Geyser load shedding?

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DrewChan

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Is it possible to loadshed appliances? My geyser has gone down occassionaly, usually coming up a day or 2 later, this is usually accompanied by a glowing red light next to my DB board.

I thought there was just something wrong with my geyser but apparently this has happened to a few houses in my area and someone mentioned sectionised load shedding.
 
Your geyser probably has a ripple switch fitted by the municipality. They send a pulse down the mains line to switch your geyser off and on. Many municipalities use them.
 
Yes. Some municipalities have Ripple Relays installed in household connection boxes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_management

Centurion used to have them, but they were discontinued when we were annexed by Tshwane.

I installed a load control unit in a factory to control our maximum load. This progressively shut down heaters and furnaces when we approached a pre-set maximum demand.

The Municipal systems aim to do the same thing.

Why ESCOM can't push these systems instead of relying on individuals to switch off geysers is any ones guess.
 
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Billy said:
Why ESCOM can't push these systems instead of relying on individuals to switch off geysers is any ones guess.
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Well they're a pain in the ass when you want a nice warm shower and you're greeted with cold water
 
I manually switch my geyser of daily, been doing it for years, only problem is I don't think geysers are designed for it as I've had to replace 3 in the past 6 years :(
 
Doing the same, but not replaced it yet in 3+ years?
 
Purply said:
I manually switch my geyser of daily, been doing it for years, only problem is I don't think geysers are designed for it as I've had to replace 3 in the past 6 years :(
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You mean replacing the whole unit ?

Doesn't make sense. have also been switching off my geyser on/off for years without mathata. The only things that can break a bit more frequently are the thermostat and the heating coil. The thermostat can mostly be replaced without emptying the unit.
Replacing the coil requires emptying the geyser. Maybe replacing the coil with one with lower power, eg 2kW, instead of a 3kW one might help. Of course it means it doesn't heat as quickly.
 
Purply said:
I manually switch my geyser of daily, been doing it for years, only problem is I don't think geysers are designed for it as I've had to replace 3 in the past 6 years :(
Click to expand...

Yes they are. How else does your geyser work? The element switches off wants it reaches its desired temperature so it is constantly switching itself on and off.

Poor quality geyser used in the installation is the most likely cause. Too many contractors will use the cheapest geyser instead of billing your a few K more for something that will last longer.
 
Purply said:
I manually switch my geyser of daily, been doing it for years, only problem is I don't think geysers are designed for it as I've had to replace 3 in the past 6 years :(
Click to expand...
They geyser thermostat switches power to the geyser element on and off many times a day. It's not the switching on / off that caused it.
 
All been kwikot geysers, either starts leaking or bursts completely. All still under guarantee, so they keep replacing it with the exact same model due to insurance. I've pretty much gotten use to the fact that I need to replace geyser every second year.
 
Billy said:
Why ESCOM can't push these systems instead of relying on individuals to switch off geysers is any ones guess.
Click to expand...

I don't need Eskom to tell me when to switch my geyser off. It's my geyser and I'll switch it off when I want to. I don't need big brother switching it off for me.
 
Purply said:
All been kwikot geysers, either starts leaking or bursts completely. All still under guarantee, so they keep replacing it with the exact same model due to insurance. I've pretty much gotten use to the fact that I need to replace geyser every second year.
Click to expand...


How often do you replace the sacrificial anode? If you do not replace it, the geyser will corrode instead.
 
Purply said:
I manually switch my geyser of daily, been doing it for years, only problem is I don't think geysers are designed for it as I've had to replace 3 in the past 6 years :(
Click to expand...

Yip

We had the same thing with the ripple relay.


The seals get cold when the geyser cools down and then warm up again. This happens every day and makes them brittle.

Turning the geyser off doesn't save any money.
 
Nerfherder said:
Its the geyser cooling down that is the issue.
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Interesting theory, and I'll keep an eye on my geyser.
We are only two adults in the house, and we shower each morning.
I turn the geyser ON each morning around 5h30, and leave it on for 45 minutes (that uses about 3 to 3.5 Kw of power). That is enough for the two showers, as well as warm water for occasional kitchen wash-up use - although we have a dishwasher which is used mostly.
We have been in the house for 3 years, and I did have to have a new geyser fitted a year ago, but the installer said the burst geyser was over 5 years old .. I don't know how many years it had been in operation
 
We've been having problems with our ripple relay working too much lately - resulting in cold showers.
Does anyone know what happens if you "bypass" it?
 
wonduhboy said:
We've been having problems with our ripple relay working too much lately - resulting in cold showers.
Does anyone know what happens if you "bypass" it?
Click to expand...

You are supposed to complain if you have issues... but I think they just replace the relay.

I have heard there is a big fine for tampering with it and they can tell. There are electricians that will do it for you though.
 
atomcrusher said:
Interesting theory, and I'll keep an eye on my geyser.
We are only two adults in the house, and we shower each morning.
I turn the geyser ON each morning around 5h30, and leave it on for 45 minutes (that uses about 3 to 3.5 Kw of power). That is enough for the two showers, as well as warm water for occasional kitchen wash-up use - although we have a dishwasher which is used mostly.
We have been in the house for 3 years, and I did have to have a new geyser fitted a year ago, but the installer said the burst geyser was over 5 years old .. I don't know how many years it had been in operation
Click to expand...

Not just a theory. Been told this by a few plumbers.

Also... if you leave your water at below 50deg you run the risk of contracting legionaries disease.
 
The issue of whether or not switching your geyser off manually actually saves electricity has been debated ad nauseum in this forum. Personally from my experience it does not, in fact it actually uses more electricity than it saves depending on the type and make of geyser you have.
 
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