicians on 032-5513413.

To report problems with a new installation contact Mervyn Ramsamy on 071 602 8403 or Reshma Maharaj on 071 602 8401. Alternatively contact the Call Centre on 086 122 8222 or go to www.nationwideelectrical.co.za.