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Partial power outage? Frogleg 07-12-2005
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Posted by Frogleg on July 12, 2005, 8:57 pm


Power went out here in a very odd way the other day, and I can't get
through to power co. for an explanation. Flourescent lights in one
room flickered, dimmed, and went out. Radio lost volume and then went
out. Computer stayed on (with CRT monitor) quite happily until I shut
it down. 'Fridge stayed on. Some incandescent lights would switch on
normally; others wouldn't. Little clock radio quit; light plugged into
same outlet worked. Flourescent in another room remained on.

Electric co. said problem was a neighborhood transformer, and a couple
of blocks were affected, not just my house. So what kind of a failure
is it when some electricity works and some doesn't? I've always
thought of it as an on/off situation.


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Posted by Duane Bozarth on July 12, 2005, 4:22 pm


Frogleg wrote:
>
> Power went out here in a very odd way the other day, and I can't get
> through to power co. for an explanation. Flourescent lights in one
> room flickered, dimmed, and went out. Radio lost volume and then went
> out. Computer stayed on (with CRT monitor) quite happily until I shut
> it down. 'Fridge stayed on. Some incandescent lights would switch on
> normally; others wouldn't. Little clock radio quit; light plugged into
> same outlet worked. Flourescent in another room remained on.
>
> Electric co. said problem was a neighborhood transformer, and a couple
> of blocks were affected, not just my house. So what kind of a failure
> is it when some electricity works and some doesn't? I've always
> thought of it as an on/off situation.

One side of 240 supply failed...so what was on that side through your
distribution panel also failed.


Posted by toller on July 12, 2005, 9:23 pm


A few years ago my office lost 1/3rd of the circuits. Turns out a branch
had fallen on one wire of the 3 phase feeding my building.
I was urged to immediately unplug anything that used more than 120 because
it might get insufficient voltage.

Obviously you don't have 3 phase, but I expect something happened to the
transformer so you only got one leg of the 240v.




Posted by Colbyt on July 12, 2005, 9:26 pm



> Power went out here in a very odd way the other day, and I can't get
> through to power co. for an explanation. Flourescent lights in one
> room flickered, dimmed, and went out. Radio lost volume and then went
> out. Computer stayed on (with CRT monitor) quite happily until I shut
> it down. 'Fridge stayed on. Some incandescent lights would switch on
> normally; others wouldn't. Little clock radio quit; light plugged into
> same outlet worked. Flourescent in another room remained on.
>
> Electric co. said problem was a neighborhood transformer, and a couple
> of blocks were affected, not just my house. So what kind of a failure
> is it when some electricity works and some doesn't? I've always
> thought of it as an on/off situation.

The simple explanation is that power is supplied to homes with 2 hot wires
and one neutral wire. Half (an over-simplification) of the stuff in your
home uses one of the hots and the other half uses the other. Stoves,
electric heat and AC units use both hots.

If one leg (one of the hots) is not working some of your stuff will work
and the rest of it won't.


Colbyt





Posted by Scott Townsend on July 12, 2005, 10:29 pm


I like to call them Brown Outs. (-;

> Power went out here in a very odd way the other day, and I can't get
> through to power co. for an explanation. Flourescent lights in one
> room flickered, dimmed, and went out. Radio lost volume and then went
> out. Computer stayed on (with CRT monitor) quite happily until I shut
> it down. 'Fridge stayed on. Some incandescent lights would switch on
> normally; others wouldn't. Little clock radio quit; light plugged into
> same outlet worked. Flourescent in another room remained on.
>
> Electric co. said problem was a neighborhood transformer, and a couple
> of blocks were affected, not just my house. So what kind of a failure
> is it when some electricity works and some doesn't? I've always
> thought of it as an on/off situation.




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