Has Con Ed reduced voltage in parts of Queens? (Floral Park: water heater, utilities)

[martinjsxx]

I'm in the Floral Park area of Queens and the lights are dimmer and the A/C seems to be running on lower power.

[mathjak107]

Ac motors lock on to frequency and do not have more or less power with voltage drops. They draw more amperage trying to do the same work and may shut off to protect them selves but they do not have more or less cooling power.

[martinjsxx]

The lights are dimming at times to nightlight level and the A/C is still running but it's barely cooling.

[bluedog2]

Maybe the ac is dying and it is causing the lights to dim

[mathjak107]

Lights will dim if voltage drops. Motors do not run slower with ac power.

Perhaps the compressor is just not kicking on or like i said running ,getting to hot from over current and shutting down.

Your first thread said the ac was running. Both fan and compressor ?

[martinjsxx]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

Lights will dim if voltage drops. Motors do not run slower with ac power.

Perhaps the compressor is just not kicking on or like i said running ,getting to hot from over current and shutting down.

Your first thread said the ac was running. Both fan and compressor ?

I'm sure you know more about electricity than I do but this is from a 2012 story about Con Ed reducing voltage:

Customers do not lose power in a voltage reduction, but incandescent lights, for example, glow dimmer, hot water heaters take longer to heat water and some motors run slower.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...86***M20120718

[nybbler]

Unlikely they're doing it on purpose, but it's possible there's a problem with a transformer in your area. If the lights are dimming to "nightlight" levels you should definitely call Con-Ed; voltage that low can damage motors.

[martinjsxx]

I reported it to Con Ed but they have a terrible reporting/status system. When I check the status, the system shows no record of a report.

[martinjsxx]

Originally Posted by nybbler

Unlikely they're doing it on purpose, but it's possible there's a problem with a transformer in your area. If the lights are dimming to "nightlight" levels you should definitely call Con-Ed; voltage that low can damage motors.

That could be it. Back in March the lights were dim too and it took about a week for it to get back to normal after I reported it. Maybe it's something like a transformer.

[mathjak107]

Originally Posted by martinjsxx

I'm sure you know more about electricity than I do but this is from a 2012 story about Con Ed reducing voltage:



http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...86***M20120718

there is nothing linked.

but contrary to myth here are the basics about voltage cuts .

what you need to understand is that incandescent light bulbs or electric heaters are resistive loads .

cut voltage and they do less work . the bulb dims ,the heater gives off less heat.

ac motors are inductive loads and work by power and frequency of the current . power is volts x amps .

the ac motor locks on to the frquency , we use 60 cycle current and the motor will strive to keep turning the same speed doing the same work no matter what..

if voltage is reduced the motor will just draw more amps to take up the slack.

if the motor draws more amps then it runs hotter.

motors have thermal protection devices that cut them off if they get to hot. they have either internal temperature discs or use line starters with overload protection.

that is why stating the ac is running can be misleading if it is really short cycling on and off to quickly from the add'l current.

you would have very different issues if both the fan and compressor were constantly running and you had low or no cooling as that would have zero to do with voltage cuts.

with voltage cuts you would hear the compressor going on and and off even if the fan is still running.

what i do for a living is design control panels that use "magic boxes " called vfd's or variable frequency drives. these alter the frequency of ac motors and fool it , that way we can slow them down on blowers and pumps and regulate speed by demand using sensors of all sorts..