Low voltage contained by house during mount vigour hours? This has been an ongoing problem for several years out of the...
This has been an ongoing problem for several years out of the 20 I've lived here, and respectively summer I seem to have smaller amount and less electricity available especially during the week m-f and during the hottest part of the afternoon, from say aloud 2-6. I can not even run successfully one window a/c unit that uses 1500. watts. My merely other large draw is the fridge, I turned off the hot dampen heater and all my lights are heartiness savers, (so I'm very miserly contained by my usage).
I've metered all my outlets during this time period and they read as low as 108 volts to to some at 113. I have the electric co. come out and
test my voltage at the meter and he said it was 120 and that be good (he said) however, he came out following in the afternoon when I usually see a 4-5 volt increase.
What is going on, and why is it only during summer, weekdays at summit power usage times? More importantly what can I do
about it?
Utility co. told me I have #4 aluminum beside a 3 span coming to my house, from the pole...
i deduce you have a problem with your major breaker breaking down .. what i mean is that the contacts in major breaker are arching at high power consumption... it has cause the contacts not to make good contact[ call burnt contacts ] .. its like dirty battery-operated terminals on your car.. electricity cant budge through to get to the metal to continue its spree to your other breakers... therefore you have power loss... also your contacts where on earth the main breaker connects to your buss[long bars where on earth your other breakers connect] maybe arched also . sounds like you stipulation to contact an electrician
i know the the wire size is like a freeway and the amps are similar to the cars. your issue can be the wire size and age. how long has it be since you have had a panel Electrical) service? are the breakers shutting stale , or is it just the power will not flow enought to work everything. both can be a wire sizing issue. minimum required panel size immediately is 100 amps which is more than likely what you have. my closing choice guess is the line coming in from the city is not properly connected. it will still donate you the reading of 110-120 but will drop in power when you cut something on . I'm with Daryl b. I believe the trouble lies beside the power company's inadequate supply to your home. ALUMINUM power supply lines to your home? 3-span I take to indicate that the potential across two wires is 240 V. AC and a third common grounding wire; the voltage across it and any one of the other wires is 120 V. AC. Is the wiring in your home adjectives aluminum also? I've heard many stories almost what a 'bad actor' aluminum wiring can be in cases of loose connections cause excessive heat build-up and creating fires.
Maybe there is a loose nouns in the power company's wiring to the transformer supplying your home. How give or take a few neighbors whose homes might be pulling off of the same transformer? Have you hear any complaints similar to yours coming from them? If the power company keep giving you a 'snow job', next time you hold low voltage problems give them a call and report that you're have low power problems againg and the every time this happens, you think you see smoke sometimes around your transformer on the pole. I'll bet they'll be out PRONTO to check everything out THOROUGHLY!
Answers: It sounds like a utility issue. The voltage should be around 120 V. 108 V is on low end although every article should still run. Before calling the utility company, check all of the connections it the panel. Including the main lugs, neutrals, and the wires on the breakers. If this make you nervous, for around $60-$75 you can have a qualified electrician check it out for you. As for the chain size to the house, If you are not over loading the wire with amps nearby should be no problem. #4 alum. is rated for around 60 amps. If you have a 100 amp service to your house it should be a #3 copper or larger (in cable sizes a #3 is larger than a #4 and copper is a better conductor than alum.) An electrician can also check the ampacity that you are running if you don't have an amprobe. Hope that helps a moment or two.