As I live about 20 miles from you I'd check your breaker panel and make sure that it is not a Federal Pacific panel. Read the nightmares and get it replaced as soon as possible if it is. They are a fire hazard and your insurance will be lower if you do.
federal pacific electric panels - Google Search
federal pacific electric panels - Google Search
It’s a Siemens and when we had the house inspected they said everything’s as good with the breaker panel
I’m going to pull the cover off and check things out. I’m not a newbie with 110 and 220 but have never run into this problem before and just wanted you guys thoughts about this before I started changing parts
As a master auto tech I hate just throwing parts until I get a positive outcome
I’m going to pull the cover off and check things out. I’m not a newbie with 110 and 220 but have never run into this problem before and just wanted you guys thoughts about this before I started changing parts
As a master auto tech I hate just throwing parts until I get a positive outcome
“A place called Skycraft” - I get to make the pilgrimage once a year. I buy all my twist-lock plugs and sockets there. As well as the usual stuff you buy at Skycraft.
Careful which ones you buy - for instance you can’t just install the orange ones anywhere. Legally, anyway.
There is NO reason to replace healthy K&T which is out of reach.
Some of the old prairie palaces, K&T on the ceiling to a lamp is perfectly in character.
But there's so much sick K&T. Any wire insulation was not to be trusted new, and rubber rots and cracks. A fair amount of K&T was badly installed, or unwisely extended. And often run in attics where modern fashion is to throw a foot of thermal fluff, trapping wire heat.
I believe (this may be regional) that your insurance company may be very upset to hear (post fire) that you had K&T. A house I just bought, I was told their insurance told them they could not have a fuse-box, they had to have breakers. (They did a totally horror-show job of it, whereas the fusebox was a fine job.)
If You suspect wiring You can do the following.
On Your main fuse box disconnect one of the circuits from the breaker and at that breaker connect a harness directly and then connect Your stereo and a few lamps there. Test a few days with all other breakers off. Then switch some others and test and You will find which circuit is faulty. With a DVM with memory function You can also test Your MIN-MAX mains voltage if You let it connected a day or two.
On Your main fuse box disconnect one of the circuits from the breaker and at that breaker connect a harness directly and then connect Your stereo and a few lamps there. Test a few days with all other breakers off. Then switch some others and test and You will find which circuit is faulty. With a DVM with memory function You can also test Your MIN-MAX mains voltage if You let it connected a day or two.
That’s I good idea
I just signed on to duke energy’s hole house wiring program and in 30 days I will have them come out and start fixing this crap
They will cover 1300 dollars of any repairs and that includes outlets and any other wiring problems
For now I’m just not going to hook any of my pricey gear
I am going to buy some higher end outlets and switch’s and they say they will use my parts. Fingers crossed, but for now I do have a box of outlets that I may install and see what happens. I do know that this house has all copper wires, none of the cca or junk like that and I’m sure your ideas of the ends being burnt or corroded
I’ll take pics and let you guys know how it goes. I do have one of the older monster power control unit and my tube amp in it stays nice and clean. I need to buy about 4 more on them
Or if anyone knows of a diy build for them please let me know
Thanks for all the great information
I just signed on to duke energy’s hole house wiring program and in 30 days I will have them come out and start fixing this crap
They will cover 1300 dollars of any repairs and that includes outlets and any other wiring problems
For now I’m just not going to hook any of my pricey gear
I am going to buy some higher end outlets and switch’s and they say they will use my parts. Fingers crossed, but for now I do have a box of outlets that I may install and see what happens. I do know that this house has all copper wires, none of the cca or junk like that and I’m sure your ideas of the ends being burnt or corroded
I’ll take pics and let you guys know how it goes. I do have one of the older monster power control unit and my tube amp in it stays nice and clean. I need to buy about 4 more on them
Or if anyone knows of a diy build for them please let me know
Thanks for all the great information
Coastal living wreaks havoc on wiring.....sounds like an issue with your neutral bus/and or ground. You have 130v at your power conditioner (which is high, should be no more than 126v) and probably lower voltage in other places (more than likely too low)
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I had the same problem a few years ago. Lights started dimming when the microwave or refrigerator cycled on. I finally checked the voltages at the duplex outlets and found the same 80/150 volt problem.
By that time, the controller in the washing machine had been blown.
Power company came and fixed the neutral connection and the problem disappeared.
I'd gotten too trusting about the electrical service! A shop full of test gear and I didn't think to measure the house voltages on the two legs, for weeks.
I lived in a flat once and I noticed that my amplifier project power supply was measuring high. I measured the line at 138V. I called the utility company and they checked it, and had to adjust the primary tap on the large transformer at the pole. Turns out that there was a factory also connected to this large transformer that had shut down and the load had greatly diminished. I wondered for too long why I kept popping light bulbs. I also wondered why the complex shared a transformer with a factory but I'm sure it came down to cost at some point.
Noobe quiz: Which way is the primary tap moved to lower the secondary voltage?
Noobe quiz: Which way is the primary tap moved to lower the secondary voltage?
I think I have been lucky and managed to live in places that measured 120v at the socket.
I also have been a little unlucky with a house I bought. I had a nagging problem with RF noise leaking into the stereo at odd times. My setup was usually at least bi-amped with a 30 foot cable to the computer.
We did an addition and I replaced the original circuit breaker panel. I happen to notice the original panel was not grounded anywhere so ground came from the pole. Also one ground wire at a pole had been stripped most likely by meth users, so my ground had a fairly high impedance at RF and bad enough for 60hz.
We never had any instance of getting shocked or felt leakage from anything.
The RF noise problems went away with a ground stake at the panel with another going to the incoming water pipe.
I also have been a little unlucky with a house I bought. I had a nagging problem with RF noise leaking into the stereo at odd times. My setup was usually at least bi-amped with a 30 foot cable to the computer.
We did an addition and I replaced the original circuit breaker panel. I happen to notice the original panel was not grounded anywhere so ground came from the pole. Also one ground wire at a pole had been stripped most likely by meth users, so my ground had a fairly high impedance at RF and bad enough for 60hz.
We never had any instance of getting shocked or felt leakage from anything.
The RF noise problems went away with a ground stake at the panel with another going to the incoming water pipe.
Seems those "copper thieves" are everywhere!
Even here, I've had to call the power company for missing ground wires.
They've installed a shroud around them now to keep the thieves from chopping them.
15 days ago at a wedding farm my brother phoned me because the speakers were making strange pops during the dinner and the music was floating in volume. So, I grabbed my Fluke DVM and checked the voltage. Guess what ? I was measuring 160V when there should be 230V. I showed them the readings and told them it's impossible to work that way. They started the generator and I grabbed a reel of cable and connected it directly there and the wedding ball went fine. I think the PA PSU's were collapsing from such low voltage. They have contacted the utility company and installed another meter just for that room. (There was one room now acepipe room at the older part of the house and they constructed a newer modern one last year) They have fixed the issue getting power from another place. The main transformer is half a mile away and they said it's the "end of the line", but I think if the transformer is weak they must correct it since we are paying the electricity bills. If the farm is far away from the transformer, it's not our problem.
With many ovens, grills and air conditioners voltage can indeed be insufficient sometimes...
With many ovens, grills and air conditioners voltage can indeed be insufficient sometimes...
This is fine so long as the amps power supplies are solid.
I made the mistake of designing an amp without 100nf's on the power rails.
First sign of a glitch on the mains and the output transistors blew up !
The glitches get on the rails and cause secondary breakdown of transistors.
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