VOLTAGE, What's yours?

[Industrial Toys]

I noticed recently that lights are not as bright and today the Microwave just sounded weak.

Voltage here 115 Volts. That's lower than it has been in past. It has been VERY cold so maybe that has something to do with it. The utility has messed around transformers that I guess auto adjust for varying loads. When they failed, we could have voltage in the 90s. Everything just seems to run so much better when it's at the high end.

 

[CobyRupert]

115V should be ok.

Do neighbors have a lot of electric heat?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Probably not. Just ME!

 

[CobyRupert]

Do you own an infrared thermometer? Do you have aluminum conductors as you service lateral into your panel main?

115V is great, but if you did have voltage drop (and your neighbors don't), you may want panel cover taken off and check temperature of terminations under min/max load conditions.

A bad/loose connection will be hot.
(Obviously don't touch or tighten live conductors.)

I once investigated a fire where the aluminum conductors at the mains had got so hot they melted and started a house fire. Most likely bad/loose connections caused by repeated thermal expansion/contractions. (That get worse as they get worse.)

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah, they are aluminum. Into the Garage from the pole a couple hundred feet and then aluminum (200 amp service) another couple hundred feet to the house, put in in 72/3.

I checked the connections a couple of years ago. Some did stand to be tightened a bit. I do have a thermometer.

I have an ASCO 200 amp transfer switch too. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to check all the connections with the thermometer, having some heat on and these cold temperatures, something amiss should show up readily.

 

[RNeumann]

The allowable voltage range from the utility is fairly large. The other “unfortunate” part is it’s measured that the meter. So your house could be much lower- depending on load and loss.

https://www.pge.com/includes/docs/p...ergystatus/powerquality/voltage_tolerance.pdf

 

[reb]

Is that voltage measurement with a load or without? Poor connections will cause a voltage drop when a load is applied.

 

[wagne223]

I only know because I am working on an addition to my house and have been doing electrical work.

With typical house loads on, voltage at the main breaker is 260v give or take 5.

So on the 110 circuits I see around 130v

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks. I may well have an issue. Ambiant temperature and that of cabinets is -16c. Most connections are around 1-3c, but one is at 30 something! And that terminal is discolored. It is a copper conductor leaving the main disconnect and going to the transfer switch. I tightened it, and checked temperature a few minutes later, and it's still higher. Will try again, in case it was still hot from before.

 

[MossRoad]

VOTAGE, What's yours?

220, 221, whatever it takes.