# Load shedding.. are you prepared ??



## Marzuq

So this morning while drinking my coffee. Everything just went off. Seems stage 2 load shedding is in effect...

The question is, are you prepared ??

Why yes I am. 2 fully charged 18650 for my grand
2 fully charged 18500 for my mini 
And a 18500 in vexy which is pretty much full too

Reactions: Like 4


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## Dr Evil

My electricity has been out since 8am, lucky for me I charged some of my batteries last night. 

On the flip side though, when you can't do much without electricity you tend to vape more, hope my juice stock lasts lol

Sent from my S4 LTE using my finger


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## Necris

Same here,no power....caught me pre coffee!
2x18650's fully charged,2 in use and an 18350 in the hammer


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## Riddle

I only have two 18500 batteries for my mini. Fully charged for now


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## WHeunis

Laptop = Charged.
Netbook = Charged.
iPad = Charged.
Phones = Charged.
EvicS = Charged.
2x eGo = Charged.
Passthrough eGo = Charged.

The only thing that I use a lot but doesn't have backup is this PC...

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## kimbo

I am ready as well 

Our power goes at ten, or so they say

3 x 18650 charged
Phone charged
Mifi Charged

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Silver

Am out at the moment. So not sure if power off at home. 

Doesn't pose a big problem though. I always have the MVP charged and ready for 3 tanks of an Evod. 

Nitecore charger can use the car if really needed

And I have spare batteries for my laptop. Call me paranoid. I can go for about 30 hours or so.

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 1


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## Necris

Wooohooo...click goes the db board...we have life!

Reactions: Like 2


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## Marzuq

Power back online. But scheduled to go off again at 8am tomoro.


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## Rob Fisher

Well thankfully I have plenty of batteries and in a vape emergency I can fire up the generator so I'm sorted! However my main PC blew a power supply yesterday with the load shedding so I'm using an old really slow Laptop until my techie can get here to fix it... so I will be scarce until then because this Laptop is really frustrating... small screen kak keyboard and slow...

Reactions: Like 1


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## Silver

Rob Fisher said:


> Well thankfully I have plenty of batteries and in a vape emergency I can fire up the generator so I'm sorted! However my main PC blew a power supply yesterday with the load shedding so I'm using an old really slow Laptop until my techie can get here to fix it... so I will be scarce until then because this Laptop is really frustrating... small screen kak keyboard and slow...



Sorry to hear about the power supply Rob
Hope you get sorted soon. 
What about using the iPad?


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## kimbo

Necris said:


> Wooohooo...click goes the db board...we have life!


Click goes the DB board and we have darkness 

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## Moist

kimbo said:


> I am ready as well
> 
> Our power goes at ten, or so they say
> 
> 3 x 18650 charged
> Phone charged
> Mifi Charged


I read "Milf"

Then I re-read it.
:|

Reactions: Funny 6


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## kimbo

Moist said:


> I read "Milf"
> 
> Then I re-read it.
> :|


Lol 

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## gman211991

Mine just went off oh well

Reactions: Like 1


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## jtgrey

@Eskom 
 But bonuses they will get !

Reactions: Agree 2


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## kimbo

jtgrey said:


> @Eskom
> But bonuses they will get !


Wat do you think, they are doing such a good job they must get a bonus   

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Reactions: Funny 1


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## RATZ

I was reading this thread thinking, "fresh spinner2, iStick been on charge for an hour plus the MVP on standby, I'll be good for a day or two" and the screen went black. 
At least I know that even when unprepared, I can survive whatever Eskom throws my way.


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## Rob Fisher

Silver said:


> Sorry to hear about the power supply Rob
> Hope you get sorted soon.
> What about using the iPad?



I could use one of many devices Hi Ho @Silver... but I'm a creature of habit and like my two big screens and my normal keyboard and mouse etc and my PC is set up with shortcuts and links and everything... but rescue is at hand and my technical man is on his way with a spare power supply!  

My iPad and iPhone is more for a reading the forums device rather than an writing threads one.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## exodus

My power has been out since 8 am. just came back on and a good thing also as my istick only has less then 10 percent left. lucky have a spinner 2 fully charged at all times encase of emergencies. I need more mods .


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## johan

Saw this in Pretoria this morning; sharp Citizen:

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 6


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## kimbo

johan said:


> Saw this in Pretoria this morning; sharp Citizen:
> 
> View attachment 15848


Love that song

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Reactions: Agree 1


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## kimbo

click .. en da was lig

Reactions: Like 1


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## Rellik

kimbo said:


> click .. en da was lig


Slaapstad. Click en daar wa *kol


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## Rob Fisher

Rob Fisher said:


> but rescue is at hand and my technical man is on his way with a spare power supply!



Bummer! 

The issue is not with the Power Supply! It's a motherboard issue and of course I have a generation i7 Processor that doesn't fit the new boards! So I'm on this mickey mouse notebook till Tuesday!


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## andro

Im one of the lucky one . I live withing 500 meters radius of a major hospital so my area is not gonna have load shedding

Reactions: Like 3


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## Dr Evil

Rob Fisher said:


> Bummer!
> 
> The issue is not with the Power Supply! It's a motherboard issue and of course I have a generation i7 Processor that doesn't fit the new boards! So I'm on this mickey mouse notebook till Tuesday!



Which socket i7 do you currently have @Rob Fisher

Sent from my S4 LTE using my finger


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## Rob Fisher

Dr Evil said:


> Which socket i7 do you currently have @Rob Fisher



Don't really know... was just going on what my techie told me... mine is a Generation 1 i7 and I understand the current latest and greatest is the i7 Gen 4.


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## Dr Evil

Rob Fisher said:


> Don't really know... was just going on what my techie told me... mine is a Generation 1 i7 and I understand the current latest and greatest is the i7 Gen 4.


Yeah gen 1 won't work at all. 
Generation 2 and 3 still works on the same socket @Rob Fisher and you can still get generation 2 motherboards. 

Sent from my S4 LTE using my finger

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## kimbo

@Rob Fisher tel the insurance, due to the load shedding, the unstable power you computer is broken. The Intel i7 is a fine tuned highly sensitive piece of equipment and the likelihood of that happening is quite big


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## Rob Fisher

kimbo said:


> @Rob Fisher tel the insurance, due to the load shedding, the unstable power you computer is broken. The Intel i7 is a fine tuned highly sensitive piece of equipment and the likelihood of that happening is quite big



Good point! Will talk to my broker on Monday!

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## Arthster

Emergency lights... charged
MecMOD Charged
Discharging the secondary for the SVD (Hopefully eskom will allow me to charge the secondary)
Monopoly on the the coffee table
Gas cylinder with stove plate and kettle checked.

BRING IT ON ESKOM

Reactions: Like 1


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## Alex

We have just been shed, managed to squeeze in 3 espresso' just in time though :- P


via iphone

Reactions: Like 3 | Winner 1


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## Arthster

Hey Alex... you live in Benoni??

Fantastic its getting closer... like a dark cloud... soon Midrand ... 

--> Eskom <-- Me

Reactions: Like 1


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## kimbo

Ours get here at 10am

Reactions: Like 1


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## kimbo

kimbo said:


> Ours get here at 10am


Click.. FFS 


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## Arthster

Kimbo, if ever there was a good excuse for a braai...


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## kimbo

Arthster said:


> Kimbo, if ever there was a good excuse for a braai...


True.. Just it is raining here at the moment 

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## Arthster

ouch. just don't let the wife see you doing nothing. last time I did that I had to go peel veggies.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Silver

Where are you guys reading these schedules?
Thankfully our lights are still on
We are in JHB, near Rosebank


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## Arthster

I'm in Midrand. I missed all the load shedding last time, and getting all of them this time, I don't know when but I know it will happen.


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## kimbo

Silver said:


> Where are you guys reading these schedules?
> Thankfully our lights are still on
> We are in JHB, near Rosebank


@Silver on the Eskom site, can't post a link now 

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## kimbo

Arthster said:


> ouch. just don't let the wife see you doing nothing. last time I did that I had to go peel veggies.


My luck, not married  

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## HPBotha

We where running a print on the DNA module shape test --- and boom eskom knocked out, UPS kicked in but, ja the print was ruined. running another print on monday to play it safe!! 2 x purple efest, 2 x vtc4 and 2 x vtc5 kept we vaping happily though!


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## Alex

Silver said:


> Where are you guys reading these schedules?
> Thankfully our lights are still on
> We are in JHB, near Rosebank


http://www.eskom.co.za/Documents/CityPowerSchedulesNov2014.pdf

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Rob Fisher

Thanks to stinking Eskom and the rest of the inept Government my Desktop PC with nice dual monitors is out of commission but never fear... an older notebook has been resurrected and ecigssa is back on track... but the REO's are all charged and rewicked so Sunday isn't too back with no PC.

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 1


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## kimbo

Alex said:


> http://www.eskom.co.za/Documents/CityPowerSchedulesNov2014.pdf



http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za/

Got mine here. Just choose the province and municipality then you will get the schedule .

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## Silver

Alex said:


> http://www.eskom.co.za/Documents/CityPowerSchedulesNov2014.pdf



Thanks @Alex and @kimbo

Strangely - those schedules say Mon, Wed, Fri for my suburb
Yet we had an outage today from about midday to 4pm.
So it appears those schedules are not necessarily being adhered to.

Makes things tougher when you have no idea when the power will be cut

Reactions: Agree 1


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## kimbo

Silver said:


> Thanks @Alex and @kimbo
> 
> Strangely - those schedules say Mon, Wed, Fri for my suburb
> Yet we had an outage today from about midday to 4pm.
> So it appears those schedules are not necessarily being adhered to.
> 
> Makes things tougher when you have no idea when the power will be cut



That is eskom for you mate

Reactions: Agree 2


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## free3dom

kimbo said:


> That is eskom for you mate



Haha, that's brilliant...have 100 meetings, spend millions on planning, create a web schedule...and then switch off the power randomly

Reactions: Agree 2 | Funny 2


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## LandyMan

We rarely get shed. We are on the same grid as Tembisa hospital 

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## annemarievdh

Well

All Efest batterys not in use are full
MVP full
Laptop full
Cellphone on charge 
and Solar cell charger full

I think we are okay

Reactions: Like 2


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## kimbo

Tx to Eskom I had a bit of a sleep in lol. Load shedding from 5am

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## Marzuq

kimbo said:


> Tx to Eskom I had a bit of a sleep in lol. Load shedding from 5am
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk



lucky for us CPT guys load shedding has been put on hold


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## kimbo

Marzuq said:


> lucky for us CPT guys load shedding has been put on hold


Because they decided to take another hour here, and somer kill the water as well

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Reactions: Winner 1


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## Cat

Alex said:


> We have just been shed, managed to squeeze in 3 espresso' just in time though :- P



Sunday morning, no coffee  i had to _push_ myself to makro - drive, and mission to get parking...felt out-of-it in the shop...got a CampingGaz cooker. Almost like a bad dream.

Reactions: Funny 1 | Can relate 1


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## Marzuq

Stage 2 load shedding in effect for vape towners this weekend


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## Necris

eskoms kindness leaves my planned 12 hr,10 site upgrade shot full of holes tomorrow.
this is going to be a weekend from hell!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## kimbo

Well the radio recons the dreadful load shedder will be here at 20:00 .. FFS

Reactions: Like 1


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## kimbo

Just as I was getting optimistic.. Tic... Darkness 

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Reactions: Like 1


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## Cat

Yes, i am prepared. i have a CampingGaz cooker and i have pipe tobacco and rolling papers. Only 2 batteries and a charged MVP, so i probably won't need the tobacco. 

@Necris , how was the weekend? What sort of upgrade? (POS, is all i know......and hundreds of sites - more than a 1000, actually, but they don't all get done at once.)


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## Marzuq

Same here lights out.. stage 2 load shedding in full swing again . And this just after Eskom announced there will be no further load shedding for December lol


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## Yiannaki

Marzuq said:


> Same here lights out.. stage 2 load shedding in full swing again . And this just after Eskom announced there will be no further load shedding for December lol


Heard on the radio this afternoon that blackouts are gonna happen from today, right through the weekend


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## Alex

We had it this afternoon from 16H00 - 18H00


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## Marzuq

Yiannaki said:


> Heard on the radio this afternoon that blackouts are gonna happen from today, right through the weekend



Yip and possibly all of next week.


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## Yiannaki

Alex said:


> We had it this afternoon from 16H00 - 18H00


That sucks! 


Marzuq said:


> Yip and possibly all of next week.


Now why can't load shedding just happen during working hours

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Alex

Yiannaki said:


> That sucks!
> 
> Now why can't load shedding just happen during working hours



I love load shedding during the day. It's the night shed that kills me.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marzuq

Yiannaki said:


> That sucks!
> 
> Now why can't load shedding just happen during working hours


I agree with you fully. It why not at all. We were off from 18:00 to 20:30 this eve. That's relax time


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## free3dom

Marzuq said:


> I agree with you fully. It why not at all. We were off from 18:00 to 20:30 this eve. That's relax time



That's just cruel  Stupid  eskom.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## kimbo



Reactions: Thanks 1 | Informative 1


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## Rudi

drove all the way to the Pavilion today (From Ladysmith) to do some xmas shopping... as we entered the pavilion power went off.. had to wait like 2 hours for it to come back on before we could shop


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## Marzuq

Rudi said:


> drove all the way to the Pavilion today (From Ladysmith) to do some xmas shopping... as we entered the pavilion power went off.. had to wait like 2 hours for it to come back on before we could shop



That sucks. Eskom is a major let down. Stage 3 load shedding just after they announced no more load shedding for December. Lol we have alot more of it coming our way

Reactions: Agree 1


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## annemarievdh

Now I can say YES. I'm prepared

We have a generator!!!! :klap: 


Send while vaping on the Reo mini Thor


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## Silver

Just want to say that Woolies saved the day. What a great store

Yesterday we went to this centre in Toti for lunch but power was cut as we arrived. Restaurants were limited to serving drinks and things like sushi only. No hot food. 

We went to Woolies, they have a flagship type of store there - and obviously were running some serious generators because it appeared no different to how it looked a few days earlier when the power was on. Their ovens were working and they were serving their roast chickens and pies. 

Needless to say, Woolies was packed - queues for checkout were very long - they were doing a roaring trade while the other shops sat in darkness

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 2


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## Cat

The market for generators is growing. There will not ever be a time when this government can manage such things properly. The flats where a friend of mine lived had a big generator installed, for the water pumps and the elevators. All the condos and "gated community" type places in India have generators.


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## Philip

Rob Fisher said:


> Thanks to stinking Eskom and the rest of the inept Government my Desktop PC with nice dual monitors is out of commission but never fear... an older notebook has been resurrected and ecigssa is back on track... but the REO's are all charged and rewicked so Sunday isn't too back with no PC.
> 
> View attachment 15920


Wow thats an insane collection man

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Riddle



Reactions: Funny 5


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## kimbo

Riddle said:


> View attachment 16816

Reactions: Funny 2


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## johan

*HARD NAKED REALITY**: Duhva Power Station turbine smash*.

*Sweeping the bullshit as well as the taxpayer’s money under the carpet!*

Not really intended for the public, BUT, amazing how pics like these can get out even after Eskom put a blanket of secrecy around the whole incident. Eskom like hiding stuff like this?

 So I found out what happened at Duhva power station and the busted turbine.

 They were doing a test of the turbine overspeed protection system, and in short, the protection did not kick in. Conventional wisdom tells me that there should be a better way to test a protection system than to try and destroy the turbine and see if it feels like protecting itself, but that’s basically what they did.

 The turbine has a governor valve which controls the amount of steam coming into the turbine In order to keep it running at the right speed (3000 rpm for our grid frequency) and then it has a main isolation valve to shut the steam off completely. The protections systems (of which there are 3 independent systems, and a dude with his finger on the emergency button) are supposed to close this main isolation valve in a fraction of a second when the turbine over-sped.

 So they get ready for the test, they dump a helluva lot of steam onto the turbine, speed starts going crazy, it went from 3000 RPM to 4500 RMP in ten seconds (they are generally only designed for 10 to 15% over-speed, all three protection systems should have kicked in by the time you get to 110%). Anyway, I don’t know why, but all three systems failed, and the dude with his finger on the manual trip button wasn’t at his post. So the result was a big bang, some fire and a lot of steam going where it shouldn’t go.

 Scary thing is Duvha has a shared turbine hall. All six units are placed in one long straight line, with no missile shield between them. And if you look at the third pic you can see how big that shaft is, if that landed on another turbine it would have destroyed that too. They are very lucky they didn’t lose the entire station.

 So anyway, what gets reported in the news? “Unforeseen maintenance” at one of the units at Duvha requires it to remain shut down for 18 months - understatement of the century in my book. But you shut off the containment ventilation system at Koeberg for one hour and a radiation alarm goes off, then it’s a front page news national crisis, I give up.

Reactions: Like 3 | Thanks 1 | Informative 4


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## Dubz

Typical Eksdom


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## Gazzacpt

That's not a quick repair job. Well they have been running these things hard and not taking them down for maintenance as per spec this was bound to happen. I'm waiting for one of the open cycle gas turbines to go pop to they running them for 16hrs a day. They where built to run for 2 - 4 hrs at a time.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## kimbo

Gazzacpt said:


> That's not a quick repair job. Well they have been running these things hard and not taking them down for maintenance as per spec this was bound to happen. I'm waiting for one of the open cycle gas turbines to go pop to they running them for 16hrs a day. They where built to run for 2 - 4 hrs at a time.


Maintaining for who.. This machine still run, we take bonus this year  

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Reactions: Funny 1


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## Alex

Eishkom


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## Marzuq

johan said:


> *HARD NAKED REALITY**: Duhva Power Station turbine smash*.
> 
> *Sweeping the bullshit as well as the taxpayer’s money under the carpet!*
> 
> Not really intended for the public, BUT, amazing how pics like these can get out even after Eskom put a blanket of secrecy around the whole incident. Eskom like hiding stuff like this?
> 
> So I found out what happened at Duhva power station and the busted turbine.
> 
> They were doing a test of the turbine overspeed protection system, and in short, the protection did not kick in. Conventional wisdom tells me that there should be a better way to test a protection system than to try and destroy the turbine and see if it feels like protecting itself, but that’s basically what they did.
> 
> The turbine has a governor valve which controls the amount of steam coming into the turbine In order to keep it running at the right speed (3000 rpm for our grid frequency) and then it has a main isolation valve to shut the steam off completely. The protections systems (of which there are 3 independent systems, and a dude with his finger on the emergency button) are supposed to close this main isolation valve in a fraction of a second when the turbine over-sped.
> 
> So they get ready for the test, they dump a helluva lot of steam onto the turbine, speed starts going crazy, it went from 3000 RPM to 4500 RMP in ten seconds (they are generally only designed for 10 to 15% over-speed, all three protection systems should have kicked in by the time you get to 110%). Anyway, I don’t know why, but all three systems failed, and the dude with his finger on the manual trip button wasn’t at his post. So the result was a big bang, some fire and a lot of steam going where it shouldn’t go.
> 
> Scary thing is Duvha has a shared turbine hall. All six units are placed in one long straight line, with no missile shield between them. And if you look at the third pic you can see how big that shaft is, if that landed on another turbine it would have destroyed that too. They are very lucky they didn’t lose the entire station.
> 
> So anyway, what gets reported in the news? “Unforeseen maintenance” at one of the units at Duvha requires it to remain shut down for 18 months - understatement of the century in my book. But you shut off the containment ventilation system at Koeberg for one hour and a radiation alarm goes off, then it’s a front page news national crisis, I give up.
> 
> View attachment 17004
> 
> 
> View attachment 17005
> 
> 
> View attachment 17006
> 
> 
> View attachment 17007
> 
> 
> View attachment 17008
> 
> 
> View attachment 17009



Nice find @johan

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## GadgetFreak

Rob Fisher said:


> Bummer!
> 
> The issue is not with the Power Supply! It's a motherboard issue and of course I have a generation i7 Processor that doesn't fit the new boards! So I'm on this mickey mouse notebook till Tuesday!



I am truly sorry about your loss. I had a iMac two years ago and the same thing happened. However since the iMac is an all in one unit, I lost my hard drive, memory screen and motherboard. I was not insured and Apple SA wanted R8500.00 for the repair excl. hard drive and ram. I was not insured and lost roughly R13000.00


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## Rudi



Reactions: Funny 3


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## zadiac

Went to buy a generator today and couldn't find one! All sold out everywhere. Had to order one and hope it will be here by next week! Eish!


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## johan

*'n Boer maak 'n plan!*




​

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 2 | Funny 3


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## free3dom

johan said:


> *HARD NAKED REALITY**: Duhva Power Station turbine smash*.
> 
> *Sweeping the bullshit as well as the taxpayer’s money under the carpet!*
> 
> Not really intended for the public, BUT, amazing how pics like these can get out even after Eskom put a blanket of secrecy around the whole incident. Eskom like hiding stuff like this?
> 
> So I found out what happened at Duhva power station and the busted turbine.
> 
> They were doing a test of the turbine overspeed protection system, and in short, the protection did not kick in. Conventional wisdom tells me that there should be a better way to test a protection system than to try and destroy the turbine and see if it feels like protecting itself, but that’s basically what they did.
> 
> The turbine has a governor valve which controls the amount of steam coming into the turbine In order to keep it running at the right speed (3000 rpm for our grid frequency) and then it has a main isolation valve to shut the steam off completely. The protections systems (of which there are 3 independent systems, and a dude with his finger on the emergency button) are supposed to close this main isolation valve in a fraction of a second when the turbine over-sped.
> 
> So they get ready for the test, they dump a helluva lot of steam onto the turbine, speed starts going crazy, it went from 3000 RPM to 4500 RMP in ten seconds (they are generally only designed for 10 to 15% over-speed, all three protection systems should have kicked in by the time you get to 110%). Anyway, I don’t know why, but all three systems failed, and the dude with his finger on the manual trip button wasn’t at his post. So the result was a big bang, some fire and a lot of steam going where it shouldn’t go.
> 
> Scary thing is Duvha has a shared turbine hall. All six units are placed in one long straight line, with no missile shield between them. And if you look at the third pic you can see how big that shaft is, if that landed on another turbine it would have destroyed that too. They are very lucky they didn’t lose the entire station.
> 
> So anyway, what gets reported in the news? “Unforeseen maintenance” at one of the units at Duvha requires it to remain shut down for 18 months - understatement of the century in my book. But you shut off the containment ventilation system at Koeberg for one hour and a radiation alarm goes off, then it’s a front page news national crisis, I give up.
> 
> View attachment 17004
> 
> 
> View attachment 17005
> 
> 
> View attachment 17006
> 
> 
> View attachment 17007
> 
> 
> View attachment 17008
> 
> 
> View attachment 17009



That's what happens when you sub-ohm with cheap batteries

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 2


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## Arthster

Not sure if its the same power station but that blow up happened a while ago 2011 or 2013 or some ware in between. It is one of those i know someone who knows someone kind of things but the story behind it was that the lubricants used in the generator was contaminated with steam (not sure how these genies work, but my geuss would be a failed seal or something like that) and one of the shaft bearings locked up while the gen was running. because of the amount of weight behind the turbine shaft... lets just say it vented. Still comes down to one simple thing that most factories believe in... preventative maintenance over reactive maintenance.


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## WHeunis

Arthster said:


> Not sure if its the same power station but that blow up happened a while ago 2011 or 2013 or some ware in between. It is one of those i know someone who knows someone kind of things but the story behind it was that the lubricants used in the generator was contaminated with steam (not sure how these genies work, but my geuss would be a failed seal or something like that) and one of the shaft bearings locked up while the gen was running. because of the amount of weight behind the turbine shaft... lets just say it vented. Still comes down to one simple thing that most factories believe in... preventative maintenance over reactive maintenance.



The same is generally true for IT... but if you think its an easy sell to get your company/client/etc to buy into things like preventative maintenance, fault redundancy, and failover tolerance; Well then I guess ignorance is bliss...

Convincing people to get off that horse where something "hasn't happened so far", is damn near impossible.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Cat

That Duvha incident happened a few years ago, but ja, it contributed to this situation. So did the coal supply mismanagement. And now we are supposed to be getting several Russian nuclear power stations, just like India. hmm? 
oh and further to the Duvha incident, it was a balls-up with the test procedures. It didn't just blow. The scheduled maintenance involves load testing and the management was not properly qualified and someone made a mistake. The system was overloaded for too long and then the correct procedure was not followed. 
And i got the impression from what some people said, some former engineers, that the people who used to be managing it, are now staying in other countries.
Carry on.

Reactions: Like 1


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## kimbo

*Eskom blackouts because of Apartheid: Zuma*

South Africa’s energy problems were a product of apartheid and government was not to blame for the current blackouts, President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.

http://businesstech.co.za/news/government/76042/eskom-blackouts-because-of-apartheid-zuma/

Reactions: Winner 3


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## Marzuq

kimbo said:


> *Eskom blackouts because of Apartheid: Zuma*
> 
> South Africa’s energy problems were a product of apartheid and government was not to blame for the current blackouts, President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.
> 
> http://businesstech.co.za/news/government/76042/eskom-blackouts-because-of-apartheid-zuma/



This was smartest thing his said to date lol


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## zadiac

I'm getting my generator on Monday, so I'll be set....lol


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## Arthster

WHeunis said:


> The same is generally true for IT... but if you think its an easy sell to get your company/client/etc to buy into things like preventative maintenance, fault redundancy, and failover tolerance; Well then I guess ignorance is bliss...
> 
> Convincing people to get off that horse where something "hasn't happened so far", is damn near impossible.



Yeah until it does then every one goes "but why didn't you do something before it happened", And the poor IT Slave on the bottom gets the hiding for it... 



kimbo said:


> *Eskom blackouts because of Apartheid: Zuma*
> 
> South Africa’s energy problems were a product of apartheid and government was not to blame for the current blackouts, President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.
> 
> http://businesstech.co.za/news/government/76042/eskom-blackouts-because-of-apartheid-zuma/



Its true the old government didn't do much in the way of forward planning, no arguments there. BUT Mr President... YOU HAD FREAKING 20 YEARS TO FIX THE  not 1 not 2 not even 4, 20 freaking years.

EDIT:

If I bought a second hand car, and looked at the service book and noticed that the book was not stamped for the last service do I...

A) Drive it without servicing it until it turns to crap and then blame the previous owner for not managing the cars maintenance? 
B) Take It in for or do my own service on the car to ensure that it will stay a reliable source of transportation...

Reactions: Like 1


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## johan

kimbo said:


> *Eskom blackouts because of Apartheid: Zuma*
> 
> South Africa’s energy problems were a product of apartheid and government was not to blame for the current blackouts, President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.
> 
> http://businesstech.co.za/news/government/76042/eskom-blackouts-because-of-apartheid-zuma/



...and what did the ANC do the past 20 years?


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## Rob Fisher

I'm not even going to partake in this discussion because I will loose my mind and end up spitting on my screen and keyboard!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kuhlkatz

Oxymorons include word pairs like deafening silence, controlled chaos, living dead, dark light etc.

As far as 'Smart Zuma' goes, I think we can safely drop the 'Oxy' from Oxymoron....

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## zadiac

Loadshedding going on right now here. Gennie is purring like a kitten outside and I'm online and batteries are charging


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## Alex

Get ready for







Message sent via tapatalk

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 2 | Funny 4


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## VandaL

Is it stage 1 or?


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## annemarievdh

VandaL said:


> Is it stage 1 or?



On Jacuranda they said it is stage 1

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## VandaL

annemarievdh said:


> On Jacuranda they said it is stage 1






Stage 1 is baba load shedding. My house has never gotten load-shedding even when it started in 2008 #brag.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## LandyMan

VandaL said:


> Stage 1 is baba load shedding. My house has never gotten load-shedding even when it started in 2008 #brag.


Things might change. We never used to shed, as we are on Tembisa hospital's grid. That changed in December and we are also shedding now


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## VandaL

LandyMan said:


> Things might change. We never used to shed, as we are on Tembisa hospital's grid. That changed in December and we are also shedding now


Yea, I'm expecting it to happen. Possibly when Stage 4 load shedding hits.


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## johan

Don't be surprised if we going to see a total blackout during 2015 - If it can happen in USA, whats the chances of not happening here?

The scary bit is, that it takes a 1'st world country on average 3 to 4 weeks to restore power after a total blackout.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Informative 1


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## VandaL

johan said:


> Don't be surprised if we going to see a total blackout during 2015 - If it can happen in USA, whats the chances of not happening here?
> 
> The scary bit is, that it takes a 1'st world country on average 3 to 4 weeks to restore power after a total blackout.


Time to start stocking up on car chargers for your batteries


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## johan

Cape Town – Eskom has initiated stage 2 load shedding after an earlier warning about a severely constrained power system and stage 1 load shedding.

The Eskom media desk told Fin24 that Eskom management is currently in an emergency meeting and could not say why there is a need for a higher drop in power.

According to the Eskom load shedding [schedule] website stage 2 is initiated “in some areas due to high demand or urgent maintenance being performed at certain power stations”.

Eskom has confirmed that stage 2 load shedding will continue until 22:00.

source: http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Eskom-initiates-stage-2-load-shedding-20150126

Reactions: Informative 1


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## free3dom

Here is an interesting article on how a total blackout could happen and what it would take to get back up and running...scary stuff 

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/117000-how-a-total-blackout-in-south-africa-could-happen.html


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## johan

free3dom said:


> Here is an interesting article on how a total blackout could happen and what it would take to get back up and running...scary stuff
> 
> http://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/117000-how-a-total-blackout-in-south-africa-could-happen.html



I hope we can trust Yelland in his confidence.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Genosmate

Eskom emergency meeting! Useless bastards are probably sitting around a table in the dark having made no provision for load shedding!


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## VandaL

Genosmate said:


> Eskom emergency meeting! Useless bastards are probably sitting around a table in the dark having made no provision for load shedding!


Least you know they are eating well, what with the R1.4b catering contracts they signed

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Stochastic

Busy recoiling, boom no power. Had to continue with a flashlight. Thanks Eskom.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Smoke187

Load shedding is crappy, no power and batteries almost dead, worst part is that I am not at home and dont have my UPS with me to charge up my battery. Now I have to stealth vape till morning to save some battery life.


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## Dubz

For those with android phones wanting to know what stage load shedding is at and what time the power in your area will go down, here is an app I've been using that has been rather a pleasure. It notifies you of stage changes too.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ionicframework.clunk534363&hl=en

Reactions: Like 2 | Thanks 2


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## Silver

We just came out of load shedding about 20 mins ago in JHB
Power went off at 6pm

I needed to do some work but when the power was cut it gave me an excuse to do a pitstop on the vaping devices
I put on my headlamp and a LED handheld lantern - was quite cosy 
but one takes it for granted how important light is when examining coils and rewicking

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1 | Can relate 1


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## free3dom

Dubz said:


> For those with android phones wanting to know what stage load shedding is at and what time the power in your area will go down, here is an app I've been using that has been rather a pleasure. It notifies you of stage changes too.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ionicframework.clunk534363&hl=en



Very handy, thanks 
Could be a lot better, but it's still 1000% better than any of the websites

Reactions: Agree 2


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## LandyMan

Dubz said:


> For those with android phones wanting to know what stage load shedding is at and what time the power in your area will go down, here is an app I've been using that has been rather a pleasure. It notifies you of stage changes too.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ionicframework.clunk534363&hl=en


Thanks @Dubz. Won't work for home  but will for the office

Reactions: Like 1


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## free3dom

Someone on MyBB posted this article in a comment on one of the Eskom articles...it's the Transvaler Newspaper from 1947




For those that don't read Afrikaans it says:

"City comes to a standstill
Power outage for 35 minutes
Traffic most heavily affected"

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 2


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## John

I've ordered a 12000mah powerbank to keep my batteries charged


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## SpiralSequence

Work just put in an order for a 500 kVa v8 cat generator. Atleast ill be able to vape at work.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## VandaL

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/117926-sowetos-unpaid-eskom-bill-r4-billion.html


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## johan

Quite disturbing (to me anyhow):

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Eskom-lifts-veil-on-doom-at-cabinet-briefing-20150201

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/SA-power-cuts-hold-off-doomsday-20150129

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Eskom-Plan-for-outages-20150204

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/20...-plants-all-suffering-faults-expect-blackouts

Reactions: Informative 1


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## annemarievdh

Well loadshedding this side. Have my geni roaring outside. 


Send while vaping on the Reo mini Thor

Reactions: Like 1


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## WHeunis

Well... this is very interresting.
I think 99% of the corrupt gov members from the Mpumalanga cabinet, live in my area...

I havent been loadshed ONCE yet...

Checked the loadshedding tabes they host on their website, and true! My area is marked for zero loadshedding!

EDIT: to clarify, my area is not marked for any loadshedding... not like there was a column for "these lucky bastards"...

Reactions: Winner 1


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## abdul

WHeunis said:


> Well... this is very interresting.
> I think 99% of the corrupt gov members from the Mpumalanga cabinet, live in my area...
> 
> I havent been laodshed ONCE yet...
> 
> Checked the loadshedding tabes they host on their website, and true! My area is marked for zero loadshedding!


you are damn lucky man.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Guunie

Am I ready? Only for possibly 2 weeks...still stocking up on non-perishables and gas. Only have one 9kg gas bottle at hand and a 950w geny for the fridge. Need to still get another gas bottle, as many extra litres of diesel for the geny and possibly a weapon or two...

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Alex

I have my book ready for eight o clock tonight, and the torch is fully charged up.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## LandyMan

Sort of. Pity my phone and tablet don't take 18650's ... they are all charged but my mobile devices are flattish  Only about 30 minutes to go luckily


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## kimbo

@LandyMan get a 2amp charger for your mobile, it fills it up in a flash

Reactions: Agree 1


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## LandyMan

kimbo said:


> @LandyMan get a 2amp charger for your mobile, it fills it up in a flash


But for that I need electricity


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## kimbo

LandyMan said:


> But for that I need electricity



oh  .. I am thinking of a power bank to keep handy in situations like that

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Dr Phil

I'm ready bring it on!!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Alex

Laptop is fully charged, 3 hour documentary is ready to roll, beers are ice cold.

Bring it on

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 2 | Funny 1


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## Dr Phil

Alex said:


> Laptop is fully charged, 3 hour documentary is ready to roll, beers are ice cold.
> 
> Bring it on


nothing can beat a good documentary

Reactions: Agree 1


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## LandyMan

kimbo said:


> oh  .. I am thinking of a power bank to keep handy in situations like that


Yeah. Been looking at a couple of options for the future


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## free3dom

Had a power failure this morning that lasted from 11AM to 2PM...the power came on for 5 minutes and then....load shedding hit for 3.5 hours 

Was not a good day


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## Alex

free3dom said:


> Had a power failure this morning that lasted from 11AM to 2PM...the power came on for 5 minutes and then....load shedding hit for 3.5 hours
> 
> Was not a good day


Damn, that sucks.

So I shut down all the computers here in anticipation of the shed, and then... nothing. The bastards don't cut the power, really pisses me off.

Reactions: Funny 2 | Can relate 2


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## free3dom

Alex said:


> Damn, that sucks.
> 
> So I shut down all the computers here in anticipation of the shed, and then... nothing. The bastards don't cut the power, really pisses me off.



That is just as  annoying as load shedding...drives me crazy. And then just as you decide they've skipped you and you switch everything back on........darkness

Reactions: Agree 3


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## zadiac

Loadshedding in full swing right here now. Gennie is purring outside and I'm watching movies

Reactions: Like 2


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## Ashley A

I am with my MVP charged up and ready to charge my devices from it

Reactions: Like 2


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## Arthster

Did you know you can charge your Istick of an MVP.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Alex

Garden service arrives here at 6:40am.
Power dies at 7:00am
10:00am I'm wondering why the power is still off. Phone my neighbor.
Discover that is was the earth leakage switch, and not load shedding.

Reactions: Funny 7


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## Andre

Alex said:


> Garden service arrives here at 6:40am.
> Power dies at 7:00am
> 10:00am I'm wondering why the power is still off. Phone my neighbor.
> Discover that is was the earth leakage switch, and not load shedding.


Old Garden Services' trick

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Alex

Andre said:


> Old Garden Services' trick



man I was really pissed at myself just now.


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## Yiannaki

Alex said:


> Garden service arrives here at 6:40am.
> Power dies at 7:00am
> 10:00am I'm wondering why the power is still off. Phone my neighbor.
> Discover that is was the earth leakage switch, and not load shedding.


That sucks! Hopefully you won't get load shedded today because of that

Reactions: Agree 2


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## LandyMan

free3dom said:


> Had a power failure this morning that lasted from 11AM to 2PM...the power came on for 5 minutes and then....load shedding hit for 3.5 hours
> 
> Was not a good day


That sucks big time!

Reactions: Agree 2


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## free3dom

LandyMan said:


> That sucks big time!



It really did...6+ hours without power 
I try to be positive though, last year the power went down for 3 days...that was definitely worse


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## VandaL

free3dom said:


> It really did...6+ hours without power
> I try to be positive though, last year the power went down for 3 days...that was definitely worse


3 days  I could barely manage 24hrs when a storm messed up our cables.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Yiannaki

Load shedding in Bryanston from 2pm. At least we get to go home once it hits. Traffic will probably be madness though

Reactions: Can relate 1


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## free3dom

VandaL said:


> 3 days  I could barely manage 24hrs went a storm messed up our cables.



It was a very dark time indeed 

Went to visit everyone I know to "bum" some power and charge everything each day 
Bad part was that two substations went at the same time and left large parts of Centurion without power, so I had to go "out of town" for power

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Silver

Load shedding hit the Oaklands area today from 10am and just came on now at 2pm

4 hours

Was ok but not great
Laptop has ample power with my spare batteries but my big screens lose power so I have to switch to the tiny single laptop screen. Thats not really so bad, one gets used to it - but the hard part is hanging on the end of a very flaky MTN 3G signal in my area.

Amazing how dependent I have become on having a good Internet connection.

I dont miss coffee - or even lights - but the Internet is a must have. I wonder how I coped in the old dial up days where I would dial in a few times a day and do what you needed to do. The advent of "always on Internet" has changed things a lot. 

I think I need to invest in some decent UPS equipment for my screens and my Telkom modem.

Reactions: Can relate 2


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## Johnny2Puffs



Reactions: Like 2


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## Cat

@Silver , don't. Just try to adapt to it, would be good for you. You can still use your phone for email. 

And eventually it's going to be off for 4+ hours or more, so you'd need a generator as well. The phone, you can use backup chargers. There are cheap ones on ebay that work off 18650's and i saw one somewhere yesterday, DIY with an Altoids tin, 2 x 18650's and a USB port.


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## Cat

Durban today at around 13h00, for an hour or so. Then on again, but when i was in a shop a bit later, it bombed just as she got to the total on the till. Then i drove around trying to avoid traffic light hassles on the way home. Durban people don't know how to handle it, it's freaking dangerous sometimes.

Reactions: Like 1


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## VandaL

Shed alert says we are currently in stage 3


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## Cat

Yep, any moment. And note, this is worse than last time, last year and before - this time i find the traffic lights out from the start. ...it only goes one way - down, ain't never gonna get any better. Or you can hope for the Russian nuclear power stations.....sometime in the future. Then you can hope they don't blow it.


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## VandaL

Yeah the traffic lights being off in central is really nerve wrecking, what with traffic consisting of 85% taxi's.


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## Genosmate

Jeez,those useless ************s who run Eskom couldn't plan a piss up in a brewery! 
Yesterday it went to stage two load shedding during the morning,according to the schedules here in Knysna we would be without power from 2000-2230,power duly went off at 2000 and was back on at 2200.
Today the schedule (stage 2) indicated power to be off from 1200-1430,duly off at 1200 and on again at 14.10,only to find its now stage 3,well that means its off again from 2000-2230.
Well its now 20.56 and I've still got power.
Its bad enough that that well paid management can't do their jobs but for *****s sake,if they need to conserve power and implement load shedding in certain stages,why can't they implement it and stick to it at least the consumer has slight opportunity to plan around it.
OK rant over,vape on!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Alex

Genosmate said:


> Jeez,those useless ************s who run Eskom couldn't plan a piss up in a brewery!
> Yesterday it went to stage two load shedding during the morning,according to the schedules here in Knysna we would be without power from 2000-2230,power duly went off at 2000 and was back on at 2200.
> Today the schedule (stage 2) indicated power to be off from 1200-1430,duly off at 1200 and on again at 14.10,only to find its now stage 3,well that means its off again from 2000-2230.
> Well its now 20.56 and I've still got power.
> Its bad enough that that well paid management can't do their jobs but for *****s sake,if they need to conserve power and implement load shedding in certain stages,why can't they implement it and stick to it at least the consumer has slight opportunity to plan around it.
> OK rant over,vape on!


PSA: don't forget to check your circuit breaker.


Message sent via tapatalk

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## Johnny2Puffs

Due to my work involvement in automation systems it often used to freak me out when called out to an automated shut down of a plant or section of a plant due to protection electronic failure. No time to replace or repair due to the high demand and shutdown time might increase the time to restart as in the case of boilers.
You then are asked to disable the protection signal by bridging it out or altering the software for a re start. You then have no protection but can go back home to sleep. 

This I think is happening and when these are not repaired, you can have devastating failures that can put a power station out for months.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ashley A

Why waste charged 18650 batteries on other gadgets when you can use it in critical things like mods?


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## LandyMan

Ashley A said:


> Why waste charged 18650 batteries on other gadgets when you can use it in critical things like mods?


Cause when all my mods are charged and 18650s deployed I have some spare

Reactions: Like 2


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## Guunie

Just heard once again that the latest eskom technical failure was human error...clearly they have the wrong people monitoring the systems...it's like having an IT service desk agent trying to fix a sql cluster...

Reactions: Like 1


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## Rafique

Taken last night at ocean basket, Im always prepared car chargers power bank charger. I'm not going to bed with my vape charged

Reactions: Like 1


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## Silver

Cat said:


> @Silver , don't. Just try to adapt to it, would be good for you. You can still use your phone for email.
> 
> And eventually it's going to be off for 4+ hours or more, so you'd need a generator as well. The phone, you can use backup chargers. There are cheap ones on ebay that work off 18650's and i saw one somewhere yesterday, DIY with an Altoids tin, 2 x 18650's and a USB port.



Hi @Cat , I hear you - but I'd prefer not to go the generator route - unless one can get one that is nearly silent - which I doubt.

Problem is that I really do need two screens to be effective. 

I am not fully up to speed with these things and what's available now - but in the last load shedding of 2008 I bought one of those batteries with an inverter on top from Mica that worked very well. It powered my then PC and two screens for several hours. It was one of those heavy things on wheels - I think it was 2 car batteries inside. Worked very well.

Just a pity that I got rid of it - and now I am in need of finding a good quality one again but this time I need one like that for my Screens - but another smaller one for my Telkom ADSL modem, which is not in the same place as my office. I think if it can give me 6 hours of operation it will be perfect.


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## BumbleBee



Reactions: Winner 1 | Funny 3


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## zadiac

Just thought I'd leave this here. A very reasonable priced power bank. Gonna get me two of these. For my phone, vape batteries.

https://oneplus.net/oneplus-power-bank

Reactions: Like 1


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## zadiac

Wonder if anyone can give me some advice.
When the power goes off, it's quite obvious. When running the gennie, i have no idea to check if the power is back on again after the scheduled time. *Most of the time they don't keep to the schedule, like if it's supposed to be off for two and a half hours, it goes up to 3 or 4 hours. *I don't want to stop the gennie to check if the power is back on, and then when it isn't, I have to start the gennie again and then do the same every half an hour.
I need something that I can connect directly to the mains to tell me there is power on the mains again.
Any ideas?


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## Genosmate

zadiac said:


> Wonder if anyone can give me some advice.
> When the power goes off, it's quite obvious. When running the gennie, i have no idea to check if the power is back on again after the scheduled time. *Most of the time they don't keep to the schedule, like if it's supposed to be off for two and a half hours, it goes up to 3 or 4 hours. *I don't want to stop the gennie to check if the power is back on, and then when it isn't, I have to start the gennie again and then do the same every half an hour.
> I need something that I can connect directly to the mains to tell me there is power on the mains again.
> Any ideas?


Are you powering your house from the genie and how is it connected?


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## zadiac

Genosmate said:


> Are you powering your house from the genie and how is it connected?



It's a flat. I'm powering with a gennie straight to a plug with mains switched off. Geyser switched off. Only run lights and pc. Nothing else. But because mains are off, I can't see when power comes back on. Need something to tell me.


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## Genosmate

zadiac said:


> It's a flat. I'm powering with a gennie straight to a plug with mains switched off. Geyser switched off. Only run lights and pc. Nothing else. But because mains are off, I can't see when power comes back on. Need something to tell me.


I'm not an electrical engineer,but I have a close friend who is and he has a hell of a lot of experience,thats why I asked the question.We were talking about this the other day with someone who does exactly what you do,this can apparently have fatal consequences if you don't power back up to the mains in the correct manner.I'll check with him for you (but he his currently in Tanzania) and get back to you.


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## zadiac

I know exactly what I'm doing. My landlord and neighbour are both electricians.

This is how I do it:

When power fails. I switch off the mains and geyser and anything that requires high power, like kettles etc.
Then I connect the gennie to an outside plug that's part of the mains. I start the gennie, then switch on the outside plug.
Power is supplied to the whole flat.
It's perfectly safe and when the power grid comes back on, I switch everything off. Switch the outside plug off and then stop the gennie.
Then I just switch on the mains and good to go. Nothing to it. Been doing it for years because of constant power failures (very small town with very old power infrastructure.)
But now with the loadshedding, I need something to warn me when there's power again. At night it's not a problem. I just look outside and can see the street lights, but during the day I have no way to know the power is back on.


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## Genosmate

Sorry,I was not trying to suggest you were not familiar with the procedure.I'll ask and get back to you as soon as I can.


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## Alex

I have clients who had to use a generator for about 3 months because of cable theft in the area. And the consequences of this were damaged laptops. Every one of them developed faulty AC adapters, and the LCD screen CCFL _inverters_ packed in. If I recall, they were mostly all Mercer notebooks.


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## zadiac

Genosmate said:


> Sorry,I was not trying to suggest you were not familiar with the procedure.I'll ask and get back to you as soon as I can.



Sorry, didn't mean to sound harsh, I only meant to say that my landlord, who is also an electrician, suggested that I do it this way. That's why he put the outside plug there when he built the flat. So I've been doing it for a long time and it's quite safe, as long as you don't use devices or appliances that require high power. PC and lights and even the fan can run and no overloading of the system will occur. Using heating devices like kettles or a stove or geyser will overload the plug as it's only 16amp and can cause a disaster.
They way I use it is perfectly safe.


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## zadiac

Alex said:


> I have clients who had to use a generator for about 3 months because of cable theft in the area. And the consequences of this were damaged laptops. Every one of them developed faulty AC adapters, and the LCD screen CCFL _inverters_ packed in. If I recall, they were mostly all Mercer notebooks.



That will happen if you use a generator without a voltage regulator. Mine has a voltage regulator and is perfect for pc's. Constant power all the way.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Genosmate

zadiac said:


> Sorry, didn't mean to sound harsh, I only meant to say that my landlord, who is also an electrician, suggested that I do it this way. That's why he put the outside plug there when he built the flat. So I've been doing it for a long time and it's quite safe, as long as you don't use devices or appliances that require high power. PC and lights and even the fan can run and no overloading of the system will occur. Using heating devices like kettles or a stove or geyser will overload the plug as it's only 16amp and can cause a disaster.
> They way I use it is perfectly safe.


No worries,but that landlord of yours,electrician or not should not suggest this.
At the very least there should be a change over switch.It can be extremely dangerous doing it this way.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Rob Fisher

OK I have a F*&^%$87654 you Eskom date! ON Thursday next week my entire house minus the geysers and stove will be run by an inverter and batteries... 4-6 hours worth with my genie standing by in case it's longer!

Reactions: Like 1


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## zadiac

Thanks for your advice. Anyway. Solution found. Landlord has his setup the same way. He has a stove neon connected directly to the incoming mains. They don't draw current. When he switched off his mains, the little light was still on. Exactly what I need. Gonna go that way.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Alex

http://loadshedding.news24.com/suburbs

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## VandaL

zadiac said:


> Just thought I'd leave this here. A very reasonable priced power bank. Gonna get me two of these. For my phone, vape batteries.
> 
> https://oneplus.net/oneplus-power-bank


Group buy? or are they available locally?

I wanted to get 2 of these but they don't ship to SA,
http://www.amazon.com/Capacity-1300...qid=1423413741&sr=8-1&keywords=Anker+Astro+E4


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## Riddle

Vaping by candle light again tonight


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## zadiac

VandaL said:


> Group buy? or are they available locally?



They're not available locally and yes, they do not ship to south africa. You'll have to bring them in via MyUS or something similar.


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## VandaL

zadiac said:


> They're not available locally and yes, they do not ship to south africa. You'll have to bring them in via MyUS or something similar.


Yeah, then it becomes an all to pricey affair. Are there any local retailers selling decent quality power banks? I've been told to just go to china mall and pick one up cheap, but I'm pretty sure those are going to be crap


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## zadiac

Alex said:


> http://loadshedding.news24.com/suburbs



Thanks Alex. Works better than the Ek'sdom site


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## Alex

zadiac said:


> Thanks Alex. Works better than the Ek'sdom site



Got it from the guys on NH


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## zadiac

VandaL said:


> Yeah, then it becomes an all to pricey affair. Are there any local retailers selling decent quality power banks? I've been told to just go to china mall and pick one up cheap, but I'm pretty sure those are going to be crap



http://www.powerbanks.co.za/pages/higher-capacity-power-banks/


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## annemarievdh

@zadiac 

Dit you find a selutions for knowing when the electrisity comes back. We have a little alarm that toots when the power is back.


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## zadiac

annemarievdh said:


> @zadiac
> 
> Dit you find a selutions for knowing when the electrisity comes back. We have a little alarm that toots when the power is back.



Yes, thank you Annemarie. I'm going to connect a little stove neon light directly to the incoming (before the main switch) live cable and to the earth. If the main switch is off and the power comes back, then the little light will be on. My landlord has the same setup and it works perfectly. Will cost me around R10....lol

Reactions: Like 1


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## annemarievdh

zadiac said:


> Yes, thank you Annemarie. I'm going to connect a little stove neon light directly to the incoming (before the main switch) live cable and to the earth. If the main switch is off and the power comes back, then the little light will be on. My landlord has the same setup and it works perfectly. Will cost me around R10....lol



I'm glad you solved your problem.  Not knowing can be a pain in the backside


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## Keyaam

Our load shedding started at 8pm tonight. Luckily i knew so all my devices are fully charged. I have a genny running just incase. I need to get something to regulate the power off the genny before i plug any other electronics in.

Reactions: Like 1


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## annemarievdh

Keyaam said:


> Our load shedding started at 8pm tonight. Luckily i knew so all my devices are fully charged. I have a genny running just incase. I need to get something to regulate the power off the genny before i plug any other electronics in.



This side it went of at 6 and will be back at 10, I hope and have the genny running


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## Alex

annemarievdh said:


> This side it went of at 6 and will be back at 10, I hope and have the genny running



Wow, we only have 3 hour slots in Ekurhuleni.


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## LandyMan

Keyaam said:


> Our load shedding started at 8pm tonight. Luckily i knew so all my devices are fully charged. I have a genny running just incase. I need to get something to regulate the power off the genny before i plug any other electronics in.


That is very important. Even the effect on fluorescent lights are insane. During an indoor archery competition today we had to switch to a generator. The unregulated power to lights causes immense flickering, and in turn messes with the sights relying on light through the optics.


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## annemarievdh

Alex said:


> Wow, we only have 3 hour slots in Ekurhuleni.



Jip and its from 2 to 6:30 during the week


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## Alex

annemarievdh said:


> Jip and its from 2 to 6:30 during the week


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## annemarievdh

Alex said:


>



Well, it just came back on now


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## Alex

annemarievdh said:


> Well, it just came back on now


I see why you need a generator now.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Humbolt

1kVa UPS powering the TV & Wireless router in the bedroom. Going to get a 2,5kVa router to power the TV & primary DSTV decoder in the lounge as well.


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## annemarievdh

Alex said:


> I see why you need a generator now.



Jip jip. 


Send while vaping on the Reo mini Thor


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## gripen

sounds like a plan @Humbolt


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## Alex

Stage 1 Load shedding 9am till 10pm


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## FireFly

Humbolt said:


> Going to get a 2,5kVa router to power



2,5kVa UPS? / Generator Rather?


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## kimbo

Alex said:


> Stage 1 Load shedding 9am till 10pm


 Thx @Alex here it is from 10am to 12:30pm

dont know what they gain to switch the power of for so long in a small town


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## Ashley A

Out here as well until 2:30 apparently. luckily I charged all my mod batteries last night.


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## Humbolt

FireFly said:


> 2,5kVa UPS? / Generator Rather?


A generator is noisy & I'll have to pay for it. The UPS is free.


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## Ashley A

Humbolt said:


> A generator is noisy & I'll have to pay for it. The UPS is free.


Do share the secret on how to get a UPS free?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Rob Fisher

Not sure if we even had load shedding... my Inverter and Batteries just rock!

Reactions: Winner 1


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## Humbolt

Ashley A said:


> Do share the secret on how to get a UPS free?


Cleared out old, unused stock at work.


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## Rudi

i know the thread is a bit dead but we got some crazy stuff happening here in Ladysmith KZN... no more Load Shedding...

...We now have watershedding

http://ladysmithgazette.co.za/45421/water-shedding-is-in-effect/


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## Eequinox

Rudi said:


> i know the thread is a bit dead but we got some crazy stuff happening here in Ladysmith KZN... no more Load Shedding...
> 
> ...We now have watershedding
> 
> http://ladysmithgazette.co.za/45421/water-shedding-is-in-effect/


woah man now that is BAD !


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## Noddy

I have a 5000 liter water tank in my backyard. Main line feeds into tank and pressure pump feeds to house from tank. Putting up another 5000 l soon. We've had some hectic water supply problems in the past. I think there is not 1 house in town without at least a 1000 l backup.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Rudi

Noddy said:


> I have a 5000 liter water tank in my backyard. Main line feeds into tank and pressure pump feeds to house from tank. Putting up another 5000 l soon. We've had some hectic water supply problems in the past. I think there is not 1 house in town without at least a 1000 l backup.


Thats my plan for the very near future... want to put up a 5000l from the mains water and another 5000l for rain catchment when we eventually get rain.. need the rain water for veg gardening(my other hobby)


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## Noddy

Go for it. With 5000 liter you'll have water for more than a week if not two weeks.


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## Rudi

Our water was off from 6am this morning, and is still off..Rumors going around now that the town has run dry compleatly..had a water tanker come by bout 30mins ago.. with temps in the 40's with no rain we in for a rough summer


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## wazarmoto

@Noddy, I've got 2 x 5000L jojo's. Well worth the money. As for loadshedding, I've got my 2000va ups hooked up to the dB board for lights and to one tv, HTPC and adsl. Solar geyser installed and done. So FU eskom and Zuma

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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