ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Surge?

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions? Here is the problem; all the lights in the house dim when the condensor of the centeral air comes on. The centeral air unit is on a 20A DP breaker, so it's not just one phase affected.
Thanks in advance.

It could be normal. It could be that the service doesn't have enough KVA available to avoid a noticeable drop when the motor starts.

How old is the motor? Are there leaves in the fan? Has this been a problem since it was installed?

How many houses run off your transformer?

Go back to the topic titled "Whats the problem?" on 6-2-01. This was discussed in depth. Most of the replies will apply to your question here.

It would be a good Idea to first rule out loose connections. Check all of them.

Bill

I'll check out that "What's the problem". It's brand new, connections are fine, no obstructions of any kind. I was thinking it was a power company problem myself but I was wondering if I was overlooking another possible problem. If it is the power company I'm not aware of any solutions, it's tough getting them to do anything. I was wondering if there is anything on the market to make up for a problem like this for a reasonable amount of money? I know a VFD or soft-start would solve the problem but that seem's a little extreme.
Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it. I stumbled on to this site today, I now have it bookmarked it's a great site.