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Need Power Outage Recorder
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calzap:
I have a ranch in California’s central valley near Sacramento and have about 25 years experience with it.  Snow and ice are not factors.  Wind causes most power outages although a few times a car or fire took out a power pole in the area.   Brown-outs generally are followed in 1-2 minutes by a black-out.  There is a back-up generator that must be manually started and can run one well.  The well and surface pump controllers have circuitry that protects the motors from high or low voltage and indicate when voltage is out of spec.  This circuitry has saved the motors a few times.  Power company acts with disbelief when I call and tell them the voltage is wrong.  They send out a lineman to verify.  In every case, someone set the high voltage on the primary lines wrong at the substation.

I’m really not interested in recording minor glitches in voltage that are less than a few seconds.  If the monitor is too sensitive chronologically, I’ll use a transformer if it requires AC input or use a relay if it requires DC or on/off input.  Coil in transformer or relay should take care of short fluctuations.  If necessary, a capacitor can be used as well.

Mike
BeBuLamar:
I would use a PLC and have it logs onto a micro SD card. I would need a charger and a 24V battery to power it during the outage. That's how I would do it because I would have all the parts available already.
tautech:

--- Quote from: calzap on May 29, 2023, 11:09:39 pm ---I have a ranch in California’s central valley near Sacramento and have about 25 years experience with it.  Snow and ice are not factors.  Wind causes most power outages although a few times a car or fire took out a power pole in the area.   Brown-outs generally are followed in 1-2 minutes by a black-out.  There is a back-up generator that must be manually started and can run one well.  The well and surface pump controllers have circuitry that protects the motors from high or low voltage and indicate when voltage is out of spec.  This circuitry has saved the motors a few times.  Power company acts with disbelief when I call and tell them the voltage is wrong.  They send out a lineman to verify.  In every case, someone set the high voltage on the primary lines wrong at the substation.

I’m really not interested in recording minor glitches in voltage that are less than a few seconds.  If the monitor is too sensitive chronologically, I’ll use a transformer if it requires AC input or use a relay if it requires DC or on/off input.  Coil in transformer or relay should take care of short fluctuations.  If necessary, a capacitor can be used as well.

Mike

--- End quote ---
:scared: really  :scared:
About time they had some serious litigation against the Powerco to have them sharpen up their act !

If their ineptitude results in fried private infrastructure there should be nowhere for them to hide.  :horse:
Unbelievable you need put up with such BS.  :bullshit:
calzap:

--- Quote from: tautech on May 30, 2023, 12:37:27 am ---
--- Quote from: calzap on May 29, 2023, 11:09:39 pm ---I have a ranch in California’s central valley near Sacramento and have about 25 years experience with it.  Snow and ice are not factors.  Wind causes most power outages although a few times a car or fire took out a power pole in the area.   Brown-outs generally are followed in 1-2 minutes by a black-out.  There is a back-up generator that must be manually started and can run one well.  The well and surface pump controllers have circuitry that protects the motors from high or low voltage and indicate when voltage is out of spec.  This circuitry has saved the motors a few times.  Power company acts with disbelief when I call and tell them the voltage is wrong.  They send out a lineman to verify.  In every case, someone set the high voltage on the primary lines wrong at the substation.

I’m really not interested in recording minor glitches in voltage that are less than a few seconds.  If the monitor is too sensitive chronologically, I’ll use a transformer if it requires AC input or use a relay if it requires DC or on/off input.  Coil in transformer or relay should take care of short fluctuations.  If necessary, a capacitor can be used as well.

Mike

--- End quote ---
:scared: really  :scared:
About time they had some serious litigation against the Powerco to have them sharpen up their act !

If their ineptitude results in fried private infrastructure there should be nowhere for them to hide.  :horse:
Unbelievable you need put up with such BS.  :bullshit:

--- End quote ---
My power company is the infamous Pacific Gas and Electric.  It’s a privately held, but government regulated utility.   Occasionally having the voltage 10% out of spec is the least of their sins.  A few years ago, their poorly maintained gas main blew-up part of the city of San Bruno.  Their poorly maintained high voltage lines and right of way have been responsible for more than one devastating wildfire including the one that wiped out the ironically named city of Paradise.  The company plead guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter for that fire.   The corporation has been charged with manslaughter for a 2020 fire that killed 4 people.  No, a corporation can’t be put in prison, but it can be fined. Their solution to the wildfire problem is to cut power to sections of the state when winds are high.

They’ve been fined or sued for billions.  Guess who pays for most of that … the executives, the stockholders, their assets, the government?   They got out of some of the judgements by declaring bankruptcy.  But they can hardly be liquidated because folks need power.  No, it’s we customers who pay.  Our rate is almost twice the national average.  They do have new management, so maybe there will be improvements.  Done with rant.

Mike
tautech:

--- Quote from: calzap on May 30, 2023, 06:56:10 am ---My power company is the infamous Pacific Gas and Electric.  It’s a privately held, but government regulated utility.   

--- End quote ---
Not at all well it seems.  :(
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