Mains Voltage

[Oxia]

Hi,

I was repairing a broken socket front yesterday in my house and noticed that at every point including the consumer unit the incoming voltage is 257-260v (fluctuates) is this acceptable or do I need to call northern power grid?

Thanks

 

[Iggifer]

Make a voltage complaint to Northern Power.

Anything over 253v is too high, if you're getting as high as 260v you're risking damage to sensitive equipment

 

[plugwash]

Firstly how much confidence do you have in your readings. In particular in my experiance multimeters with low batteries often over-read.

 

[westie101]

Firstly how much confidence do you have in your readings. In particular in my experiance multimeters with low batteries often over-read.

Doesn't matter they will check it themselves (no charge or penalty if the customer gets it wrong)

if you're getting as high as 260v you're risking damage to sensitive equipment

We really struggle to find evidence of damage to anything (other than cheap light bulbs having an even shorted life) at these voltage levels!

We've just been dealing with a difficult one where voltage has been at those levels and got presented with a few years worth of faulty electronics, no evidence was found by independant electronics engineers that any of them failed due to high volts!!

But baxck to the OP, yes report it as a voltage complaint and it will be dealt with!

 

[winston1]

Firstly how much confidence do you have in your readings. In particular in my experiance multimeters with low batteries often over-read.

Doesn't matter they will check it themselves (no charge or penalty if the customer gets it wrong)

if you're getting as high as 260v you're risking damage to sensitive equipment

We really struggle to find evidence of damage to anything (other than cheap light bulbs having an even shorted life) at these voltage levels!

We've just been dealing with a difficult one where voltage has been at those levels and got presented with a few years worth of faulty electronics, no evidence was found by independant electronics engineers that any of them failed due to high volts!!

But baxck to the OP, yes report it as a voltage complaint and it will be dealt with!

First, who are "We"?
Second, I fail to see how such evidence would show. A blown up bit of electronics can not tell you whether it was continuos over voltage or something else causing it.

 

[Spark123]

Westie works for one of the distribution network operators, as you say it is nigh on impossible to say whether or not a few extra volts has caused damage or just old age, manufacturer defect or an external influence is to blame.

 

[mfarrow]

Firstly, you need to decide what it is you're really complaining about. Is it:

- that you've got electronic equipment which is failing prematurely?
- that you're getting through a lot of light bulbs compared to your friends & family?
- that the lights in your home glow too brightly, and you'd really like them to glow a bit dimmer?
- that your kettle boils too quickly and you'd like to have to wait longer?
- that the motors in your tumble dryer/vacuum run too cool and efficient for your liking, and you'd really like them to run a bit hotter?

Think about all of these before making your complaint.

 

[westie101]

Firstly, you need to decide what it is you're really complaining about. Is it:

- that you've got electronic equipment which is failing prematurely?
- that you're getting through a lot of light bulbs compared to your friends & family?
- that the lights in your home glow too brightly, and you'd really like them to glow a bit dimmer?
- that your kettle boils too quickly and you'd like to have to wait longer?
- that the motors in your tumble dryer/vacuum run too cool and efficient for your liking, and you'd really like them to run a bit hotter?

Think about all of these before making your complaint.

To be honest non of these are relevant, the OP has measured voltages that appear to show the supply is outside statutory limits, that is all the DNO will be interested in.
There is no compensation (unless the issue is not resolved) there is no payback.

The DNO will measure and record the voltage over 7 days, if it is outside limits the voltage will be corrected.

I am and have dealt with this situations for about 10 years and we see about 4 or 5 queries a week. (a lot are showing from the information available from PV panel installations, corrected 2 yesterday and doing another tomorrow)

 

[JohnW2]

Second, I fail to see how such evidence would show. A blown up bit of electronics can not tell you whether it was continuos over voltage or something else causing it.

'Negative evidence' may be easier to find. Unless the electronic item had a really cheap and nasty power supply, it's very unlikely that the electronics, per se, would suffer as a result of supply over-voltage unless the power supply itself was comprehensively damaged - so, if the electronics is damaged but it's power supply is still functioing satisfactorily, I would have thought that one could probably be fairly sure that supply over-voltage had not been the culprit.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Oxia]

Thanks for all your replies I will give them a ring and see what they say. I have actually never had any problems from it apart from standard bulbs lasting about a week tops but since I have moved over to LED everything I have had no problems with blowing bulbs.

 

[mfarrow]

I have actually never had any problems from it

So it must be something I didn't list then:

- Your electric shower is too powerful, and you'd like to have colder showers or ones with a lower flowrate?
- The tumble dryer dries your clothes too quickly?

 

[JohnW2]

I have actually never had any problems from it apart from standard bulbs lasting about a week tops but since I have moved over to LED everything I have had no problems with blowing bulbs.

The life of all filament lamps (not just cheap ones, westie!) is dramatically dependent on voltage:

Untitled

• JohnW2
• 25 Sep 2013
• 1

As you can see, if a lamp was designed to have a life of 1,000 hours at 230V then at 260V (+13%), life expectancy would have reduced to 20% - i.e. 200 hours.

Kind Regards, John

 

[winston1]

Thanks for all your replies I will give them a ring and see what they say. I have actually never had any problems from it apart from standard bulbs lasting about a week tops but since I have moved over to LED everything I have had no problems with blowing bulbs.

All your guarantees on electrical equipment would be invalidated by using them on the incorrect voltage.

 

[Iggifer]

I would like to see Samsung (or whoever) prove that my supply was significantly greater than 230v+10%

 

[Monkeh]

Second, I fail to see how such evidence would show. A blown up bit of electronics can not tell you whether it was continuos over voltage or something else causing it.

Actually, it can. Depending on the cause of failure, different parts can fail in different ways. Overheating will cause a PSU to fail by high ESR capacitors or an open transformer winding, impulse voltage will blow a main filter cap apart or blow a transistor, continuous overvoltage is likely to cause death by broken down filter capacitors or resistors.

All that said, 260V won't cause a failure on any properly designed equipment.