Yesterday I phoned around a number of repair shops to see if I could finally get a lucky break and have my generator serviced. Currently we are on stage 4 load shedding and it is anyone's guess for how long and if it still could increase.
The problem is finding a window for the servicing because using today as an example the generator would have been used 3 times. We are currently on the 8-10pm shift and then have another one at 12 midnight. I cannot sleep in the heat so I stay up making sure the fans at least stay on for those sleeping. We have been experiencing a heat wave recently and you know immediately when the air conditioners and fans stop
Over the last few weeks A few of us have been hunting with no luck with various lead times ranging from 8 days to as much as 21 days. 8 days without a back up power system is just not doable and even though I have a spare generator a "Sunny" made in China it does not give me a warm feeling. The Sunny has already blown up once and was miraculously bought back to life.
The oil leak and he sounds the generator has been making with regular mini surges has had me a little concerned and decided to book an online repair/servicing company. I phoned at 2pm and they were on site within 2 hours. So far so good even though I was wondering why it was so quick.
The problem with the oil leak was the tank was too full and the more oil I spotted I just kept adding compensating for what has been lost. The dip stick unlike your car shows nothing so it is pure guesswork. Now I know at least for next time and won't be adding any more oil.
The "mechanic" swapped out the old oil for fresh, changed the air filter and spark plug plus fiddled around cleaning some other parts. This all took less than 30 minutes from start to finish so I had a rough price in my head. I know the workshops where you have to drop them off will charge anywhere between R1200 and R1500 and not forgetting this takes roughly 2 weeks with their back log. This guy just spent 30 minutes and used 1 spark plug and 1 liter of oil plus he spent time and petrol on his call out and he was not a local by his accent. He is filling a need in the market and good luck to him.
The bill I was charged was a little higher than expected being R2500 ($125), but at least I know there is nothing wrong and the service has been done. I have used it 4 times already since yesterday afternoon and it does sound far healthier purring away like it should with no surging taking place. I think this highlights the need of having an extra power source because 4 times since 4pm yesterday is 8 hours or longer of nothing.
I did feel slightly cheated however as I know the price was way too high for what took place and why they could come immediately because they don't have many customers due to their prices. They never made it clear from the outset what the price was with the website saying R300 for the call out and the service was extra depending on what needed to be done. There will not be a next time because by then a solar installation will be in place and we can kiss this goodbye once and for all.