“Energex surge fries appliances” |
| Energex surge fries appliances Posted: 02 Jan 2011 06:01 AM PST POWER SURGE: Dylan McKeown with his Christmas gift that now does not work. Picture: Adam Armstrong Source: The Courier-Mail ENERGEX will be forced to replace hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of household appliances after a freak power surge struck 140 Sunshine Coast homes on Christmas Day and caused havoc. The electricity supplier has accepted blame for the "voltage fluctuation'' that wiped out televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, computers, garage doors, dryers, air-conditioners and DVD players at Mooloolaba. A spokesman said the fault, which occurred in a pole-mounted transformer at 2pm, was "very rare''. "There were no other similar events on Christmas Day and this would only happen on average once every 12 to 15 months,'' he said. Six-year-old Dylan McKeown was ecstatic to receive a Wii for Christmas, but his mother Lesley said he had only played if for two hours before the surge destroyed it. "We were hit badly,'' Ms McKeown said. "We lost two refrigerators - one brand new - two TVs, two computers, two DVD players and the dryer and the ignition to our two gas hot water systems was also burnt out.'' The family is still assessing the damage, but believes the final bill could rise to more than $6000. The streets affected by the blunder were Awoonga Crt, in which the McKeowns live, Tarwarri Cres, Yulunga Pl and Tarcoola Ave. Tarwarri Cres resident Lyn O'Donnell told The Courier-Mail Energex already had processed her $8000 claim, which included a replacement air-conditioner, washing machine, dryer, television, roller door motor and pool equipment. Ms O'Donnell had been away on Christmas afternoon and came home to find nothing working. She said the next morning a local shop attendant said everything in the area had "blown up'' and she could expect a letter from Energex. "It was a bit of a surprise, other people said their TVs caught fire and pay TV boxes were smoking. "My neighbour is a 94-year-old lady who is confined to upstairs because her stairlift no longer works. I have been helping look after her and we will have to wait until Tuesday to get someone to fix it.'' Mike Freeman lives across the road from the transformer in Tarcoola Ave but said he was lucky compared with others in the area. Mr Freeman said his dishwasher was fried, along with two televisions and the pump for his water tank. "I'm still preparing my claim, but it will be about $4000,'' he said. Loss assessors Gallagher Bassett have been appointed and 50 residents already have filed claims, some outlining damages of up to $9000. Inquiries can be directed to 1800 177 258. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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