Advice On Water Heating Worries

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31384, 1 June 1967, Page 14

Advice On Water Heating Worries

“The Municipal Electricity Department has put no controls on power in Christchurch except for the ripple control for water heating systems,” the general manager of the department (Mr J. P. Shelley) said last night.

If anyone has been losing I power he should get in touch with the department immedi-! ately and a recording voltmeter will be installed at his home to find out where the trouble is. Mr Shelley was replying to complaints made yesterday to “The Press” about power shortages in Christchurch. One resident complained that on a Saturday a roast meal had failed to cook at the regular temperature. “This has not been caused by overloading,” Mr Shelley said, “and the only answer is for the complaints to be sent to the department where the fault can be Investigated. There is more likely to be something wrong with the stove. "There are small pockets of low voltage areas where substations have yet to be built or where work is being done but these areas are known.” There had been practically no ripple controls of the water heating systems since March 31, he said. There had been one or two minor cuts up to 20 minutes but these would scarcely affect the heating system. The first medium cut occurred on Tuesday, and further control was possible last night

I “The main problem with water-heating systems usually 'lies in the size of the water tank. A family of six would need a tank of at least 40 gallons and if they had a washing machine, 50 gallons. The average tank in Christchurch homes is about 30 gallons and this is the reason for many complaints of a lack of hot water. It costs very little more to install a larger tank. “I would advise people who are having trouble with water beating to get in touch with the department and we will check immediately, as we are required to do by law,” said Mr Shelley.