In a ten day period we lost power three times, the power supplier replaced fuses on the powerpole each time. On the third trip they said the would replace the transformer, but they then noticed a switch was bad, and replaced it. During the three week period since we have had three TVs go bad one of our water heaters ( one year old) and our deep well pump, I think this maybe a little more than a coincidence. I replaced water heater energy smart panel, hate to replace three TVs and have it happen again. Water pump went today so will pull pump and replace in the morning. Any thoughts?
Power Outage
- Thread starter Lucky1
- Start date
wushaw
Elite Member
Did they check the regulator in the meter?
Have you checked what voltage you are getting at the plugs? Too high or too low is bad for TV's, compressors (any) and such.
Have you checked what voltage you are getting at the plugs? Too high or too low is bad for TV's, compressors (any) and such.
RonMar
Elite Member
Check the voltage and call back the power company. That is too much stuff to be a coincidence. Undervoltage is real hard on equipment especially motors like you well pump.
VABlue
Platinum Member
Insurance will replace the items you lost. It might cost a little more in premiums, though...
SnowRidge
Elite Member
Install a whole house surge protector on your main panel. They sell them at some Home Depots and Lowes. They run about $20 - $30, if I recall correctly. They won't protect against everything, but they do help.
Soundguy
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How do they install? clip in like a breaker and then wire over to N and G?
Soundguy
Soundguy
mahlers
Gold Member
I have all my panels protected by Delta Lightning Arrestors and Surge Capacitors. They're about $40 each, and you'll need one for each leg of power. Basically, they get wired in parallel to the power feed legs and mount to available conduit knock-outs on your panel. I believe the model numbers are CA-302R for the Surge Capacitor and LA-320R for the Lightning Arrestor. They're real easy to install, and if you have a lot of electronics in your house, they're almost a must-have.
On a side-note, my whole place is on a solar/hydroelectric grid-tie with a very big battery backup. We lose power all the time, and a very nice benefit of having this system is that it transfers power to the backup system any time the utility power goes out or gets 'weird'. Aside from not having to pay utility bills anymore, it's nice to have instant backup power without having to listen to a generator. We had a big fire up here recently, and the whole mountain was out of power for days - but we were able to keep all our systems running as normal. It was real nice to know that all the water pumps were working when the fire was coming over the hills toward us...
On a side-note, my whole place is on a solar/hydroelectric grid-tie with a very big battery backup. We lose power all the time, and a very nice benefit of having this system is that it transfers power to the backup system any time the utility power goes out or gets 'weird'. Aside from not having to pay utility bills anymore, it's nice to have instant backup power without having to listen to a generator. We had a big fire up here recently, and the whole mountain was out of power for days - but we were able to keep all our systems running as normal. It was real nice to know that all the water pumps were working when the fire was coming over the hills toward us...
SnowRidge
Elite Member
I have heard they have clip in models, but I have not seen one.
The ones I am familiar with and have used are installed from outside the box through a knockout. They are designed for exterior mounting. They have three wires, one for each hot leg, and one for the neutral. They should be installed at the entrance panel, where a ground rod is present and neutral and ground are tied together.
The instructions say not to install them where they are not accessible, as in under the sheetrock. I don't know if it would violate code to do so, but I could envision one potentially exploding in the case of a massive strike, so I make sure they are visible.
The first one I installed was in Florida. I lived in a spot with really flaky power, and my computer's UPS used to activate all the time due to the surges. After I put in the protector, the amount of UPS activity from surges dropped about 50%.
I am sold on them, but also have quality surge protectors on my equipment.
The ones I am familiar with and have used are installed from outside the box through a knockout. They are designed for exterior mounting. They have three wires, one for each hot leg, and one for the neutral. They should be installed at the entrance panel, where a ground rod is present and neutral and ground are tied together.
The instructions say not to install them where they are not accessible, as in under the sheetrock. I don't know if it would violate code to do so, but I could envision one potentially exploding in the case of a massive strike, so I make sure they are visible.
The first one I installed was in Florida. I lived in a spot with really flaky power, and my computer's UPS used to activate all the time due to the surges. After I put in the protector, the amount of UPS activity from surges dropped about 50%.
I am sold on them, but also have quality surge protectors on my equipment.
We went through that a decade ago. Lost a dryer, refrigerator, TV and maybe a couple other small appliances in very short order. Bought a plug-in volt meter....Holy Voltage Drop, Batman! Power company denied the drops, put something on our meter for 30 days to monitor, then replaced a transformer and something on the pole at the road. Low voltage, even on startup after a brief interruption, is deadly on electric motors from what I was told.