Products > Test Equipment
Power Line Quality Monitor that does not cost a fortune
Alti:
--- Quote from: nealix on March 18, 2022, 09:27:43 pm ---We have repeated flickering of lights, and I want to be able to show actual data before calling the power company or paying an electrician.
--- End quote ---
In such case you do not want a power quality monitor. Even when you show them a data from the most sophisticated gear, they won't take any direct actions based on that. Instead, they temporarily install their own calibrated gear at your location to reject your claims.
IMHO you just need to show them that single quality parameter out of many does not meet the contract agreement. Find out what your local regulations are (norms) and use the scope to trigger on SINGLE violation. For sure not every sag or overvoltage qualifies as violation here.
This way you'll get legal power quality monitor temporarily installed (for almost free).
geggi1:
Som light dimmers have a minimum load required before flickering.
Check if there is a potmeter when you pull off the control knob on the dimmer.
nealix:
--- Quote from: bdunham7 on March 20, 2022, 05:53:03 am ---Just a thought before you get in too deep--what type of breaker panel do you have? If you have Zinsco/Sylvania or Federal Pacific service panel, you likely have arcing bus bars.
Also, you're going to need to correlate any 'events' to the actual flickering otherwise you'll just have a lot of data that you don't know is relevant to the issue. Your LED/dimmer combo may be sensitive to certain things, but not others. I've seen flickering LED issues many times and it has never been a PQ issue, at least not an electric company power issue.
--- End quote ---
Good call :-) Yes, when we moved in 8 months ago the first thing we did was replace the Zinsco meter panel. I have done that after moving into my last two homes.
Zinsco is well known for burning houses down. In fact, during Escrow, any half-way decent home inspector will flag a Zinsco meter panel as "needing replacement".
To all the other responders, thanks. It's not just the dimmer and flickering issue. We get a fair number of cycle drops that cause my UPS to start up.
We also get a fair number of sags. I suspect that somewhere within a mile of my home is some VERY aged power pole equipment that is starting to arc, corrode,
or fail. The engineer side of me is curious to look at some data, and see 24 hour counts and disturbance types. After that, I can decide if I first call my electrician
or my utility. (I also need to speak to my neighbors and see if it is just my home. I did already pull the covers off the meter panel, and my garage sub-panel, and
torqued down all breakers and busbar connections.)
And @TauTech: Yes, I do have a 1000 series scope and do intend to unpack it from the move, and hook in a 6 volt AC step-down/isolation transformer so I can
easily and safely scope the line and see how clean or dirty the power looks. But for fun, I also ordered the PowerTronics PQR D50 mentioned above. It will be
here Monday.
Thanks,
Neal
bdunham7:
Are you with SCE or LADWP? I'm a bit inland and I see a few glitches a week that trigger my multiple UPSes or dim the lights a bit, I presume they're switching events because our power poles and such are mostly in good shape. Is your transformer within sight of your house?
nealix:
--- Quote from: bdunham7 on March 20, 2022, 10:57:08 pm ---Are you with SCE or LADWP? I'm a bit inland and I see a few glitches a week that trigger my multiple UPSes or dim the lights a bit, I presume they're switching events because our power poles and such are mostly in good shape. Is your transformer within sight of your house?
--- End quote ---
My util is S.C.E.
For the transformer (Pole Pig), that was replaced 6 months ago via crane when it blew during rain. The drop lines to the meter panel were also
re-stripped and re-spliced by my request at that time. SCE has been replacing other pole pigs in the area, one by one. The area has older
infrastructure.
Switching events are of little concern to me (like a neighbors AirCon siwthcing on), since those rarely if ever bother my equipment or computer,
and are so fast, they tend to not be annoying even on LED lighting.
For the other events, like longer duration sag, arcing, noise, bad flourescent ballast, LED lighting at specifics points in dimming cycle, yes, all of
those are easy to notice and very annoying.
I think with the combination of a power line disturbance logger, and playing with my Rigol 1000 series scope, I should be able to learn enough
and collect enough data to better understand what combination of things is going on.
Thanks,
Neal
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