Assistance with hardwired device

[stusviews]

Because now that it gets dark early why on Earth would I want the outside lights to work?

Other than that some parts of earth get dark later this time of year, a whole house surge suppressor should be in your immediate future

[gatchel]

I have a whole house supressor.  I don't know much about it but I know it's down there.  It's a Ditek 120/ 240.

[stusviews]

Which Ditek 120/ 240?

[Teken]

I have a whole house supressor. I don't know much about it but I know it's down there. It's a Ditek 120/ 240.

The device should have a LED indicating protection is still present. If still lit it's working, if not lit it's dead.

 

Having said this, this is why surge protection must be done in layers. There are technically five types but the Germaine ones that apply to most people are Type 1, 2, 3.

 

Given the vast amounts of investment in ones home. It's a wise investment to purchase, install, and use all three types of surge protectors.

 

The primary reason is that neither type 1 / 2 offer any meaningful protection for smaller surge / spikes. Also note none of the three types offer protection against a surge in voltage or sag. None of these devices also offer any protection against frequency drift or a lack of actual power.

 

Only a UPS system will provide power. But many of the (cheaper) models also do not offer pure sine wave power or have effective clamping voltage to protect an end device.

 

Lastly, regardless of all the electronic gizmo in the home. Nothing supersedes a low resistance ground in the home. As this is the foundation and cornerstone of the entire system.

 

 

Encrypted By: Phoenix Security Solutions

[gatchel]

So after losing a few more devices I am being told that I may have a loose ground and my power company is dispatching emergency.  I wish I knew more about this.  Wouldn't my Ditek have protected me from loose ground issues?  The green indicator light is on damn it.  Ugh.  I also have an electrician coming tommorow cause I only know enough about the panel to get myself in trouble.  Tonight all of the lights got super bright then bam... 3 more Insteon controls went bye bye.  One was even plugged into a surge supressor strip.  A good one at that.  Bob didn't mess around with this stuff.  All of this is tracing back to when PECO replaced my meter in October.  I already had a smart meter but apparently it wasn't smart enough.  Gosh I hope that ends up being the solution.  I am getting tired of this and it scares me that I have a potentially dangerous situation on my hands.  Ugh again. 

[gatchel]

Ah... the things I am learning.  Apparently surge supression is useless if you have an open ground as they use ground to move the surge away.  FML. 

[Guest Digger]

Ah... the things I am learning. Apparently surge supression is useless if you have an open ground as they use ground to move the surge away. FML.

Well do you have ground rods installed as redundant grounds? Regardless of the power company ground condition you shoukd have a backup ground. Older homes may not. Semi older homes may have one plus a cold water pipe bond.

 

sH usually only provides a MOV from hot to neutral not the additional hot to ground and neautral to ground the Ditek device should have. While neautral gets tied to ground anyway back at the panel its better to have the additional Ditek protection.

 

Good luck and your right to get it addressed ASAP

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Teken]

So after losing a few more devices I am being told that I may have a loose ground and my power company is dispatching emergency.  I wish I knew more about this.  Wouldn't my Ditek have protected me from loose ground issues?  The green indicator light is on damn it.  Ugh.  I also have an electrician coming tommorow cause I only know enough about the panel to get myself in trouble.  Tonight all of the lights got super bright then bam... 3 more Insteon controls went bye bye.  One was even plugged into a surge supressor strip.  A good one at that.  Bob didn't mess around with this stuff.  All of this is tracing back to when PECO replaced my meter in October.  I already had a smart meter but apparently it wasn't smart enough.  Gosh I hope that ends up being the solution.  I am getting tired of this and it scares me that I have a potentially dangerous situation on my hands.  Ugh again. 

 

A loose ground would not cause lights to go bright or dim. This is normally indicative of a loose neutral or where the transformer at the taps are faulty. 

 

This can also happen when the power coming down the line is drifting from the POCO. The Ditek device would not protect you from this situation as you have seen first hand. I am unsure how much your home insurance is and don't want to scare you but you really need to take a few moments after this is all fixed.

 

Go through every electrical device in your home starting with the large appliances like stove, fridge, dishwasher, dryer, clothes washer, HVAC, etc.

 

When these conditions are present and persistent they will shorten the life of those electronics or worse case damage them. I would suggest you review all of this and if anything is damaged on that level please do engage the insurance company. Because you're not prepared to replace all of the above with out taking a huge hit in your savings.

 

Ah... the things I am learning.  Apparently surge supression is useless if you have an open ground as they use ground to move the surge away.  FML. 

 

Yes, this is correct.

 

But, keep in mind as indicated above no surge device (except for two models I know of and use) will protect against in a *RISE* in voltage.

 

I am  not talking about where its like 10,000 volt surge.

 

This is where the voltage *RISES* past 150 volts, most electronics are built and designed to sustain a 10-20% tolerance from 100 - 130 VAC.

 

When you go past 130 VAC this it will create a crispy cream situation. Also, note that a low voltage condition (below 100 VAC) will cause a rise in current being drawn from a electronic device, unless its designed to avoid a sag, most aren't. 

[Techman]

gatchel,

 

Pick up a circuit tester at a hardware store, it tests for correct wiring, open ground, reverse polarity, open hot, open neutral, hot on neutral, hot and ground reversed with open hot in 3-wire, 125VAC circuits. (see attached).

 

These are good to have around as many outlets are incorrectly wired, but your current problem does sound like a loose neutral connection.

[gatchel]

Thanks guys.  It was not my meter but PECO acknowledged it is their issue as a surge event occurred in a bunch of the houses around me too both last night and other times in the past few months.  They are currently working to resolve the issue and suggested that I refrain from replacing any more Insteon switches until they do so.  Once this is all settled I absolutely plan to go over all of my electronics and appliances before submitting my claim to PECO which they told me will be approved due to the nature of the issue.  Whew... makes me feel better that my and Bob's work wasn't to blame.  I had a hunch that it wasn't an internal problem after last night but hearing it from the lineman was gratifying.  Makes me hungry to learn more about this stuff.  No wonder it fascinated Bob so.  It's kinda weird that problems with our house are kinda bringing me closer to him.  Alright... enough mushy stuff.  Thanks again. 

 

 

Oh... and Techman... I have a circuit tester.  Or should I say Bob has a circuit tester and meters, and other doo dads that I know nothing about.  For now anyway.  Something to work on. 

 

-Leslie

[Teken]

Thanks guys.  It was not my meter but PECO acknowledged it is their issue as a surge event occurred in a bunch of the houses around me too both last night and other times in the past few months.  They are currently working to resolve the issue and suggested that I refrain from replacing any more Insteon switches until they do so.  Once this is all settled I absolutely plan to go over all of my electronics and appliances before submitting my claim to PECO which they told me will be approved due to the nature of the issue.  Whew... makes me feel better that my and Bob's work wasn't to blame.  I had a hunch that it wasn't an internal problem after last night but hearing it from the lineman was gratifying.  Makes me hungry to learn more about this stuff.  No wonder it fascinated Bob so.  It's kinda weird that problems with our house are kinda bringing me closer to him.  Alright... enough mushy stuff.  Thanks again. 

 

 

Oh... and Techman... I have a circuit tester.  Or should I say Bob has a circuit tester and meters, and other doo dads that I know nothing about.  For now anyway.  Something to work on. 

 

-Leslie

 

Hello Leslie,

 

Good to hear the POCO is going to help out in this regard as most would tell you to go pound sand or try to prove it was their fault.

 

I would highly suggest you hire a service professional that deals with appliances and request they go over all the major one's to ensure they are working with in fault tolerances.

 

Note, most repairmen are not too smart about a device and simply rely on the fact it runs and operates.

 

ie. Your fridge works and makes all the food nice and cold. Yet you hear a strange hum, or the unit does not shut down as expected.

 

You see the difference?

 

If you ask a tradesmen to see if something works the answer will be yes. If you ask them to confirm all areas of the device are working as stated from the manufacture (voltage, current) draw / load. This requires more diagnostic time and must be done over am extended period of time.

 

Its always good to wait a few weeks to see how things operate because this will give you an idea if its going to give up the ghost. Anything that smells, sounds weird, makes a buzz, hum, or labors to start, or take longer.

 

Let us know how things turn out, be well.