California Storm Brown out ... will it damage refrigerator?
TG1...@gmail.com
getting some current in the house, but not much. I have no way to
measure it but the lights come on very dimly. the refigerator is cold
inside.
Will this damage my refrigerator? Evereything else is "off" It has
been this way for 28 hours and PGE says it could be two or three more
days?
Should I disconnect it?
Thank you.
**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY**
A few incandescent lights won't be a problem. If in doubt, open the main
service breaker.
Are you sure a neighbor isn't inadvertently running a generator back
into the utility lines? That could kill a lineman.
TG1...@gmail.com wrote:
--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"©
"Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."
"Follow The Money" ;-P
**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY**
A few incandescent lights won't be a problem. If in doubt, open the main
service breaker.
Are you sure a neighbor isn't inadvertently running a generator back
into the utility lines? That could kill a lineman.
TG1...@gmail.com wrote:
--
**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY**
A few incandescent lights won't be a problem. If in doubt, open the main
service breaker.
Are you sure a neighbor isn't inadvertently running a generator back
into the utility lines? That could kill a lineman.
TG1...@gmail.com wrote:
--
Andrew Gabriel
TG1...@gmail.com writes:
> We are experiencing a "brown out" because the recent storm. We are
> getting some current in the house, but not much. I have no way to
> measure it but the lights come on very dimly. the refigerator is cold
> inside.
>
> Will this damage my refrigerator?
Yes, it could. The motor can overheat if it's
powered but there isn't enough torque to start it.
--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]
phil-new...@ipal.net
| Turn off everything electronic or motorized until you get stable power.
| A few incandescent lights won't be a problem. If in doubt, open the main
| service breaker.
[elaborating ...]
Electronic devices that can automatically handle the full voltage range
of 100-240 volts, when plugged into a 240 volt outlet, will be OK if the
voltage at that point is at least 100 volts. It may well be in certain
cases. However, the crisis time is not the time to rig up something to
connect a computer to a 240 volt circuit.
A common cause of this kind of brownout is the loss of one phase of the
three phases supplying the primary of a delta-wye transformer. Without
one of the phases, the two that remain are powering one winding in the
normal way, but powering the other two windings of the delta loop as if
they were wired in series. The effect is to split the voltage to each
of those two windings, with the proportion depending on the load balance,
which will typically be fairly near balanced in normal circumstances.
So 2 out of 3 of the secondaries will have about half the voltage.
Even at half the voltage, enough current could be drawn through a motor
winding of a stalled motor to create sufficient overheating to damage it.
So definitely unplug appliances with motors, or switch off the breakers.
| Are you sure a neighbor isn't inadvertently running a generator back
| into the utility lines? That could kill a lineman.
That is one possible cause of a brownout. Even though it is quite rare,
since the load would typically cause the generator to trip or stall, it
is very possible, and very serious if it is happening, due to the risk
it poses to the linemen. Do check all your neighbors to be sure everyone
is OK, and while that, see if anyone is trying to run a generator without
the essential transfer switch.
Equipment that intentionally feeds power back to the grid should have the
ability to cut off when the grid is down. But something defective could
be trying this as well. It would have to fail both at detecting power
and fail at tripping on an overload ... but don't rule it out because of
seriousness of the danger.
Never touch any utility wires, even if the power is off, even if you are
are handling the insulated part, and even if you are sure they are just
telephone or cable wires. Damaged power lines can introduce primary
distribution voltages into any other wiring, and the insulation intended
for lower voltages will not protect you.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Phil Howard KA9WGN | http://linuxhomepage.com/ http://ham.org/ |
| (first name) at ipal.net | http://phil.ipal.org/ http://ka9wgn.ham.org/ |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
HapticZ
and over without enough amps to fully spin the compressor.
that will do two things, overheat and destoy the motor and burn the
startup switch/capacitor to hell.
then you have to >>
1, spend time getting the refrig replaced or fixed
2. spend time replacing all the food
3 spend time haggling with either your insurance company AND the power
folks about how to pay for it
4 in the meanwhile you are out of that sum of money since you must get the
thing replaced before the wife forces you to eat out all the time (even
MORE expensive!)
so, its just cheaper AND easier to unplug stuff, see? ;-))
"Andrew Gabriel" <and...@cucumber.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:47801f32$0$508$5a6a...@news.aaisp.net.uk...
tommyec...@gmail.com
TC