Possible AC problem?

[JR]

I hope someone here can point me in the right direction. I have a
weird problem. We moved into our new house (built in 1987) 11 months
ago. Since we moved in, we have noticed a lot of things in order of
events :


I noticed my Linksys router transformer which worked fine at the old
house buzzed VERY loudly. It worked fine, but buzzed. I finally got
a D-Link wireless router which didn't humm.

Light bulbs in the bathroom are on a dimmer. They also buzz (not the
dimmer, but the bulbs). This are incandescent bulbs. Maybe this is
normal? I have never seen anything like it though.

I bought a Midland portable weather radio a few months before we moved
it. It worked flawless until we moved in. Within a few days the
radio stopped working. I sent it back, and got a replacement radio.
It also worked fine for only a few days and then died. I sent it back
and got my money back thinking it was just a POS.

Next the cordless phone stopped working. Bought a new Panasonic which
so far works fine.

The heated mattress pad humms (the pad itself!). This I know didn't
happen at the old house.

A few weeks ago I bought a new weather radio (this time a Oregon
Scientific). Yep, you guessed it, within a couple of days it died.
It would come on, but wouldn't pick up any weather stations.

Here's what I have done :

I finally called the electric company to have them check the power
coming into the house. Everything supposedly checked out fine.

I checked the power coming out of the 6V DC transformer that the last
radio that died. It was putting out 13 volts!! I checked a few
other transformers, and they also were putting out way too much power
(12v was putting out 15V, 9V was putting out 11.5V). Is this normal?
Shouldn't they put out their rated capacity?

A/C power was ~125V.

I am about to call an electrician, but want to at least have an idea
on what he should look at.

I should add that I haven't had any other problems...TV's, Home
Theater equipment, etc all work fine.

Any ideas??

Thanks!!

 

[David]

The ONLY way to find out if you have a real ac power problem is to have a
calibrated ac line monitor/recorder put on BOTH legs of your ac power and
monitored for a couple of weeks. Odds are the neutral line going to your
house has a problem, i.e. going resistive (very common), or some other power
problem.

David

"JR" <jreed01@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:20f1e4d4.0404281522.14a51246@posting.google.com...

I hope someone here can point me in the right direction. I have a
weird problem. We moved into our new house (built in 1987) 11 months
ago. Since we moved in, we have noticed a lot of things in order of
events :


I noticed my Linksys router transformer which worked fine at the old
house buzzed VERY loudly. It worked fine, but buzzed. I finally got
a D-Link wireless router which didn't humm.

Light bulbs in the bathroom are on a dimmer. They also buzz (not the
dimmer, but the bulbs). This are incandescent bulbs. Maybe this is
normal? I have never seen anything like it though.

I bought a Midland portable weather radio a few months before we moved
it. It worked flawless until we moved in. Within a few days the
radio stopped working. I sent it back, and got a replacement radio.
It also worked fine for only a few days and then died. I sent it back
and got my money back thinking it was just a POS.

Next the cordless phone stopped working. Bought a new Panasonic which
so far works fine.

The heated mattress pad humms (the pad itself!). This I know didn't
happen at the old house.

A few weeks ago I bought a new weather radio (this time a Oregon
Scientific). Yep, you guessed it, within a couple of days it died.
It would come on, but wouldn't pick up any weather stations.

Here's what I have done :

I finally called the electric company to have them check the power
coming into the house. Everything supposedly checked out fine.

I checked the power coming out of the 6V DC transformer that the last
radio that died. It was putting out 13 volts!! I checked a few
other transformers, and they also were putting out way too much power
(12v was putting out 15V, 9V was putting out 11.5V). Is this normal?
Shouldn't they put out their rated capacity?

A/C power was ~125V.

I am about to call an electrician, but want to at least have an idea
on what he should look at.

I should add that I haven't had any other problems...TV's, Home
Theater equipment, etc all work fine.

Any ideas??

Thanks!!

 

[dont know]

JR wrote:

I hope someone here can point me in the right direction. I have a
weird problem. We moved into our new house (built in 1987) 11 months
ago. Since we moved in, we have noticed a lot of things in order of
events :


I noticed my Linksys router transformer which worked fine at the old
house buzzed VERY loudly. It worked fine, but buzzed. I finally got
a D-Link wireless router which didn't humm.

Light bulbs in the bathroom are on a dimmer. They also buzz (not the
dimmer, but the bulbs). This are incandescent bulbs. Maybe this is
normal? I have never seen anything like it though.

I bought a Midland portable weather radio a few months before we moved
it. It worked flawless until we moved in. Within a few days the
radio stopped working. I sent it back, and got a replacement radio.
It also worked fine for only a few days and then died. I sent it back
and got my money back thinking it was just a POS.

Next the cordless phone stopped working. Bought a new Panasonic which
so far works fine.

The heated mattress pad humms (the pad itself!). This I know didn't
happen at the old house.

A few weeks ago I bought a new weather radio (this time a Oregon
Scientific). Yep, you guessed it, within a couple of days it died.
It would come on, but wouldn't pick up any weather stations.

Here's what I have done :

I finally called the electric company to have them check the power
coming into the house. Everything supposedly checked out fine.

I checked the power coming out of the 6V DC transformer that the last
radio that died. It was putting out 13 volts!! I checked a few
other transformers, and they also were putting out way too much power
(12v was putting out 15V, 9V was putting out 11.5V). Is this normal?
Shouldn't they put out their rated capacity?

A/C power was ~125V.

I am about to call an electrician, but want to at least have an idea
on what he should look at.

I should add that I haven't had any other problems...TV's, Home
Theater equipment, etc all work fine.

Any ideas??

Thanks!!

get one of those outlet testers and make sure all outlets are wired
correctly. Available in hardwre stored and radioshack too

 

[Pszemol]

"JR" <jreed01@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:20f1e4d4.0404281522.14a51246@posting.google.com...

I checked the power coming out of the 6V DC transformer that the last
radio that died. It was putting out 13 volts!! I checked a few
other transformers, and they also were putting out way too much power
(12v was putting out 15V, 9V was putting out 11.5V). Is this normal?
Shouldn't they put out their rated capacity?

It is normal. Their rated AC voltage is for the nominal load.
Also, it never is very acurate. The output voltage at the
transformer which is not fully loaded will always be greater
than printed on the label.

A/C power was ~125V.

5V over 120V is less than 5% error margin. It is not a problem.
BTW - How acurate is your meter?

I am about to call an electrician, but want to at least have an idea
on what he should look at.

All these observations can be perfectly accidental and totally
unrelated and you just freaking out because you are not sure
with new house purchase...

I should add that I haven't had any other problems...TV's, Home
Theater equipment, etc all work fine.

Good.

BTW - is your new house in a quieter area, far away from the streets?
Maybe this is the reason you hear more of the background noices
which were previously below hearing level with outside noice...

 

[Art]

IMHO Get a Qualified Electrician to inspect the wiring into the house and
the circuits within the house. As recommended, have the "balance" on your
service checked to assure it is correct. Have the connections at the "Crows
Foot" and into the meter connect box checked, paying specific attention to
the common leads. Need be, have the supply leads from your electrical
service repaired with new securing devices where they connect to your home's
feed. Have the Electrician check if the home was wired with aluminum cable
rather than copper, this also has caused a few serious problems.
"dont know" <mojo@nospam_netscape.com> wrote in message
newsyXjc.309900$2oI1.76323@twister01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...

JR wrote:

I hope someone here can point me in the right direction. I have a
weird problem. We moved into our new house (built in 1987) 11 months
ago. Since we moved in, we have noticed a lot of things in order of
events :


I noticed my Linksys router transformer which worked fine at the old
house buzzed VERY loudly. It worked fine, but buzzed. I finally got
a D-Link wireless router which didn't humm.

Light bulbs in the bathroom are on a dimmer. They also buzz (not the
dimmer, but the bulbs). This are incandescent bulbs. Maybe this is
normal? I have never seen anything like it though.

I bought a Midland portable weather radio a few months before we moved
it. It worked flawless until we moved in. Within a few days the
radio stopped working. I sent it back, and got a replacement radio.
It also worked fine for only a few days and then died. I sent it back
and got my money back thinking it was just a POS.

Next the cordless phone stopped working. Bought a new Panasonic which
so far works fine.

The heated mattress pad humms (the pad itself!). This I know didn't
happen at the old house.

A few weeks ago I bought a new weather radio (this time a Oregon
Scientific). Yep, you guessed it, within a couple of days it died.
It would come on, but wouldn't pick up any weather stations.

Here's what I have done :

I finally called the electric company to have them check the power
coming into the house. Everything supposedly checked out fine.

I checked the power coming out of the 6V DC transformer that the last
radio that died. It was putting out 13 volts!! I checked a few
other transformers, and they also were putting out way too much power
(12v was putting out 15V, 9V was putting out 11.5V). Is this normal?
Shouldn't they put out their rated capacity?

A/C power was ~125V.

I am about to call an electrician, but want to at least have an idea
on what he should look at.

I should add that I haven't had any other problems...TV's, Home
Theater equipment, etc all work fine.

Any ideas??

Thanks!!

get one of those outlet testers and make sure all outlets are wired
correctly. Available in hardwre stored and radioshack too

 

[exray]

Pszemol wrote:

"JR" <jreed01@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:20f1e4d4.0404281522.14a51246@posting.google.com...

I checked the power coming out of the 6V DC transformer that the last
radio that died. It was putting out 13 volts!! I checked a few
other transformers,

It is normal. Their rated AC voltage is for the nominal load.

A/C power was ~125V.


5V over 120V is less than 5% error margin. It is not a problem.
BTW - How acurate is your meter?


I am about to call an electrician, but want to at least have an idea
on what he should look at.


All these observations can be perfectly accidental and totally
unrelated and you just freaking out because you are not sure
with new house purchase...


I should add that I haven't had any other problems...TV's, Home
Theater equipment, etc all work fine.

Let me add my 2c worth in the way of a war story.

Years ago I had similar problems with all sorts of gadgetry in my house.
I was a night owl and someone suggested to me to check the voltage.
It was greater than 130 volts AC from the outlets in the wee-hours of
the morning. Of course when the power company people came to check
during a midsummer afternoon they were seeing a comfortable 122 volts at
both sides of the meter base. They wanted to see my "measuring device"
which was a $9.95 Radio Shack VOM but we were dead on-target so they
tended to believe my >130 story.

122 volts certainly is no cause for alarm but on a 95 degree afternoon
in North Carolina in those days it must have been a red flag for them
and they changed a local transformer tap and all my problems went away.

The imbalance between the phases can indeed 'kick back' higher voltages
on one set of outlets or the other. The little testers will typically
show some difference between neutral and ground in this case. That
voltage will (may) add to one phase.

If you are comfortable popping the lid on your breaker box, check each
side of the incoming service and do a little mental math against what
you see at any 3 prong outlet. If its out of whack, then its
electrician territory.

But at the same time take into account the time of day and maybe try the
overall voltage test in the wee-hours to see if its rising excessively.
A few volts is normal but if you're at 125 already at normal hours
you don't have much of a window. Many devices are constantly powered
'on' and are built so cheaply that 130-135v will kill them.

BTW - is your new house in a quieter area, far away from the streets?
Maybe this is the reason you hear more of the background noices
which were previously below hearing level with outside noice...

I don't know what to say about the excessive 'buzzing' from devices
other than that may be typical with over-voltage. Hard to quantify
since good-ole 'over' engineering went out the window after Nixon
visited China.

-Bill M

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

"dont know" <mojo@nospam_netscape.com> writes:

get one of those outlet testers and make sure all outlets are wired
correctly. Available in hardwre stored and radioshack too

This is always a good idea when moving into a new place but unlikely to be
the cause of the problems. Wall adapter-powered devices don't care about
polarity and you'd KNOW if an outlet was accdientally wired for 230 VAC
instead of 115 VAC!

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Home Page: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Site Info: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: The email address in this message header may no longer work. To
contact me, please use the feedback form on the S.E.R FAQ Web sites.

 

On 28 Apr 2004 16:22:09 -0700, jreed01@hotmail.com (JR) wrote:

I hope someone here can point me in the right direction. I have a
weird problem. We moved into our new house (built in 1987) 11 months
ago. Since we moved in, we have noticed a lot of things in order of
events :


I noticed my Linksys router transformer which worked fine at the old
house buzzed VERY loudly. It worked fine, but buzzed. I finally got
a D-Link wireless router which didn't humm.

Light bulbs in the bathroom are on a dimmer. They also buzz (not the
dimmer, but the bulbs). This are incandescent bulbs. Maybe this is
normal? I have never seen anything like it though.

I bought a Midland portable weather radio a few months before we moved
it. It worked flawless until we moved in. Within a few days the
radio stopped working. I sent it back, and got a replacement radio.
It also worked fine for only a few days and then died. I sent it back
and got my money back thinking it was just a POS.

Next the cordless phone stopped working. Bought a new Panasonic which
so far works fine.

The heated mattress pad humms (the pad itself!). This I know didn't
happen at the old house.

A few weeks ago I bought a new weather radio (this time a Oregon
Scientific). Yep, you guessed it, within a couple of days it died.
It would come on, but wouldn't pick up any weather stations.

Here's what I have done :

I finally called the electric company to have them check the power
coming into the house. Everything supposedly checked out fine.

I checked the power coming out of the 6V DC transformer that the last
radio that died. It was putting out 13 volts!! I checked a few
other transformers, and they also were putting out way too much power
(12v was putting out 15V, 9V was putting out 11.5V). Is this normal?
Shouldn't they put out their rated capacity?

A/C power was ~125V.

I am about to call an electrician, but want to at least have an idea
on what he should look at.

I should add that I haven't had any other problems...TV's, Home
Theater equipment, etc all work fine.

Any ideas??

Thanks!!

Assuming that the power entering your residence is good/clean, then it
sounds like you have some sort of neutral/ground problem.

If I went out to your house to troubleshoot your problem, I would:

1) Pull meter. Check voltages from electric company. Looking for a
difference in voltage between phases or high/low numbers.
2) Check for proper grounding at main. Either a ground rod (or two) or
u-fer ground.
3) Check and tighten all connections for neutral, ground, and breakers
at main and sub panels.
4) Reinstall meter.
5) Measure voltages at outlets throughout the house. Measure from hot
to neutral; from hot to ground; and from neutral to ground. Looking
for low or high voltages or any voltage between neutral and ground.
6) Turn some lights and appliances on and measure current draw (amps)
at main. Looking for a major imbalance in the loads.

*Some houses are wired with 3 wire home runs. (Black/Red/White/Gnd)
These can cause big problems if the neutral is loose or removed. The
voltage can spike to 240v back feeding through lights and appliances.
You would know if you lost the neutral, but if it's loose or corroded
somewhere, it can be difficult to pin down.

 

[Asimov]

"sponger@comcast.net" bravely wrote to "All" (29 Apr 04 03:31:15)
--- on the heady topic of "Re: Possible AC problem?"

sp> From: sponger@comcast.net

sp> On 28 Apr 2004 16:22:09 -0700, jreed01@hotmail.com (JR) wrote:

I hope someone here can point me in the right direction. I have a
weird problem. We moved into our new house (built in 1987) 11 months
ago. Since we moved in, we have noticed a lot of things in order of
events :
[,,,]
Any ideas??

sp> Assuming that the power entering your residence is good/clean, then it
sp> sounds like you have some sort of neutral/ground problem.

sp> If I went out to your house to troubleshoot your problem, I would:

sp> 1) Pull meter. Check voltages from electric company. Looking for a
sp> difference in voltage between phases or high/low numbers.
sp> 2) Check for proper grounding at main. Either a ground rod (or two) or
sp> u-fer ground.
sp> 3) Check and tighten all connections for neutral, ground, and breakers
sp> at main and sub panels.
sp> 4) Reinstall meter.
sp> 5) Measure voltages at outlets throughout the house. Measure from hot
sp> to neutral; from hot to ground; and from neutral to ground. Looking
sp> for low or high voltages or any voltage between neutral and ground.
sp> 6) Turn some lights and appliances on and measure current draw (amps)
sp> at main. Looking for a major imbalance in the loads.

sp> *Some houses are wired with 3 wire home runs. (Black/Red/White/Gnd)
sp> These can cause big problems if the neutral is loose or removed. The
sp> voltage can spike to 240v back feeding through lights and appliances.
sp> You would know if you lost the neutral, but if it's loose or corroded
sp> somewhere, it can be difficult to pin down.

1) Pulling the meter means breaking the electric company's seal which is
only allowed by a licensed electrician in many jurisdictions but it may
be okay in yours.

But you're right, the meter itself may be cause of the problem. For
instance a case where one phase was being lost mysteriously, there was
about a 1 volt difference between phases under a heavy load (water
heater) but nothing else out of the ordinary. However, one phase would
be lost suddenly when not being monitored. An electrician was called
in and he redid the overhead wires connections from the transformer
and the problem seem solved. Weeks later one phase drops out again,
same problem. Electrican finally pulls out the meter and the offending
phase terminal socket is found melted and carbonized. In hindsight,
lucky thing the electrical box didn't catch fire. After replacing the
burnt parts the voltage between phases was equal again. Moral here is
that even a seemingly small difference in phase voltage can be
significant.

Asimov
******

.... That was a fascinating period of time for electronics