Pre-Paid Meter - Connection Failed

[elf_lord_ZC5]

Is there a explanation for a Pre-Paid electricity meter to always show connection failed, when plugged in at our premises, but works as expected next door?

 

[longboy]

Is there a explanation for a Pre-Paid electricity meter to always show connection failed, when plugged in at our premises, but works as expected next door?

Happened to me a few times. I tried using a different plug point and it worked.

Turns out my home had some Earth Leakage issues.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

Happened to me a few times. I tried using a different plug point and it worked.

Turns out my home had some Earth Leakage issues.

Thanks

 

[TimCPT]

Happened to me a few times. I tried using a different plug point and it worked.

Turns out my home had some Earth Leakage issues.

I see this is a old post, almost two years old.

Firstly hello.

I hate these new plug in meters as they have many issues.

Worst issue is that it searches pan for hours & even days that you have to lodge a fault complaint & they don't come out over weekends. So while it is Trying to connect the plug in unit to the meter connection. You can't see how many units you have & are unable to enter any units either. So power turns off then you have to plug in at a neighbors house who has power for it to connect to the meter unit so you can enter your voucher. This had taken almost two days to eventually connect while we remained without electricity due to a meter not wanting to connect to meter unit.

Then we are lied to & told the plug in unit must be near the mains switch of the incoming power before it goes to your distribution board where there is a plug in point by the way.

The last time the guys came out they broke the cover box when installing the new wall mount main switch & it was hanging loose till I put in new & better screws to secure it. While it was open though & we had no power I placed a tester bulb over the in coming feed cable which was the Live & Neutral cable connections. The bulb did not light up. Now any fool will deduce if the light does not come on. The power is cut off before the source, correct. Meaning the power is cut off at the signal source which would be on the pole outside from which the cable comes before entering your home. Making the bullshit statement that your meter must be near the box where the cable has entered into your home that has a cut off switch. This statement of location is false. You could plug the unit anywhere in the home & it would receive the signal as long as it is plugged in.

Next is, how can a trip switch contain a receiver in it that looks like a regular 63amp CBI mains switch?. It a too small. & if it is anyway dead aka the bulb test, where is the power to power the receiver then in this main switch?

Eskom, service providers that install & maintain these systems. STOP LYING TO PEOPLE.

The receiver is high up on that pole & in my case in my neighbors yard not ours.

Then there is the issue of the internal 9volt backup battery. It's not a rechargeable battery even. It looks like a cheap, Chinese shop battery. It can't even power the unit for 30seconds after power runs out. Giving you no time to enter a voucher even so you have power. Not like the old wall mount boxes that just show zero's till you punch in the next token.

These new meters do have one nice function, that if the power wattage exceeds a certain amount which I have calculated to be between 3500-4000watts (one kettle boiling & one large plate on the stove set at six it's highest is on) the unit times out for sixty seconds then turns back on. Fail safe for power overloads that lead to fires. Especially for those whom use thin cables that over load & catch alight burning down their homes.

But as for the 'searching pan' & 'no network'

So my unit went off due to a faulty wall plug that tripped the mains, I isolated that plug, turned on the mains & replaced that plug working live with the electric connections. Power meter did a pan search & no network for 14hours till the meter showed the amount of units & began to beep.

We want the old wall mount meters back. That work better.

 

[TedLasso]

Uhmm. Ok.

Had the issue once, dedicated plug point on non-essential side for this purpose. The CIU wouldn't register. I would plug in the CIU only when needing to load credit.

Logged call with Eskom. Guy came on weekend, connected CIU to the outside distribution box - nothing. This was an hour of him trying.

He told me he would go to the stores that are closed on Saturday, and get me a new CIU. Wasn't expecting him back.

He came back a few hours later with a nicer CIU which had a backlight, etc , synced it and 3 years later working well. Now the CIU is connected permanently to a dedicated plug point next to the inverter.

I will still take Eskom for support over City power any day of the week. Much better customer service. And Alfred help system works really well. Of course , we are Eskom direct customers