Alberton Residents Urged to Switch Geysers Off During Power Cuts After Repeated October Outages

ALBERTON, Gauteng, 26 October 2026: Alberton households caught in this month's power cuts are being urged to switch their geysers off at the distribution board when the electricity goes, and to leave them off for at least half an hour after it comes back. The Alberton Plumbers, a plumbing business at 84 Voortrekker Rd, New Redruth, Alberton, has set out why the geyser matters most at the moment the power returns, and what to check if the hot water doesn't come back with it.

Two outages in a week

On 15 October the Alberton Record reported a power outage across several Alberton suburbs. Residents told the paper that the power came back the next day, then went off again on Monday 19 October. The paper listed the affected areas as Florentia, Alberante, New Redruth, Verwoerd Park, South Crest, the Alberton CBD, parts of Randhart, New Market, Alrode and surrounding areas. It later reported that a fault on one of the 33kV feeder cables had caused a substation to switch off, and that power was being restored to customers not affected by the fault while the cable was located and repaired.

Why the geyser comes first

While the power is off, the water in the geyser cools. When the supply returns, every cooled geyser on the line starts heating at the same moment. Eskom calls this cold load pickup, which "takes place when a distribution circuit is re-energized following an extended outage", and it can trip the supply again. Mogale City Local Municipality has warned that switching geysers, pool pumps and stoves back on causes "a surge on demand for power which puts severe pressure on the grid and contributes to power tripping".

Eskom's advice is to switch off stoves, geysers, pool pumps and other appliances while the power is off, and once it is restored, "customers should wait at least 30 minutes before switching on stoves, geysers and pool pumps". A supply that trips again as it comes back on means another wait for everyone on the same line.

What to do, in order

1. When the power goes off, switch the geyser off at its breaker on the distribution board. Do the same for the stove, the pool pump and any heaters.
2. When the power comes back, wait at least 30 minutes before switching the geyser on again.
3. Give the geyser time. A tank that has cooled overnight can take a few hours to reach full temperature, so lukewarm water soon after the power returns isn't a fault on its own.
4. If the geyser runs on a timer or a smart controller, check its clock and schedule. Some lose their settings when the power goes, and the geyser then heats at the wrong times or not at all.

If the hot water doesn't come back

• The geyser breaker trips when you switch it on. Leave it off. A breaker that trips again straight away points to a fault in the element or its wiring, and resetting it over and over won't fix that.
• The breaker stays on, but the water is still cold hours later. The thermostat or the element has probably failed. Both should be tested before either is replaced, because the element is often blamed for a fault that sits elsewhere in the circuit.

About The Alberton Plumbers

The Alberton Plumbers is a plumbing business based in New Redruth, Alberton, offering geyser repairs in Alberton, geyser installations, leak detection, blocked drain clearing and general plumbing across Alberton, Meyersdal, Brackenhurst, Florentia and Germiston. Quotes are free, and the price is agreed before work starts. More information is available at plumberalberton.co.za.