Saturday, August 2, 2014

Electrical Woes: Looking for a "Fuse-Wallah"

The power goes out so often around here, that it's difficult to know when it's a power company problem and when it's a bungalow problem.

Yesterday, when I came back from Hindi lesson, the power in our bungalow was out. No surprise. And we have a battery-inverter system that can keep minimal lights and fans running. Still, no microwave, no refrigerator, no R-O (reverse-osmosis water purifier).

There was one suspicious item, though. The wireless router wasn't working. Investigation revealed that the power strip it was plugged into didn't work. Further investigation found that the 5 Amp fuse in the power strip had been obliterated. Not only had the metal strip been vaporized, the glass tube had been shattered into tiny pieces, and both ends had holes blown into them.




Replacing the fuse was an adventure in itself. I knew I needed an "electricals" shop, so Sachin (our driver) and I went to one on the market street. The shop owner shook his head and directed us next door. The next door shop directed us to an "electricals" shop in the small lane behind the other side of the street. And that shop owner directed us down the street a few shops where we finally found the "fuse-wallah". He pulled out his box of assorted fuses, pulled out one that worked, placed it in the power strip, and tested the strip to make sure it worked. Total cost: 2 rupees (less than 4 cents).

After finishing my shopping trip to the "egg-wallah", the grocery store, the fruit stand, and the vegetable stand, I plugged in the power strip and got the Internet up and running again. That was short-lived. Our fiber-optic Internet gateway runs on a UPS (uninterruptible power supply, i.e. battery) that also seemed to have been damaged. At least it stopped working about 2 hours later. (This is not the first time the battery unit has needed to be replaced.) Fortunately, I have a back-up Internet connection through a Vodafone cellular dongle.

But the electrical woes were not yet over. Usually power comes back on between 6 and 7 PM. Not so last night. It was clear that our neighbors had power, so we knew that the problem was in the bungalow. Then the final blow came. The inverter also stopped working. I guess the batteries were exhausted. That was surprising, because in the past we've been able to run for about 2 days before they gave out. But no matter -- we were totally without power. So it was off to the Fortune Park Galaxy Hotel to spend the night in comfort.

This morning MWV got an electrician here first thing. He got off his motorcycle (all repair men come on two-wheelers, regardless of what type of tools they carry) carrying only a screwdriver. He fixed the problem -- nothing more than a screwdriver required. (Although he did wish I had some electrical tape to help better insulate a couple of connections in the breaker box. I'll have to get some next week.)

I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll have this problem -- the issue is how to figure out if it's my problem or the power company's problem.

1 comment:

  1. I cannot even imagine the electrical issues you must face every day living in the area you are in! I guess you either learn to adapt to having no electricity or learn how to become an electrician. At least it is a marketable skill. I hope you do not have to go without it for too long!

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