Nothing In Particular

Subjects that don't have their own home
User avatar
jack
Thermionic Monk Status
Posts: 5493
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:58 pm
Location: ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ oʇ ƃuıʌoɯ ƃuıɹǝpısuoɔ
Contact:

#13231 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by jack »

Grumble grumble.

You try your best, do everything right, then find the utility provider is just awful.
Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt
User avatar
Ray P
No idea why I do this anymore
Posts: 6294
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:18 pm
Location: Somerset

#13232 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by Ray P »

Sounds about par for the course Nick.

I recently switched from EDF: their prices were good but when it came to checking out the market their website won't provide you any infomation on your usage to feed into comparisons (I use MoneySavingExpert) - it's just a cynical way of detering people from switching but it just made me more determined to switch from them!
Sorry, I couldn't resist!
User avatar
pre65
Amstrad Tower of Power
Posts: 21373
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: North Essex/Suffolk border.

#13233 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by pre65 »

Have you tried Octopus Ray ?

I use them via the Co op.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke

G-Popz THE easy listening connoisseur. (Philip)
User avatar
jack
Thermionic Monk Status
Posts: 5493
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:58 pm
Location: ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ oʇ ƃuıʌoɯ ƃuıɹǝpısuoɔ
Contact:

#13234 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by jack »

It's not the provider (we use Bulb), it's those responsible for historical infrastructure, nominally UK Power Networks.

Basically, we are supposed to have 100A 3phase here.

I just tried drawing 35A on one of the phases and the voltage dropped 9% at the utility input. This is not an "unbalanced phases" or neutral current issue... It's that the cable to our house, which is 100s of metres long and buried, is not up to spec. At 100A the voltage should only drop 5%, so we're way off that.

The main part of the cable was probably laid in the 1950s...

Just another problem, but a serious one as the sauna I've been building from scratch won't get up to temperature correctly as the 9KW heater is getting confused by the voltage drop - it's seeing a 32V drop, mostly from the feeble utility feed. All the intra-site drop is within spec, but that doesn't help when there's simply not enough juice being delivered to the house. Just pathetic and will probably take months to resolve.
Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt
User avatar
Nick
Site Admin
Posts: 15704
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 10:20 am
Location: West Yorkshire

#13235 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by Nick »

Have you tried each phase? It may be that one of them has dodgy contacts somewhere, the others could be better.
Whenever an honest man discovers that he's mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken or he will cease to be honest.
User avatar
jack
Thermionic Monk Status
Posts: 5493
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:58 pm
Location: ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ oʇ ƃuıʌoɯ ƃuıɹǝpısuoɔ
Contact:

#13236 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by jack »

Nick wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:54 pm Have you tried each phase? It may be that one of them has dodgy contacts somewhere, the others could be better.
Yep. All three are the same.

Speaking to a mate who was very senior in the LEB and really understands 3phase distribution, he's asked me to put a thermocouple on the neutral point at the utility entry to check for excessive current there to check the phase imbalance.
Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt
User avatar
Ray P
No idea why I do this anymore
Posts: 6294
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:18 pm
Location: Somerset

#13237 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by Ray P »

pre65 wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:49 pm Have you tried Octopus Ray ?
Yes, but I don't think it was cooked as well as it might have been and was a bit tougher than I expected and not particularly flavoursome - some friends tell me it can be fantastic when cooked well.

On utility provision, I've already done a switch from EdF and we're now with Bulb, but I have no tie ins so, as prices are rising, I'll probably have a a scout of the MSE site again.
Sorry, I couldn't resist!
User avatar
Mike H
Amstrad Tower of Power
Posts: 20157
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 5:38 pm
Location: The Fens
Contact:

#13238 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by Mike H »

Line of unrelated context demarcation.
Image
-
Champing at St Leonard's

 
"No matter how fast light travels it finds that the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."
User avatar
Nick
Site Admin
Posts: 15704
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 10:20 am
Location: West Yorkshire

#13239 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by Nick »

jack wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 9:00 pm
Nick wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:54 pm Have you tried each phase? It may be that one of them has dodgy contacts somewhere, the others could be better.
Yep. All three are the same.

Speaking to a mate who was very senior in the LEB and really understands 3phase distribution, he's asked me to put a thermocouple on the neutral point at the utility entry to check for excessive current there to check the phase imbalance.
Have you a clamp meter? If not want to borrow one?
Whenever an honest man discovers that he's mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken or he will cease to be honest.
User avatar
jack
Thermionic Monk Status
Posts: 5493
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:58 pm
Location: ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ oʇ ƃuıʌoɯ ƃuıɹǝpısuoɔ
Contact:

#13240 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by jack »

Nick wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:23 pm Have you a clamp meter? If not want to borrow one?
Thanks for the offer but I've just ordered a Uni-T UT210E, which whilst not a Fluke/Agilent/Keysight/Keithley etc. should be more than adequate. For around 40 quid, it seems a good bit of kit and has a lot of good reviews..

UT210E UNI-T Mini True Rms Clamp Meter Ac/DC Current W/ Capacitance Auto Range https://g.co/kgs/mnm4Bg

Big Clive and EEVBLOG etc. love it as does Mark Hennessy who is a BBC senior engineer who I know and who did a detailed review.

Can't believe I didn't already have a clamp meter in the toolbag...

Also, my ex-LEB friend is a bit concerned about harmonics if phases are not matched (all sorts of weird stuff can happen). He's lending me a Fluke 435 (which I've used before in data centres) but which is probably huge overkill for this.
Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt
User avatar
pre65
Amstrad Tower of Power
Posts: 21373
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: North Essex/Suffolk border.

#13241 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by pre65 »

Seems Photobucket are getting a bit more serious.

"Your account is over storage, either purchase a premium plan or delete your account."

Mind you, it's ages since I got the last message from them.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke

G-Popz THE easy listening connoisseur. (Philip)
User avatar
jack
Thermionic Monk Status
Posts: 5493
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:58 pm
Location: ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ oʇ ƃuıʌoɯ ƃuıɹǝpısuoɔ
Contact:

#13242 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by jack »

If anyone knows of a good & reliable LED equivalent of a 500W halogen security flood , that would be great!

BTW. I can use Google just fine, but I'm hoping for actually experience with one!
Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt
User avatar
Nick
Site Admin
Posts: 15704
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 10:20 am
Location: West Yorkshire

#13243 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by Nick »

Not that big, We use 800 Lumin ones in the barn, and the first set only asted about 3 years, but the replacements (fingers crossed) seem better, so I think they are generally more reliable than they were. Not much help though.
Whenever an honest man discovers that he's mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken or he will cease to be honest.
User avatar
jack
Thermionic Monk Status
Posts: 5493
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:58 pm
Location: ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ oʇ ƃuıʌoɯ ƃuıɹǝpısuoɔ
Contact:

#13244 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by jack »

Nick wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:14 am Not that big, We use 800 Lumin ones in the barn, and the first set only asted about 3 years, but the replacements (fingers crossed) seem better, so I think they are generally more reliable than they were. Not much help though.
Ta. a 500W Halogen is about 10-11,000lm and the 50W LED "equivalents" are generally only 4,000lm, so I just don't see the comparison.

Our halogen one has been up there (just below the guttering, about 20ft up) for 16 years and never had a bulb change, though the glass is crazed.

In the winter, the badgers set it off a lot, so it's time for change... (everything being moved to LED).
Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt
User avatar
ed
retired
Posts: 5384
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 4:01 pm
Location: yorkshire
Contact:

#13245 Re: Nothing In Particular

Post by ed »

Nick wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:14 am Not that big, We use 800 Lumin ones in the barn, and the first set only asted about 3 years, but the replacements (fingers crossed) seem better, so I think they are generally more reliable than they were. Not much help though.
800 lumins, isn't that about 60watts equiv??. how many do you use???
I use 2 x 1550 lumins in the kitchen and that just about cuts it....

sorry, posts overlapped

my understanding is that 100w equiv is anywhere between 1200 and 1500 lumins.....I beleive 4000 lumins is way above 50w.
ah.. I begin to see what you mean now.....60watss led is 4000 lumins
the ones I use are 13watts led and I beleive they are 100watts incandescent equiv.....it gets trixy doesn't it..
There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
Post Reply