How Long Does Eskom Take to Fix a Transformer?
How long does Eskom take to fix a transformer? A lot of people have been asking this over the past few years. The attrition level for Eskom transformers in South Africa tends to be rather high. That’s because a lot of transformers get lost due to a number of reasons.
First, some transformers get lost due to theft. It’s a plague that’s has been going on around the country for some time. Sometimes thieves steal transformer oil, thus rendering the devices inoperable. The oil is reportedly used in the food industry.
Transformers also get lost due to faults. In many instances, these faults are due to people making illegal connections that lead to the transformers blowing up. If any of these situations happen to you, you will be left in the dark. But how long do you need to wait before your transformer is repaired?
When will Eskom fix my transformer?
The amount of time that is needed for Eskom to fix a transformer can range between 3 days to 3 months. It depends on how your transformer was lost in the first place. If the damage was due to illegal connections, Eskom will take longer to rectify the problem and bring a new transformer.
Eskom procedures for replacing transformers
That’s the answer to the question how long does Eskom take to fix a transformer. In this section, we will look at some of the Eskom procedures for replacing or fixing transformers. As noted above, how things play out depends on how your transformer was lost in the first place.
According to Eskom, a lot of transformers are being lost due to illegal connections. A lot of people have also bypassed Eskom’s systems so they can buy tokens on the cheap. Some people bypass meters.
When a transformer fails in an area, Eskom will send out technicians to investigate the causes. Should it be discovered that there are illegal connections or people buying ghost tokens, Eskom may refuse to repair the transformer until these issues have been rectified.
We have previously seen a number of posts by people saying they have been waiting for 3 weeks for Eskom to come and replace their transformer because of an illegal tokens issue. Should you be one of the people with the illegal tokens or connections, Eskom will charge you a fine and they may refuse to restore power to the entire area till everyone has paid up.
In 2020, Eskom issued a warning to people in Gauteng should power be disconnected due to illegal connections, it could take up to 3 months for it to be restored. The major challenge here is that each transformer is designed to carter for so many households.
Any connections that happen without Eskom’s knowledge has the potential to cause failure on the transformer. Should there be an overload, the thing will blow or it will simply fail. In that case, Eskom will not be in a rush to replace the transformer.
The following are the Eskom procedures before replacing a transformer;
- Removing illegal connections
- Disconnecting bypassed meters
- Issuing fines for illegal connections and bypassed meters
- Reprogramming the meter key change tokens
Summary
In this article, we answered the question how long does Eskom take to fix a transformer. It was noted that it can take between a couple of days and 3 months for a transformer to be repaired. It depends on how it was damaged in the first place.
If damage was due to theft, illegal connections and bypassed meters, Eskom will first carry out investigations before issuing fines. Only after these fines have been paid will power be restored.
Here are the City of Tshwane electricity tariffs