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Guide outages · free advice, phone me second

Power off in Vanderbijlpark: is it your house or the supply?

Written by Danie du Toit, electrician, Vanderbijlpark · Updated

Look outside first. If the streetlights and your neighbours are dark too, it is the supply and not your house, and no electrician can fix that. Phone the municipality on 016 430 1612, or Eskom on 0860 037 566 if you are in an Eskom-supplied area. If your house is the only dark one in the street, the problem is on your side: check the prepaid meter, then the main switch and earth leakage in your DB board. Work through it in that order and you will not pay a callout for somebody else's fault.

WhatsApp Danie about your boardOnly once you know the street has power. A fault is priced on site, in writing, once I have found it.
Call Danie — 072 839 6259
Vaal Triangle, Sasolburg and beyondNo callout fee to quoteWritten price before work

Work through it in this order

  1. Look at the street.

    Streetlights off? Neighbours off? Then it is the supply, not your house. An electrician cannot switch a substation back on. Report it, note the reference number, and check on your neighbours who are older or on medical equipment.

    Emfuleni municipal supply: 016 430 1612 · also 016 430 1617 / 1636 / 1638
    Eskom-supplied areas: 0860 037 566 or 0860 001 414
    Electricity control room: 087 310 3369 · WhatsApp 065 871 7483
  2. Check your prepaid meter.

    Blank display, an error, or a zero balance? That is units, vending or the meter itself — not your wiring. Check whether the last token actually loaded. Keep your slips.

    Smart meter enquiries: 016 931 0707 · Vanderbijlpark BXC office: 016 100 6170
    Main switchboard: 016 065 0900 / 016 950 5000 · office hours 07:45–16:15 weekdays
  3. Check your DB board.

    Is the main switch or the earth leakage down? Switch everything off, reset once, and switch circuits back on slowly. Trips again straight away? Note which switch moved and what was running, then stop.

    That one is mine: WhatsApp me a photo of the board
  4. Smell or sound anything?

    Burning smell, scorch marks, buzzing or sparking at the board or a plug is an emergency. Switch the main off if you safely can and phone. Do not go hunting with a torch and a screwdriver.

    Fire, 24 hours: 016 430 1816 / 016 430 1818

Why the order matters

Most of the calls I get during an outage are not electrical faults at all. The street is dark, or the meter has run out, and there is nothing an electrician can do about either of those. Working through the four steps above takes a few minutes and tells you which of the three phone numbers to use.

Once you know the street has power and the meter is fine, the problem is inside your house, and that part is mine. Photograph the open DB board and send it, and tell me which switch moved and what was running at the time. That is usually enough for me to know what I am coming to.

Your BXC smart meter, plainly

The BXC South Africa smart meter programme has been rolling through Vanderbijlpark and outwards — CW5, CW4, Miami Sands, Powerville Park, parts of Boipatong, Peacehaven, Vereeniging and Sebokeng Hostel. If yours has been changed, keep your token slips and check that every token you buy actually loads.

There are two very different problems, and it saves you money to know which one you have. A vending or account problem sits with the meter and the account: units bought but not delivered, a wrong tariff, an estimated bill. Those go to smart meter enquiries on 016 931 0707, with your slips in hand. A wiring problem on your side of the meter is mine. I can inspect and test the installation from your side of the meter inwards, and give you a written report. I cannot change a municipal meter, load your units or argue your bill, and I will tell you that on the first WhatsApp rather than take your money.

Never let anyone bypass your meter. It is a criminal offence, and Emfuleni fines it at ten thousand rand for homeowners and forty thousand for businesses. If a man at your gate offers to "sort out" the meter for cash, he is selling you a fine, a criminal charge and a house that cannot pass a compliance inspection. Reconnection goes through official channels only.

When the power comes back

Restoration is the dangerous moment. The supply returns with a spike, and that spike is what kills televisions, fridges and inverters in the Vaal. Switch off and unplug electronics while the power is out, and get surge protection fitted at your DB board before storm season. There is a second reason to care: most South African insurers now exclude damage caused by the interruption or restoration of supply, carving out only scheduled, phased load shedding. An unplanned outage is neither. That is explained in full here.

What to do now
1. Street dark too? Phone 016 430 1612 (or Eskom 0860 037 566) and write down the reference.
2. Meter blank or erroring? Phone smart meter enquiries on 016 931 0707. Keep your token slips.
3. Only your house dark, meter fine? Photograph the DB board and WhatsApp it to me.
4. Burning smell or buzzing? Switch off the main if you safely can, then phone straight away.
5. Unplug the TV and the fridge until the power is properly back and steady.

How this gets priced. A fault has to be found before it can be priced, so I come and look. The callout is R300, and I waive it when you accept the quote. You get a written price once I know what is wrong, before I do anything. If it turns out to be the municipality, I will tell you on WhatsApp and it costs you nothing.

Sub-metering and prepaid for cottagesPrepaid sub-meters for a tenant or granny flat, plus plugs and lights.
Straight answers the Vaal outage questions

Before you phone.

How do I know if it is my house or the supply?
Look outside. If the streetlights and neighbours are off, it is the supply, not your house, so phone the supplier rather than an electrician. If your house is the only dark one, check the prepaid meter display, then the main switch and earth leakage. Emfuleni municipal supply 016 430 1612, Eskom-supplied areas 0860 037 566, smart meter enquiries 016 931 0707.
The whole street is dark. What should I do?
Report it and write down the reference number: municipal supply 016 430 1612, or Eskom-supplied areas 0860 037 566. There is nothing an electrician can do about a supply outage, so it should not cost you anything. Switch off and unplug electronics while you wait, because the power often comes back with a spike.
Can I get someone to bypass my prepaid meter?
No. It is a criminal offence, and Emfuleni fines it at ten thousand rand for homeowners and forty thousand for businesses. Reconnection must go through official channels. I will not touch a bypassed meter, and a bypassed installation will not pass a compliance inspection.

Tell me what's happening.

It costs nothing to ask, and you get a straight answer back.

WhatsApp Danie now
072 839 6259