sounds like a lightening rod or better one is needed. Or 2 or 3
CK5
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The new shop. Progress.
- Thread starter ktmoutfront
- Start date
Might be worth adding another pair of ground rods. In reality, it was probably the charge in the air that did it. But most of the shittier circuits depend heavily on an earth ground that works well. Do you ever end up with a floating neutral?
2 5 foot long ground rods were installed when I did the new panel. 10 feet apart. Part of the local code.
Giant Tesla coil in the front yard to collect that air born electricity and put on a light show 
No floating neutral that I have found. But now you will see where my electrical expertise ends.
Turned my fan on, which I did not run yesterday, and the lights flickered and it ran a lot higher RPM.
The one row of lights that I rarely use, are fluorescent. Never swapped them out. They barely came on.
I checked the 2 circuits coming into the interior panel with just the lights on. Right side was 167 volts, left side 76 volts. I am putting left and right in so I remember. Lights are on 4 switches. 2 switches from each 15 amp breaker. Both breakers are thin and are drawing from the left side. As I turn the lights off one switch at a time, the voltage gets closer to balancing out. Checking to both neutral and ground. With the lights off, they are balanced at 121v each. I moved one breaker to draw from the right side, which moved the fan breaker to the left side.
Everything is working correctly and I do not have blinking LEDs now.
What happened?
Turned my fan on, which I did not run yesterday, and the lights flickered and it ran a lot higher RPM.
The one row of lights that I rarely use, are fluorescent. Never swapped them out. They barely came on.I checked the 2 circuits coming into the interior panel with just the lights on. Right side was 167 volts, left side 76 volts. I am putting left and right in so I remember. Lights are on 4 switches. 2 switches from each 15 amp breaker. Both breakers are thin and are drawing from the left side. As I turn the lights off one switch at a time, the voltage gets closer to balancing out. Checking to both neutral and ground. With the lights off, they are balanced at 121v each. I moved one breaker to draw from the right side, which moved the fan breaker to the left side.
Everything is working correctly and I do not have blinking LEDs now.
What happened?
Crappy connection where the breaker was plugged in?
New update. Redundant, I know.
Ran the drill press. Flat out turned the lights off on startup. So not fixed. Now I know it is a balance issue, which means an open neutral. Mine are goodfrom the meter to the interior panel. The utility company will be out sometime to see what is up. Seems to be their feed or meter. I was told to shut everything down. So I am eating lunch and will do tomorrow's mowing today.
Ran the drill press. Flat out turned the lights off on startup. So not fixed. Now I know it is a balance issue, which means an open neutral. Mine are goodfrom the meter to the interior panel. The utility company will be out sometime to see what is up. Seems to be their feed or meter. I was told to shut everything down. So I am eating lunch and will do tomorrow's mowing today.
If the two halves are not equal in voltage, the neutral is open circuit or has some resistance. This could be at the transformer or the service connection.
It's possible by moving loads around, the bad connection is temporarily shorting together or something and it fails again after the loads have gone away. Yes, probably best not to run anything because you could end up with something big (like a big motor) in series with something small (like a light) and get way more than 120V to the smaller item.
It's possible by moving loads around, the bad connection is temporarily shorting together or something and it fails again after the loads have gone away. Yes, probably best not to run anything because you could end up with something big (like a big motor) in series with something small (like a light) and get way more than 120V to the smaller item.
I had a weird issue with my modular I used to own where it would lose power to half the house and when I kicked the drier on it would come back. Had a crappy aluminum crimp/butt connector at the connection on the pole. After that experience I call the power company first because it's free unless I know it's a problem on my side.
I’m betting on utility transformer
aluminum has no place with electricity
The transformer feeds our house and the neighbors house. They are OK.
5pm and they are not here yet.
5pm and they are not here yet.
The feeds to the meters are aluminum.
Yeah I know, cause power companies are cheap. but they corrode, I know they goupe them up to seal out weather in an attempt to forestall the inevitable. Plus aluminum conductor and brass gurnnie coupler= corrosion. Retired LADWP employee I saw some budget cutting crap in my days, one of the worst was switch to Chinese transformers.
Neutral rubbed through by a branch in the Wednesday night storm. 
New section of all 3 wires going in, as the sheathing was lightly crispy on the power feeds.
New section of all 3 wires going in, as the sheathing was lightly crispy on the power feeds.
I asked him if it look like the neutral was burnt. When he got up there, yep.
Tossed this hot down.
Fried.
Tossed this hot down.
Fried.
Whose tree ? That burnt neutral was drop to house ?
My tree. House and shop have separate feeds and meters from the same transformer across the street. Heavy winds Wednesday night finally wore through one line and shorted to neutral.
