Electrical problems in school

[disinfo]

Do you not have any UPS's?

Even the most basic APC ups has logging software which will tell you about any under / over voltage and what time it occured. It will also give you an exact time that the power "trips"

 

[davelx]

If it's at 7.15 in the morning, why not go in and watch what happens?

 

[sdavies21216]

Also I have just thought that the computers could be set to turn on automatically after a power failure, although I woul;dn't have thought it was very likely that there would be a complete power failure every day.

 

[sdavies21216]

If it's at 7.15 in the morning, why not go in and watch what happens?

That is a good idea IMO, you'd find out then, first use the trick that was suggeasted earlier in this thread though, plug i8n a cheap mechanical timer, then read off what time it tripped before you reset the breaker, then go in at that time the next day.

Hope this helps.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Should an unqualified person be investigating electrical problems in a school?

 

[mattylad]

What is there to prevent an un qualified person watching what happens?

What qualifications do you think someone needs in order to watch PC's come on or an MCB trip?


And when he has watched it happen and he can see nothing untoward that may have caused it then he can call out a qualified person for another morning who can also watch it happen, then investigate it further.

 

[Atilla]

What is there to prevent an un qualified person watching what happens?

What qualifications do you think someone needs in order to watch PC's come on or an MCB trip?


And when he has watched it happen and he can see nothing untoward that may have caused it then he can call out a qualified person for another morning who can also watch it happen, then investigate it further.

except that you know this just will not happen.

 

[TicklyT]

Reminds me of when we were asked to investigate a telephone system that crashed regularly every monday morning at 8.15. We were on site at 8.00 to monitor what actually happened, but it continued working normally that day, and crashed the next morning at 8.15 instead.

Somewhat baffled, we attended site every morning afterwards for a full week, and it didn't crash once.

All became clear the next week when we were packing up to leave site just before 9.00 one morning. A cleaner dashed across the reception area saying "Good - you've finished early today - I've been waiting to go over that carpet for a week now - I've just got time before they open!"
She then opened the door of the cupboard that served as a comms room, and unplugged the phone system power lead so she could plug in her vacuum cleaner into the socket!

 

[BS3036]

Last time I heard that story it was in a hospital, and the socket fed life support equipment.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I do know that switching power supplies will try to draw more current if there is a voltage drop but that only works if more current is available, which there won't be if it's a power dip that's causing the voltage drop.

Of course there will be more current available.

There will be as much as the most sensitive protective device supplying the equipment will let through.

 

[mattylad]

except that you know this just will not happen.

Yes but the devil in us just wants to make him go in early