My power was out for five hours tonight. Now, half of my apartment has power, and the other half doesn't. This includes the air conditioner and the kitchen. Which means all of my food is going to go bad. I don't know if this means that circuits have been blown becuase my apartment, unlike some normal circuit breaker place with switches, has old-timey fuses from the 50's or some crap. So I have no idea what to do. And when I walk outside, there's a buzzing noise like a power line is down. And it's not even storming.
And no one that I know in town will answer the phone.
So how do I tell if an old-timey screw-in kinda fuse from the age of the dinosaurs needs a replacement? And if it does...what do I buy?
-pH
Edit: Before you tell me to call the power company, they hung up on me seven times. My dad had me call 911 because of the downed power line possibility, and they just gave me the 800 number for the power company, which hung up on me again.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
If half your power is out, it means you have only one phase up of your normally 2 phase system. Report this to your power company. It's something they will have to fix. You should turn off any motors that are 220V, such as the air conditioning and refrigerator (sounds like they turned themselves off), since running single phase can burn up motors.
You're safe to use the 120V lights and plugs that are working.
Hope your power comes back soon!
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
The power company may have hung up on you because they're swamped at the moment. I recommend you wait a while and call again. My power company has an automated system that takes your info and will even call you back when they believe the power should be back on to your address.
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
You said you're in an apartment, how about calling your landlord? My next step would be an electrician, do you know one?
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
If you know where your breaker box is, you can check the breakers to be sure none of them are tripped. But if it's half your apartment, it's fairly certain that you've lost one phase, and it's not something that you can fix.
Are you in contact with other people in your same building? Have they lost half their power as well? If so then it's pretty certain that you're getting just one phase.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Technically, I'm in a condo, not an apartment. So I don't have a landlord. I'm going to call the condo lady, but I can't really call her in the middle of the night.
It looks like the power down the street is on. And maybe the power across the street. But I can't tell if their lamps are like...fire or electricity.
But my refrigerator and stuff have turned themselves off, and my living room light definitely doesn't work.
The power company puts me on hold for about 15 minutes. Then it rings a couple of times like someone's going to answer. Then it hangs up.
As for the breakers...I don't have breakers. I have fuses. Like. Old fuses. The kind that screw in. Not the kind that you can just flip. The lights out in the walkway of the building are on, so I assume that general building power is on. But it's 3 in the morning, so I don't want to go knocking on doors to find out.
-pH
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
The buzzing noise might be the other phase shorting out. It might come from your transformer, or it could be a downed line. Do you see any sparks? Obviously stay away from the area of downed lines.
The bad thing is that there's a good chance (from the buzzing) that whatever is wrong is local to your area. This means it might be a while before they get around to you to fix it. They try to fix the things that will bring the most customers back online first. Was there not even a storm or high winds or anything that might have caused it?
If it's only you with the problem then do keep calling the power company until you get through. They should come out right away and fix it.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
There was a light drizzle, but there wasn't any rain or lightning or anything. Two people got back to me and both said that they had power. One of them lives fairly close by (I live near Magazine, and he lives in the same area, but near St. Charles, for those who know New Orleans). I haven't heard any thunder all night. And I haven't heard any wind, either. It came as a total surprise. I kind of thought there might have been a power surge, but I don't really know what that would look like.
Two weeks ago, power went down for two hours along Tchoupitoulas, which is a few blocks away from here. But I never heard what caused it.
-pH
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Okay, fuses, hmmm. I don't suppose you have a digital multimeter? Some fuses can blow and look obviously blown, but others there's only one way to tell, and that's by removing them and measuring the resistance across them. Blown fuses have essentially infinite resistance and good ones have basically none.
It's very unlikely that half your fuses blew at once. Can you tell where the hum is coming from? The thing I would worry about at this point is the risk of fire. I'm guessing you live in rather an old building, since your wiring seems antique. If you smell anything weird at all, just get out of there with any pets and spend the night at a friend's. See if you can track down where the humming sound is coming from and figure out what is going on.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The hum sounds like it's coming from outside, for sure. I heard a humming earlier today, but it sounded more like a vibration in the building. The fuses...I don't know how to tell if they're blown. They have kind of a line across them, like a wire or something is maybe running there. I have a brand new smoke detector, though.
I have no idea what a digital mutimeter is. Haha. I am quite incompetent. I've been trying to get ahold of my boyfriend (who is an engineer) since the power went out, but to no avail. So I am extra frustrated. I remember the real estate inspector saying something about the fuses...like 15 something and 20 something and 30 something, but I don't remember really what it meant. I think 30 was for the air conditioner. And 15 was for the lights. Should I just go to...Wal-mart...or something tomorrow and try to find new ones?
-pH
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
It seems to me that you are like me (as in, if there's not a switch to flip then I don't have any idea what I'm doing) in that case, I'd leave it to the professionals, especially with old wiring like that. Good luck.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
You posted about it in MySpace too, I hate blackouts too because food in my fridge can go bad. Wait a minute...my fridge is empty. That means that there is no food to worry about so YAY for blackouts. Wait...Lappy needs her energy to function...and internet needs it too...Nevermind...
BLACKOUTS ARE THE DEVIL!!!
Light a candle pH! That's about the only help I can offer...Sorry but I cannot magically send electric jolts to your system.
Note: If this doesn't make any sense, look at the time this was posted. Brains don't work at that hour, now do they?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
No, Alt. No, they do not. I am so upset about having had no power and being in pitch black for so long (I'm deathly afraid of the dark) that I've decided to get drunk before I go to bed.
So if I make nonsensical posts in about an hour, you'll know why. I'll have a little Captain in me.
-pH
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
pH, it almost certainly is not your fuses. The 10, 15, 30 that he was talking about was Amps. It's not a bad idea to have a few spare fuses on hand, in normal circumstances, but it's pretty clearly a power company problem you have tonight. I would continue to call them until you get through. Do you know what transformers look like? They are usually big gray cylinders mounted on power poles. If the humming is coming from one of those, then likely enough it's just gone bad and shorted out.
Get your engineer bf to help you buy fuses at Wal-Mart for the future, just so you have a few spares, but fuses are not your problem tonight.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Where would a transformer be for me to see if that was the problem? If I live in a two-story building full of condos, I mean. Condos that all have individual fuses or circuit breakers or whatever they have. Would it be on one side of the building somewhere?
I heard the buzzing when I walked out in front of my unit. The way the building is set up, the walkways are all outdoors. So the buzzing could have either been from the building or from something nearby. Maybe down the street, or something. Like I said, maybe the houses across the street were affected. They were dark, but they had lamps out front. But they could have been kerosene lamps or something. However, the building down the street, away from Magazine, definitely still has full power. However, these houses across the street definitely had no lights beyond the porch lights, which leads me to believe they were affected.
-pH
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Fuses would be like if you dropped your flatiron into a sink full of water and now none of your bathroom lights work. Or maybe if you turned on the oven, all 4 stove eyes, toaster oven, and microwave all at once for the first time and then they all suddenly cut off. (I had this happen to me when I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 12 people once. )
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: Fuses would be like if you dropped your flatiron into a sink full of water and now none of your bathroom lights work. Or maybe if you turned on the oven, all 4 stove eyes, toaster oven, and microwave all at once for the first time and then they all suddenly cut off. (I had this happen to me when I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 12 people once. )
Do you mean like if one fuse went bad, none of them would work? Because the inspector said something about if one went bad, it would look kind of burnt in the front. And there is definitely one that looks kind of burnt, but I don't know if it looks burnt in the clear part. And I don't know if the clear part is what matters.
Gah, I wish I had circuit breakers. At least I know how to use those.
-pH
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Okay, transformers can be up on power poles, where they usually look like a grey orange juice can, about four feet high and two feet in diameter, usually with three odd appendages on top. Oh heck, lemme google for one. Like This.
Alternatively they can be a boxy thing on a concrete pad on the ground. Like this. Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Yes, fuses can look burnt when they go bad sometimes. Or they can look perfectly normal. The only way to tell for sure is to test them with a multimeter, also known as a voltmeter. If one fuse blows, though, it should have no effect on the other fuses.
It's possible if you have power outages for a fuse to blow because of the outage. That is, it might not be the primary cause, but still happen. If half the lights in your apartment are gone, though, then I just seriously doubt so many blew at once, you know?
Please don't go feeling around in your fusebox in the dark under the influence of alcohol. Some of the old fuse boxes are very unsafe. I had one in a house that was 70 years old that had the whole hot bus just hanging out in the air where anyone could touch it.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Hmmm. I wandered about, and I didn't see either of those. But it's possible that I missed them; I'll check again in the morning. But this is a very residential area; it's surrounded by single family houses on all sides, as far as I know. Hmmmmmm.
And like I said, the hallways have lighting now. So I'm guessing the building in general has light. I can go around tomorrow morning and ask for sure. But for right now, I'd guess that I'm the only one without a refirgerator or an air conditioner.
-pH
Edit: I'm not going to go fooling around in my fusebox under the influence of alcohol. I'm mostly just trying to figure out what I should look for tomorrow, when I try to find an open Lowes or Wal-mart or something.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
The clear part, (if I'm picturing your fuse correctly) is what matters.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Does it matter if the clear part...*goes to examine fuse box*
One of them for sure looks burnt around the middle, but the other ones just have kind of a wire or line across the middle. Is tht a problem? How do I know if they're 15 or 20 or 30 amp (?) fuses?
-pH
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
NO WAI!
They're like the second kind of fuse with the colors along the outside. Do I need this digimeter thing to figure them out?
-pH
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
The little wire or line across the middle is good. That means it's not burnt, at least not that you can tell without a meter.
If they do look burnt in the middle, or if the wire or line is broken and doesn't go all the way across, then it's definitely blown. It should say in writing on it "10A" or "15A" or "20A" or "30A" or something like that. That's the current rating. Best thing is to unscrew the blown one (don't touch anything exposed when you unscrew it) and take it with you to the hardware store or Home Depot. Make sure the screw threads look the same on the new one, and the diameter and all.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
You can buy a multimeter, and learn how to use it, or you can just buy a couple of spare fuses in every size you have, and test by changing them out, same as with a lightbulb. If you replace the fuse and nothing happens, then it wasn't the fuse. Most fuse boxes have some jotted notes like "upstairs lights" or "kitchen plugs" to help you figure out what is controlled by what.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
*eyes*
Upon closer inspection, I really need to get a flashlight. Because a couple of the fuses I unscrewed looked very cloudy and blown-like.
Gah.
-pH
Edit: As far as I know, my fuses are only in 15, 20, and 30. And I can only play bass left-handed. And only kinDA.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Be sure and remember which fuse goes in which hole. If you go mixing them up when you put them back, it wouldn't be good.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
You need to make sure you get the correct current rating in the right spot, I mean.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Be careful not to touch anything that's recessed at all, and don't use anything metal, like a knife or screwdriver, or pliers, to mess around with the fuse box.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
What about grabby pliers without a fusebox that grabs....anything?
At any rate, I still need to figure out what's going on. Should I replace my air conditioning and refirgerating fuses, which are 30amps? Or should I move along to other projects?
-pH
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
*eyes tool box* What about metal that has like rubber around the handle?
Grar. I wish th engineer boy was here to tell you what he planned on. Because honestly, I have no idea.
-pH
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote:What about metal that has like rubber around the handle?
Well, that will prevent you from getting electrocuted, assuming you're not touching or near enough to anything else metal. But that will do nothing towards making sure you don't short something else out.
So, no. Not unless you know exactly what you're doing. And you don't. Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
pH, I would only replace the one that looks burnt. And I would not recommend the use of grabby pliers.
If your fuses look like those green ones I linked to, then you can safely touch the green rim and unscrew them with your fingers. Do remember which size (Amp rating) fuse goes in which hole.
(There are methods to be sure you get this right, but there's no guarantee that your particular fusebox installer used those methods. They're not that common, that I've seen, because they keep you from putting a higher rated fuse in, and sometimes it's handy to do that, though it can be dangerous as well.)
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
If you want to, you can try replacing the ones that don't look burnt, just to check and see if that's it, but I doubt that it is it. Won't hurt to try, though.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
I feel pretty confident that the humming sound outside is diagnostic of some real problem in one phase of your house power. But it may have blown a fuse or two when it went. Dead shorts cause line disturbances which can trip stuff.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
quote:I'll have a little Captain in me
/OOC
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
My power is out in my bathrooms.
...
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Teshi, is it on in the whole rest of your house? If so, then it's likely to be a breaker that tripped. Do you know where the electrical panel is for your house? Do you know how to check if a breaker is tripped?
pH, let us know what the resolution was to your problem. I hope your power is back on now!
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Teshi lives in a dorm, I believe.
*also curious about pH's resolution
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH: There was a light drizzle, but there wasn't any rain or lightning or anything.
This is probably all after the fact and everything, but I was wondering...how long has it been since it rained there? Because if it has been awhile, long enough for dust to collect on the transformers out on the poles, a little bit of rain can cause them to blow. Whenever we get the first rain of the season here, there are several transformers that blow and put the power out in different parts of town because of this.
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
Wow, I missed the wrong thread. Partial power is usually a customer's problem, although it can be a problem with the entrance or the transformer. But, in my experience at the utility, it's often on the customer's side. Most utilities will come check it out tho, just for liability reasons.
And alcohol and electricity don't mix, in general.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
smitty, I'm curious what you think it is, and what do you think is the humming that she's hearing outside?
Do you think half the fusebox blew at once? Perhaps from a transient related to her outage? That is certainly possible but just seemed unlikely to me.
You sound as though you work for an electrical utility. What do you do?
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Teshi lives in a dorm, I believe.
I do. Thankfully, although my room is next to the bathroom(s), all my power is working. It must be a blown fuse. I should file a maintenance request...
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
quote:I'm curious what you think it is, and what do you think is the humming that she's hearing outside?
Ten to one that the building lost a phase. That may or may not be what's causing the buzzing. The fuse could've also blown when the phase went down, from the 240 motors drawing on only one phase.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
More of the power is on now. The AC is running, but nothing in the kitchen works yet. Gah, frustrating.
-pH
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
If there is food that must be saved, you could try picking up a cooler and some ice. I've done that before for things that were expensive enough to justify the outlay.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Amen. Particularly if your AC is working.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH: More of the power is on now. The AC is running, but nothing in the kitchen works yet. Gah, frustrating.
-pH
Did you replace the fuse that looked burned out? I think El JT was exactly right in his diagnosis.
"Ten to one that the building lost a phase. That may or may not be what's causing the buzzing. The fuse could've also blown when the phase went down, from the 240 motors drawing on only one phase."
If some of it is back but not all, then the remaining problem is likely blown fuses.
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
Tat, first off, unless NO is on a delta circuit, only one phase goes into a residential type building. It may be delta, but most systems are wye connected. If it is Delta, and one phase is out, she should have no power. If it's wye connected, then partial power is usually from a bad connection.
I'm an engineer at the utility, this is exactly the type of thing I investigate.
In most wye systems, the bad connection is found in the customer's panel box - it's not the fuses blowing, it's something flat failing in the box.
Odds are, a transformer failure won't give partial power, although a poor connection on the transformer could. But it's hard for there to be a problem in the windings that would only cause a partial loss of power. It does happen, just unlikely.
Best place to look for this type of situation is at the entrance (meter), but it's not the type of place you want to go digging around unprepared, and especially not drunk. Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
We have 120/208 wye at our office, and we lost a phase not that long ago.
NO has all kinds of configurations, too. Could even be open delta.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Power is back on, but who knows how long it'll last? So I took a shower in case I don't get to tomorrow. And I'm making pasta.
Do you think my orange juice is still good? I'm really thirsty, and I'm almost out of soda.
-pH
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Taste it. If it is sour and fizzy, probably spoilt. Otherwise, you should be fine.
Or, you could drink water.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The tap water here is...questionable.
I have skim milk and orange juice. The skim milk is bad, I'm sure. The orange juice tastes...kind of funny.
I found an old cup of Diet Coke from Rally's...
-pH
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
JT, 120/208 is a completely different config than the 120/240 to most residentials. 120/208 uses all three phases (Open Delta primary is possible with two) There, you lose a phase, you have trouble. Most residentials are phase to neutral connections. There are 120/240 three phase connections, but would be pointless in a residential - there's only one 120V circuit. In a 120/208 there's three, but sometimes your 240V stuff can act... funny.
pH, glad you got power back! You need to get the city back in order before I get there!
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
smitty, we lost a phase and had only half power to our building, once, too, and once in our house. I'm always glad to learn more about this stuff, though, and you sound like you have seen a lot more applications than I. Could you find or post a wiring diagram to illustrate what you mean? I'm trying to picture what you are saying, and making sketches left and right.
pH, did the power to your fridge and stove ever come back on?
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
Ugh.... Tat, I did a little looking, and didn't see anything. I can't even find my wicked-slick GE manual, hoping it would have a web page. There are plenty of books for sale on the subject... ugh again.
If this thread is anywhere in the first few pages when I return, I'll see if I can't scan and post some pictures.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I know the difference between 120/208 and 120/240, I was just saying that losing a phase is not uncommon. Although I agree with you that most times it happens at the panelboard or service entrance and not at the transformer.
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
oh, gotcha JT. Lost phases aren't near as much fun as loose neutrals... the 240 stays solid, but the two 120's go up and down. Can create some pretty nasty situations.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
See, I'm glad to know this, because I have no idea what is most likely, only what's theoretically possible. That's where experience with fixing these same type problems comes in handy.
Still, half her power was gone, and then came back. So what do you think happened? It still sounds to me like she lost a phase.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Teshi, did you figure out your power problem in the bathroom?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The stove works, but the fridge does not. I think I'm just going to go buy a bunch of fuses of various amperages and replace everything.
Gah, fuses. What is this, the Dark Ages?
-pH
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
Sorry, pH
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I thought I bought the right kinds of fuses, but apparently I didn't. Because the 20amp fuse doesn't fit where the 20amp fuse is supposed to go. The 30amp one fits there, instead.
And even though I replaced the one that was labeled "refrigerator," the fridge still won't turn on.
-pH
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Call your landlord (I remember who your landlord is) and tell him you need an electrician to come look at your condo.
Where's the engineer boyfriend through all of this?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I'm going to call the condo association if this doesn't fix itself soon.
The boyfriend is at work. Oh, trust me. He has heard ALL about how the universe is plotting against me, what the hell, I do not live in a third world country, I need my ginger ale chilled. He's supposed to come over tonight and make it go.
-pH
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I'm really surprised that the condo association doesn't have a 24-hour emergency numberfor this sort of thing. And is maintenance of the fusebox supposed to be tenant responsibility?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The condo association is supposed to handle the structure. Basically, I'm in charge of what happens to everything from the inside surfaces onward. Which means that windows and such are iffy. Plumbing and electrical SHOULD be handled by the condo people, as far as I know, but I'm not entirely certain on that one. I'm going to do as much as I can without attempting to involve them, though.
-pH
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
For what it's worth, I once saw the entire village of Lake Placid lose one phase, so it's not out of the question. I don't know how common though.
I'd try to leave the air contidioner off, because it's really a luxury, whereas the refrigerator is more of a necessity. Also, refigerators generally operate at lower load levels, and on 120 single phase. My first temptation would be to try running the refrigerator off of another outlet, but turning off any lights or appliances that are unnecessary.
I'm thinking the buzzing may be coming from the neutral line, which usually sees little or no load. The neutral only carries a load if the phases are out of balance, which it would definitely be if one phase is out.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Apparently, no one else is having this refrigerator problem. The refrigerator will be tested in another outlet as soon as SOMEONE arrives who is strong enough to move the thing, as it has its own recess in the wall and probably weighs like eight times as much as I do. *shoots meaningful looks in the appropriate direction*
The air conditioner is probably going to stay on, if for no other reason than it's not central, and I want to know what to expect for the summer in terms of effectiveness. I'm not sure I like this thing.
I switched the fuses. It didn't help. Fortunately, I also bought a TON of Lysol air deoderizer and other such products so that my kitchen no longer smells like a rotting hyena covered in sewage.
-pH
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
How many 220V outlets do you have? (Is your fridge 220V?) Mine I would have to lug downstairs to the dryer outlet. Not sure that would be worth it. Instead you might want to take a multimeter and test the outlet and see if it's hot.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
You could just get an extension cord for the refrigerator. I've never heard of a consumer style refrigerator that takes more than 120V.
I don't understand your reasoning for keeping the air conditioner on.
I can't parse all the iterations discussed here. Is it more than just the fuses in your apartment? Does the blackout extend beyond your building?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
You don't understand my reasoning for leaving the air conditioner on? I live in Louisiana. I'll probably never need a heater, and I like my house to be in the 60's. So unless it's rather cool out and I feel like leaving a window open (which I don't because the only window in the living room makes it very, VERY easy to break in), I'm going to be running the air conditioner.
Well, as it turns out, an extension cord was not necessary. The boyfriend came over and played with the fuses or something, and it started working again. I guess he has the magic touch.
So I still have no idea what voltage my refrigerator is. Hopefully, I'll never need to know. At least, not under these circumstances.
-pH
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
pssst....your refrigerator plugs into a regular outlet, aka 120 volts. Just in case you want to impress someone with that later.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Did my grape jelly go bad?
-pH
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Try it and let us know!
But seriously, unless you see a mold growing on it, probably not. Preserves are designed not to spoil. That's how they got their name.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The power just went out again.
-pH
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
Sorry dude. I'd make it better, but Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The power was back on when I woke up, and it just went out AGAIN!
Yaaaaaaaay.
-pH
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
pH, any chance the current outage is related to the tornados I just saw on my newspaper's homepage?
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
...tornados?
*eyes the sunny and calm outdoors*
-pH
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Hope you also had it checked by a certified electrician, to see whether there was failure that could be dangerous.
We had a similar thing happen last year to our home (on an old, rural line), when suddenly have my house lost power. I checked the breakers and re-set them. Power would come on for a little while, then go back off again.
Called out a professional electrician and it turned out that at a joint where the lines came from the pole, and were spliced to have some power go to our outbuilding, and some feed into our breakbox from the outside -- that joint was seriously overheating. When it would get too hot, it would pull apart and we would lose power, then as it cooled, it would come back on. But there was serious burn at that junction on the side of the house.
Could have easily become a fire if I hadn't had it checked. FG
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The thing is, it's definitely happening to everyone else in this building, if not everyone else on the block.
I realized this morning that there is a power line dangling down right next the driveway out of our parking lot.
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![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Sorry, pH
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)