POLOKWANE – Loadshedding has overnight become part of our lives and according to news reports it is here to stay. Eskom advises clients to turn off or disconnect any electrical appliances when the power goes off due to the fact that when the power comes back on, it may do so with a momentary surge… Unfortunately even though there are schedules to follow, you may not always remember or be at home in time to switch off appliances or devices.
With this in mind Review spoke to Danny du Plessis, owner of Maxicool & Maintenance cc, about what you can do to safeguard your appliances.
He explains that appliances that are mostly affected by a power surge are refrigerators, computers, televisions and DSTV-decoders. “You can buy a surge protector at any electric wholesaler. This can be installed onto your mains/distribution board (DB) by a certified electrician.”
Another means is to either use a surge protector plug adapter or power strip to protect your appliances. “When choosing to go this route make sure you invest in a reliable brand,” he advises.
Du Plessis adds that with these in place you should still where possible unplug appliances and electronic devices when you leave your home. “If you are at home, rather protect your appliance by unplugging it when the power goes off and plug it in again about two minutes after the end of loadshedding.”
Read more: Ever wondered why your appliances break after a power outage?
Since we live in South Africa, safety is always of utmost importance and with the loadshedding timetables freely available, criminals may use it to their advantage, targeting you when the power is down.
“During load shedding your security system’s power packs and batteries may wear out faster. My advise to home owners is to test their alarm system regularly and to ask alarm company to service the system more often. Lastly install reserve batteries for electric fences and gates.”
Du Plessis explains that it happens quite often that he is called out to repair appliances in Polokwane and advises people to check the fine print on their insurance policies.
“Read the fine print on your insurance policy as most companies do not pay if you do not have the necessary protection on your appliances. The best, according to me, is to install the protectors onto your DB board. If you go away from home for a prolonged time, unplug everything you can, except your refrigerator and alarm,” he concludes.
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