Sanskrit eh?tokuchanFebruary 25 2008, 17:47:02 UTC
Namu Amida butsu. Just repeat this a lot and you'll attain Nirvana.
Anyway, are the breakers leading into your apartment GFCI? It's possible that the surge is either too brief or too low for the breakers to detect, or there is a "leak" to ground somewhere that bypasses the breakers altogether.
Basically, a circuit breaker detects abnormal voltage and amperage spikes passing through the hot wire. You might have a ground fault problem, where the power levels are normal, but power is being diverted from the neutral wire to the ground. Normal circuit breakers cannot detect this, but GFCI breakers can. GFCI breakers are commonly used in outdoor sockets and bathrooms, and these days, new houses. They do everything that traditional breakers do, plus detect these diversions of current.
Re: Sanskrit eh?rtreesbaneFebruary 25 2008, 18:55:37 UTC
GFCIs do this, but only when wired correctly. The previous owners put in a dozen of them into the house, only 2 are wired properly to function as they should.
I wanted to say that I doubt National Grid actually tested "to" the apartments. They are responsible for the circuit up to the first box and that's it. After that box there's something else going on. Since you're bank is the only one being effected, something is wired wrong in that grid. Are there any 3 way light switches or switch slaved outlets? What does the ground look like and are all of the 3 wire outlets actually wired properly? Is there a broken ground wire somewhere, not the neutral but the ground? Are there any 220 circuits and what are they connected to (is anything else connected to them? Heck, is the bank wired properly since it's not tripping at a level that should trip it
( ... )
~nods~ I'm actually getting LOTS of useful information. Some of this will hopefully be useful soon, as the landlord is talking about bringing an electrician in to look at the electrical system in all 4 of the effected apartments
( ... )
I wanted to say that I doubt National Grid actually tested "to" the apartments. They are responsible for the circuit up to the first box and that's it. After that box there's something else going on.
This, exactly. We're right back to the "your landlord needs to hire himself a real electrician, to check HIS wires and find the faults."
Equipment-breaking power surges simply don't just happen. There has to be a cause somewhere, and Toku's probably 100% right about it being something the circuit breaker wasn't designed to handle. (I mean, if it WAS that, there'd be a hell of a lot of tripped breakers.)
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Anyway, are the breakers leading into your apartment GFCI? It's possible that the surge is either too brief or too low for the breakers to detect, or there is a "leak" to ground somewhere that bypasses the breakers altogether.
Basically, a circuit breaker detects abnormal voltage and amperage spikes passing through the hot wire. You might have a ground fault problem, where the power levels are normal, but power is being diverted from the neutral wire to the ground. Normal circuit breakers cannot detect this, but GFCI breakers can. GFCI breakers are commonly used in outdoor sockets and bathrooms, and these days, new houses. They do everything that traditional breakers do, plus detect these diversions of current.
Just a thought.
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TYVM!
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This, exactly. We're right back to the "your landlord needs to hire himself a real electrician, to check HIS wires and find the faults."
Equipment-breaking power surges simply don't just happen. There has to be a cause somewhere, and Toku's probably 100% right about it being something the circuit breaker wasn't designed to handle. (I mean, if it WAS that, there'd be a hell of a lot of tripped breakers.)
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