On the way home this morning, started at -17 at work, bottomed out at -20, and settled back at -18 at home just a few minutes ago. Yeah- only the 3rd time I've seen that number.
It's been all about tires & car batteries the past few days here. Two new batteries, two new tires...and now all three vehicles are running again. Oh, and a new washing machine last week. But that was not weather related, just crappy modern appliances with cheap Chinese bearings.
It's March. It's sunny and 1 degree. It was the snowiest February on record. It was the snowiest start to the year. Average temps here should be in the 40's. Will it ever end?
Ron, you need to move about 250 miles south and the white stuff will melt away after about a day. I am still use to living in Iowa and shoveling right away so the stuff doesn't build up on the driveway. I think there were farmers in the fields last year at this time.
Had a record minimum high temp today of 16 degrees. It was 10 degrees when I came home after 4am. I don't think we breached 0 in at least the last few days.
Brings up another point/story though...
2/12/19 we had the ice-storm go through. A limb big limb took out my above-ground service, yanking my neutral out of the contact in the meter base, snapping the stand-pipe off the meter base, and provided both a surge and single-phasing power to my home.
I was crawling into bed at 8am that morning, when I saw a flash, heard a pop, and saw smoke coming from behind the dresser in the bedroom. I made sure nothing was engulfed, and started the troubleshooting. I went outside to see the line on the ground after I saw some things on and some things not. Then I called the electric company.
Then I started unplugging everything, just to make sure nothing else gets damaged, and pulled the main. My folks happen to live next door, so we were able to connect extension cords across the way to keep the sump-pump running. We have a very high water table here, so that could have gotten bad quick since it typically runs about every 20 mins. (It's a cellar, and mostly dry, unfinished.) My folks watched my daughter, since they cancelled school that day. I knew roads were really bad from the drive home.
Since I'd stopped bailing now, I was able to call around for an electrician. I called about 30 numbers where all were either retired or busy before I reached Lan-Con. They had call offs due to the weather and their own problems, but he called around for me to see if anyone could repair the meter in short order. Suffice to say the meter was free from the E-comp, and replaced by about 4pm by the guy at Lan-Cons' brother, the only guy he as able to get for me. $280 later, I had a new meter hooked up, and the E-comp reconnected my line. Power was restored by about 5:30pm. E-comp said they had 250 calls to reach as of 6am that morning. I was very lucky to have my power reconnected within less than 12 hours.
Then I had to slowly evaluate every electrical component in the house as I reconnected them one at a time, as well as metering outlets to verify operation after I reinstated the house power from the box.
All said and done, my house is fine, we are all okay, and only some minor equipment loss to show for it. I can highly recommend keeping EVERYTHING on suppressors now if you don't have whole-house units. I can also highly vouch for Tripp-Lite products, as the main rig/entertainment center is all fine. The suppressors in the garage and bedroom (remember I said flash and pop?) took the jolt and died, and the circuit to the garage blew the breaker.
I only lost the TV/5DVD/SVHS in the bedroom, the PSUs for the recently purchased home-phones, the spacemaker stereo in the kitchen, my alarm clock, the 2 zapped suppressors, and about 4 light bulbs.
I'm thankful that is all that happened, as you should really see the inside of the suppressor in the bedroom. It's black/charred. If a different unit somewhere else in the house had blown, I might not have seen/heard it had it gone further and caught fire.
Count your blessings, hold your loved ones, and protect your homes.
You were very lucky Ben - plus you were armed with some DIY/electrical knowledge that most folks just don't have these days.
We had an ice storm down a big branch and take out the lines to our house about 10 years ago. No power for about 36 hours. We still had a waterbed back then and it cooled off quickly. My wife was out of town on business and I took our youngest to my mom's, but I stayed in the house & slept on the couch with lots of blankets. I think the house got down to around 50 degrees overnight. Thankfully the water heater still worked for a hot shower. It's somewhat ironic that she went to work for the power company the next year.
True- had I not known what happened, I might have lost more due to leaving things plugged in. The sump-pump would have likely died, and I'm still not sure it's 100% great after single-phasing a bit during the outage. The fridge would have been next, as it sounded funny as well until I pulled the plug.
My folks have a buried service line out to the pole, which is maybe 100'. They changed that when they redid the house wiring after purchase back in 1977. Anyway- the people that buried the line originally did not lay it in conduit. It was just the jacket between the aluminum wire and the elements. Growing up, we had 2 occurrences before it was re-laid in conduit where the house had power to some things and not others, even in the same room at times, and some things pulsed like the microwave clock. You could see it dim and brighten like blinking. It turned out both times the jacket had been pierced by a rock that found its way around and cut through the insulation. Then the aluminum wire oxidized with the water in the ground and the exposure to oxygen. One time I saw a piece that was cut out and replaced. Part of the wire was powdered AlO2, very much like Accuton cones, and part of it was aluminum. So you can see why that set of brown-outs was more of a weird occurrence set.
Seems I've learned a lot from necessity, even when I didn't want or know I needed to.
BTW- I figured out how the suppressors do their jobs. There are rows of PTCs in them, which I knew already. More PTCs = more current potential and less series resistance. We all know these heat up and avalanche in a surge. There are thermistors strapped to touch the PTCs, so that when they suddenly heat up, the thermistor shuts down anything trying to get through and the PTCs take the surge; sometimes resulting in ultimate failure.
I know there are more methods or types of suppression clamping devices, but this is the most commonly seen.
I'm not sure what the correct phrase is, but when the neutral is not connected, and it still gets power. In AC there are 2 swings, positive and negative swing, due to it being AC. I know this is not 2-phase. Would half-phasing be appropriate?
It's just a single phase motor that runs on 220 - 240 VAC. L1 and L2 are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, so their voltages add. No neutral required. If you lose either of the legs you have no power to the motor. This will not cause any harm to the motor. It can sit there indefinitely having voltage present on only one leg.
In a 3 phase system each leg is out of phase by 120 degrees. If you lose one of the legs (which is called "single phasing") the motor will heat up and be damaged very quickly if it is not correctly protected by a motor overload device. Thermal magnetic circuit breakers are not adequate protection.
It's only a 120V sump pump. That's what I'm getting at. So, you're saying it was getting 220 in the outage? I don't think that's right either. I also know it's not a problem to have voltage present on one leg only, but the circuit was completed somehow, with no neutral at the meter. The pump was running on what as left of my household AC.
I know I don't have 3-phase here. I'm just trying to figure out what the situation was exactly and what it was called.
My neutral at the meter outside was disconnected from the line. It pulled it out when the limb took the line down. Neutral to house connection was still there from meter. All I had connected to the house were the hot 220 leads.
What I'm saying is that the neutral was not connected, so I know I was not getting 120V. Lights were really dim what were still on before I pulled the breaker, and a few blew before I pulled it. (I have 1 remaining incandescent bulb in the basement that is fine, as the other blew, and all else were LED or helical CCFL types. I think I'm down to 3 (h)CCFL bulbs in the house, and 4x 4' CCFL in the garage after all of this, and the rest are replaced or already upgraded LED.)
When the sump ran after the N was yanked, it seemed to just whir and not pump well at all. I'm thinking I was running at low voltage, but how the connection was still made is beyond me.
Your neutral should be bonded to ground. Earth ground and neutral are almost the same and could have been completing the circuit through ground to a neighbor's house back to neutral. I am guessing you had very weak voltage signal but enough to make the pump motor move.
Yes, you are correct. I wasn't even thinking about that. In a round about way, N = G in home wiring. Totally slipped my mind.
Either way, running stuff at low voltage requires more amperage for operation, and things can overcurrent if not protected devices- like my sump pump and the bulbs. I am planning on getting a Watchdog dual-Sump kit with battery backup, and that is about $550 for the kit, battery, and water (all sold separately!)
Comments
InDIYana Event Website
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Our van did freeze up on my way to work. No heat and 35 miles makes for a rough drive. Was fully bundled up and made it, but dang that was cold!
Sehlin Sound Solutions
Had a record minimum high temp today of 16 degrees. It was 10 degrees when I came home after 4am. I don't think we breached 0 in at least the last few days.
Brings up another point/story though...
2/12/19 we had the ice-storm go through. A limb big limb took out my above-ground service, yanking my neutral out of the contact in the meter base, snapping the stand-pipe off the meter base, and provided both a surge and single-phasing power to my home.
I was crawling into bed at 8am that morning, when I saw a flash, heard a pop, and saw smoke coming from behind the dresser in the bedroom. I made sure nothing was engulfed, and started the troubleshooting. I went outside to see the line on the ground after I saw some things on and some things not. Then I called the electric company.
Then I started unplugging everything, just to make sure nothing else gets damaged, and pulled the main. My folks happen to live next door, so we were able to connect extension cords across the way to keep the sump-pump running. We have a very high water table here, so that could have gotten bad quick since it typically runs about every 20 mins. (It's a cellar, and mostly dry, unfinished.) My folks watched my daughter, since they cancelled school that day. I knew roads were really bad from the drive home.
Since I'd stopped bailing now, I was able to call around for an electrician. I called about 30 numbers where all were either retired or busy before I reached Lan-Con. They had call offs due to the weather and their own problems, but he called around for me to see if anyone could repair the meter in short order. Suffice to say the meter was free from the E-comp, and replaced by about 4pm by the guy at Lan-Cons' brother, the only guy he as able to get for me. $280 later, I had a new meter hooked up, and the E-comp reconnected my line. Power was restored by about 5:30pm. E-comp said they had 250 calls to reach as of 6am that morning. I was very lucky to have my power reconnected within less than 12 hours.
Then I had to slowly evaluate every electrical component in the house as I reconnected them one at a time, as well as metering outlets to verify operation after I reinstated the house power from the box.
All said and done, my house is fine, we are all okay, and only some minor equipment loss to show for it. I can highly recommend keeping EVERYTHING on suppressors now if you don't have whole-house units. I can also highly vouch for Tripp-Lite products, as the main rig/entertainment center is all fine. The suppressors in the garage and bedroom (remember I said flash and pop?) took the jolt and died, and the circuit to the garage blew the breaker.
I only lost the TV/5DVD/SVHS in the bedroom, the PSUs for the recently purchased home-phones, the spacemaker stereo in the kitchen, my alarm clock, the 2 zapped suppressors, and about 4 light bulbs.
I'm thankful that is all that happened, as you should really see the inside of the suppressor in the bedroom. It's black/charred. If a different unit somewhere else in the house had blown, I might not have seen/heard it had it gone further and caught fire.
Count your blessings, hold your loved ones, and protect your homes.
Ben
InDIYana Event Website
Wolfy's Photobucket
We had an ice storm down a big branch and take out the lines to our house about 10 years ago. No power for about 36 hours. We still had a waterbed back then and it cooled off quickly. My wife was out of town on business and I took our youngest to my mom's, but I stayed in the house & slept on the couch with lots of blankets. I think the house got down to around 50 degrees overnight. Thankfully the water heater still worked for a hot shower. It's somewhat ironic that she went to work for the power company the next year.
True- had I not known what happened, I might have lost more due to leaving things plugged in. The sump-pump would have likely died, and I'm still not sure it's 100% great after single-phasing a bit during the outage. The fridge would have been next, as it sounded funny as well until I pulled the plug.
My folks have a buried service line out to the pole, which is maybe 100'. They changed that when they redid the house wiring after purchase back in 1977. Anyway- the people that buried the line originally did not lay it in conduit. It was just the jacket between the aluminum wire and the elements. Growing up, we had 2 occurrences before it was re-laid in conduit where the house had power to some things and not others, even in the same room at times, and some things pulsed like the microwave clock. You could see it dim and brighten like blinking. It turned out both times the jacket had been pierced by a rock that found its way around and cut through the insulation. Then the aluminum wire oxidized with the water in the ground and the exposure to oxygen. One time I saw a piece that was cut out and replaced. Part of the wire was powdered AlO2, very much like Accuton cones, and part of it was aluminum. So you can see why that set of brown-outs was more of a weird occurrence set.
Seems I've learned a lot from necessity, even when I didn't want or know I needed to.
BTW- I figured out how the suppressors do their jobs. There are rows of PTCs in them, which I knew already. More PTCs = more current potential and less series resistance. We all know these heat up and avalanche in a surge. There are thermistors strapped to touch the PTCs, so that when they suddenly heat up, the thermistor shuts down anything trying to get through and the PTCs take the surge; sometimes resulting in ultimate failure.
I know there are more methods or types of suppression clamping devices, but this is the most commonly seen.
InDIYana Event Website
Wolfy's Photobucket
InDIYana Event Website
Wolfy's Photobucket
In a 3 phase system each leg is out of phase by 120 degrees. If you lose one of the legs (which is called "single phasing") the motor will heat up and be damaged very quickly if it is not correctly protected by a motor overload device. Thermal magnetic circuit breakers are not adequate protection.
It's only a 120V sump pump. That's what I'm getting at. So, you're saying it was getting 220 in the outage? I don't think that's right either. I also know it's not a problem to have voltage present on one leg only, but the circuit was completed somehow, with no neutral at the meter. The pump was running on what as left of my household AC.
I know I don't have 3-phase here. I'm just trying to figure out what the situation was exactly and what it was called.
InDIYana Event Website
Wolfy's Photobucket
My neutral at the meter outside was disconnected from the line. It pulled it out when the limb took the line down. Neutral to house connection was still there from meter. All I had connected to the house were the hot 220 leads.
What I'm saying is that the neutral was not connected, so I know I was not getting 120V. Lights were really dim what were still on before I pulled the breaker, and a few blew before I pulled it. (I have 1 remaining incandescent bulb in the basement that is fine, as the other blew, and all else were LED or helical CCFL types. I think I'm down to 3 (h)CCFL bulbs in the house, and 4x 4' CCFL in the garage after all of this, and the rest are replaced or already upgraded LED.)
When the sump ran after the N was yanked, it seemed to just whir and not pump well at all. I'm thinking I was running at low voltage, but how the connection was still made is beyond me.
InDIYana Event Website
Wolfy's Photobucket
Yes, you are correct. I wasn't even thinking about that. In a round about way, N = G in home wiring. Totally slipped my mind.
Either way, running stuff at low voltage requires more amperage for operation, and things can overcurrent if not protected devices- like my sump pump and the bulbs. I am planning on getting a Watchdog dual-Sump kit with battery backup, and that is about $550 for the kit, battery, and water (all sold separately!)
Thanks for the knowledge and concern, everyone.
InDIYana Event Website
Wolfy's Photobucket