Technical > Home Improvement > voltage sags

voltage sags

not really, have your power company check it out. i said not really because it's possible in some areas they may have such poor planning for electric that this is possible. i've never seen this myself,(long island n.y.) the only time i get a sag is during the summer, when almost everyone is using an AC. and that's a very constant sag. a neighbors AC doing that would be most unusual.

reply to jchambers28
It's not normal but it's also not that abnormal. You see it happening all the time. Basically the transformer is undersized for the maximum load it sees and eventually it will fail. You can try calling your PoCo and see if they will change it out. Some companies are pretty customer oriented and will but many others really don't care. Have you taken any readings to see how bad it is sagging? That would be some good information to have when calling them.

reply to jchambers28
it starts at 123 volts then sags to 110 for 5 seconds. then goes back to 123 volts.

It is normal.
Your neighbor probably needs a hard start kit.

My lights blink every time any of my surrounding neighbors condensers fires up. It's just the reality of living in the city. Not everyone can have their own (or over-sized) transformer. We are 5 houses on a 25 KVA transformer. It's been that way for over 50 years. The transformer blew last year and the date tag was 1960.
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...because I care.

reply to jchambers28
heck i am on my own transformer since i am at the end of the line and every time either of my HVAC systems kick on even the street light blinks!
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Lack of Preparation on YOUR Part does NOT Constitute an Emergency on Mine!

reply to jchambers28
I see a small dip when our A/C fires up and when the neighbor's fires up. However that's only for some lights which are on electronic dimmers. It is very slight.

Our voltage is a steady 120 and dips to 118 when our 5 ton fires up.

On the transformer only three houses are connected. Not sure what size it is.

reply to jchambers28
I'm on a 25KVA with 6 other houses. Luckily I'm one of the middle houses. My voltage according to my UPS is 118. Stays pretty steady... Last year they replaced the transformer because it kept blowing fuses. original was put in service in the mid/late 90's

reply to jchambers28
I believe we have about a dozen houses per 25kVA transformer here. Standard service is 100A with 200A being the exception rather than the rule.

Then again, 9 houses out of 10 don't have A/C, no one heats with electricity, and very few have electric hot water heaters. The biggest consumers are oven/ranges and clothes dryers (for some reason, gas dryers and gas stoves are rare although gas is everywhere and cheaper than electricity - go figure).

In the last two weeks:
Minimum - 118V
Maximum - 125V
Average - 123V

Where I am, we have 3 houses on what I belive to be a 75KVA transformer (its enclosed in a metal box so I am basing this on the markings - specifically the number 75 which I believe to be the KVA rating of the transformer - on that box). No voltage sags to speak of.
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reply to jchambers28
Had a similar issue last summer here. Noticed fluorescent light fixtures were dimmer when they would start at all. Microwave was taking longer to heat things. Checked voltage and had about 95V to 100V hot to neutral and about 200 between both legs. Called POCO and they sent out a tech who verified there was a problem. Transformer was a 25 KVA with about 8 or 10 houses on it. Another crew came out and checked it out and pulled the fuse on the primary. They said they had to pull it because it was smoking. Another crew showed up about an hour later and put up a 75 KVA can. All is happy now.

reply to jchambers28
I have reported it to OG&E they said they will send someone out as soon as they can they have a ton of outages in Oklahoma city. It may take them a while for them to show up.

reply to jchambers28
OG&E came by said every thing looks good. My house is connected to a 25KVA transformer with 4 houses connected to it. The are going to install a voltage recorder in the meter can to record the voltage. Will see what happens next.

reply to jchambers28

He said they like to keep it at 115 to 130. He also said the wire coming out of the transformer is too small. And the distance is too long as well. We may have to install a transformer closer to your home. I am 350 ft away from the transformer.

reply to davidg

reply to jchambers28
A engineer is coming out Monday to see what needs to be done to repair my problem. The story continues.

reply to jchambers28