Lights flickering after wind storm....fire hazard?

[DCarr2]

So 2 days after a moderate wind storm came thruogh, I now have flucuating power. Like my LED lamps flicker non stop.

and my line conditionar constantly shows a low voltage reading an about once every couple hours my UPS kicks on cause the indicator on my line conditioner says very low input voltage.

I have also tried switching circuits and checked my breakers and none are warm...

thoughts?

Should I call the power company?

 

[Showkey]

Did you think about measuring the voltage at the service entrance ??????

Simple test and you will know if it’s your problem or a power company issue.

 

[mm08822]

I would call the POCO first. If your area has many overhead lines, it is easy to have a bad connection somewhere.

Check with your neighbors too. It could be common to many homes or maybe just yours. Might have a faster response if more than one customer.

 

[DCarr2]

I dont know how to check it as it comes in.....

 

[wyliesdiesels]

If you're not comfortable opening the main service panel and using a digital multimeter to check the voltage then your best bet is to call the power company.

 

[rburke65]

Your local electrical service provider would be the place to start making sure connections are tight and a proper voltage is being supplied.

 

[tjdux]

Does every circuit have this power issue or just a few? Last winter we had 1 line of the 2 120v legs fail and half my stuff worked and the other didnt. Just depended on which side of the main breaker box the circuit was hooked too.

Similar issue but different overall problem my dad this spring had one of his 120 legs go down but it was because his meter box was shot and not sized correctly.

Many of my lights would flicker since LEDs and fluorescent both work off transformers they can do weird stuff with the wrong input voltage. You're definitely correct to wonder if the issue is power company side.

None the less this could be a fire issue and if you're not comfortable doing electrical work call the power company and get it figured out.

I dont feel comfortable telling someone with little experience with a multimeter how to start probing high amperage, hot 120v lines. It's not a beginners learning project. Easy as it can be, its also a bit dangerous.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Bigbandguy]

My bet is on a bad connection since it varies depending on wind. It could be where the drop comes off the supply line to the house. All it would take would be one side of the line having an oxidized or loose connector and every time the wind kicks up it rattles enough to vary the voltage. I would call the POCO and if no immediate result call the public service commission and tell them you are in fear of your house burning down. POCO does NOT like hearing from the state PSC.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Got a multimeter? stick it in a socket that is not on the same 110 leg as the lighting.
Dont have one, use a a corded lamp.

If votage(brighness) goes high as rooom lights are down, you have a neutral fault which is very much a fire hazard...most likely on a POCO part that is in the wind.

This condition will not show any irregularity on the two hots of your feed, and can light equipment in your house on fire.

 

[HOTFR8]

Your local electrical service provider would be the place to start making sure connections are tight and a proper voltage is being supplied.

This sounds like the action I would take as well. Also sounds like a brown out where the power supply is not 100%.

 

[1/2 Cup]

This sounds like the action I would take as well. Also sounds like a brown out where the power supply is not 100%.

Endorsed.

 

[DCarr2]

So a guy from the power company came over tonight and did a test on the meter side, and it was dipping down below 100v.

So hes having a new line ran from the pole (300' away)

He left, and he calls me and says he has an idea about how to stop the brown out...

til they fix it tomorrow - he said they could come tonight, but its dark (country dark), and chilly and i said just do it tomorrow while im at work, ill turn off my main breaker, and then your good to go, plus itll be sunny and warm...

So he said he was coming back, so about 10 minutes later he comes back...

he said the common wire, the aluminum wore thru on one of my pine trees (i asked that he put in his report to not butcher my pine trees lol ) so he wanted to run a wire from my shop meter, to the house meter.

and do it over head... but his truck wouldnt reach...then he wanted to use a ladder, I said why not just run it on the ground? so thats what we did lol we connected 4 25' 10ga wires together and ran them between the meters, and he explained everything he was doing and why he did it ect... it was actually quite enjoyable...

Hes going to try to get them to install a new pole in my yard for my house electric...cause the wire from the meter to the pole is 300' I tried to push to have it underground but he said theyd never go for that lol

so that stopped the flickering issue and, we both had quite a few laughs during the hour or so it took us to make this work. It was enjoyable... at first he wasnt sure if he wanted 'help' but, after he realized i wasnt a ***** homeowner lol

So that was quite a nice night and I learned A LOT!

 

[DCarr2]

deleted

 

[mm08822]

300 ft is a lot of weight swaying in the breeze. That's a lot of force on the house gable.

Just be home if/when they set the new pole. Maybe you can get it in a good location.

 

[The Cobbler]

some things should be left unsaid. just saying!

 

[DCarr2]

300 ft is a lot of weight swaying in the breeze. That's a lot of force on the house gable.

Just be home if/when they set the new pole. Maybe you can get it in a good location.

hmm... that might be why I hear wierd noises coming from the front wall of the house on a regular basis....

wonder if I should mention it to my power guy?

 

[HOTFR8]

So it was a brown out.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You figured out what it was but my suggestion was going to be that you lost a neutral or it was loose. It's something we see commonly during and after storms.


For the most part, the POCO guys are good dudes, atleast around here.

 

[DCarr2]

ya, they sent over a tree service, and I spoke with the tree guys this morning and asked they not butcher my trees.... and they didnt... the poco came by right after i got home from work...

I kept the original feed wire from the pole to the house - a 300' long, 2ga wire....

the common wire was completely broke, and one of the feeder wires, a few strands broke as well...

 

[rburke65]

Glad that worked out for you. That's what the power folks get paid to do.....call em and let them verify. And about the tape....rule #1.... Never....EVER..... tell on yourself. A word to the wise grasshopper.

 

[boomer12831]

The tape and wire probably fell off his truck. PM sent

 

[wyliesdiesels]

ya, they sent over a tree service, and I spoke with the tree guys this morning and asked they not butcher my trees.... and they didnt... the poco came by right after i got home from work...

I kept the original feed wire from the pole to the house - a 300' long, 2ga wire....

the common wire was completely broke, and one of the feeder wires, a few strands broke as well...

I also got the 100' of 10ga wire we used to tap into my shop's electrical, itll come in handy when I run power to my pond

Yikes

So you lost the neutral.

That is a major fire hazard. You are very lucky that you didnt have any appliances or equipment catch fire.

What type of wire is the #10?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

So it was a brown out.

Sort of.

The open neutral caused the potential for a brown out. If the loading on both phases was nearly equal, then the voltage would be close to 120v. If one side was heavily loaded, then other aide could see voltage well above 120v.

An open neutral is very dangerous. Can cause fires.

Typical brown outs are caused by substation transformers with auto switching taps that get stuck and cant properly regulate the distribution voltage.

 

[DCarr2]

Thread edited...

well I have special equipment for my computers, due to the ****** power situation at my old house, which will compensate for major swings in current... But both my line conditioner and UPS were going bonkers...

All fixed now though