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#191608 01/04/10 10:30 PM
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15
M
Member
I have a residential house wired in rx single phase, which has a intermitten blicking of lights, they do not go off they just dime.
Things I have done or checked.
Power co replaced neutral splice at weatherhead.
Tightened every connection in panel.
Checked ground wire at street side of water meter.
Pulled meter and check connections, which were fine.

The dimming seems to happen on every circuit, not just one.

My next step is to call power co. again to check meter,and 230volt lines.
Any ideas out there?
Mike


dukes
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 794
Likes: 3
W
Member
Do any lights get brighter at the same time as other lights get dimmer? The neutral at the power company's transformer could be bad, and no amount of solid ground connections in the customer's house will help that. The power company would have to fix that.

Do the lights in neighbors' house (fed by the same transformer) also dim, and at the same time? In addition to the above possible bad neutral at the power company transformer, could be a bad connection on the primary side of the power company transformer, which obviously you don't want to touch!

wa2ise #191610 01/04/10 11:32 PM
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15
M
Member
The house next door which is off the same trans. does not have this problem.
I wonder if the meter might be defective.
Thanks for your response


dukes
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 947
T
twh Offline
Member
Look for something starting, or trying to start. It might be a motor in an old fridge or freezer. The weather is cold, so it could even be a large electric heater or furnace blower.

twh #191615 01/05/10 04:36 AM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
Ever thought about an under-sized service?
Also, have you listened to the panel to see if there is a bad phase busbar in there at all?

twh #191619 01/05/10 09:49 AM
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15
M
Member
Thanks I will check


dukes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 613
S
Member
I would have POCO check all connections at street. I had a problem and they fixed the connection at the weatherhead and were about to leave and insisted they take a look at the street side connection and sure enough there was the problem. Old street in Weston MA, and the connections were corroded at the transformer end.

shortcircuit

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 402
J
Member
Did the POCO check only the neutral connections? They should check all the connections

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 34
CDS Offline
Member
Had this problem before , and went round and round with power company . Turned out that they dont check connections behind the meter , I had to meet them there , they pulled the meter and I tightened loose neutral in meter base .


Sorry ,I just read you already did that . A logger at panel would tell you if it is inside or outside .

Last edited by CDS; 01/05/10 02:45 PM.
CDS #191624 01/05/10 02:46 PM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 34
CDS Offline
Member
One more thought , if it is SE cable from meter to panel , check for corrosion going through concrete block , etc .

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