Power Surges

[gman76]

I have just read this article in my local rag, I was left feeling a bit puzzled by a couple of points:-

Is that a viable explanation by SSE?

Do they really expect customers to contact them when planning to throw the switch?

Untitled

• gman76
• 15 Dec 2011
• 1

Anyone in the know care to comment?

 

[Monkeh]

Do they really expect customers to contact them when planning to throw the switch?

They expect customers to contact them when installing 60A of storage heaters. Multiply that by a street and you have a problem.

 

[gman76]

When you have storage heating installed, yes, I can understand that - but every time you wish to switch them on?!

 

[Monkeh]

I imagine that was a poor choice of words on their part. If they already knew about the heaters there wouldn't have been a problem, surely.

 

[westie101]

Smells more of a non engineering member of staff giving a poorly researched story to the press!

 

[FDJ]

I have just read this article in my local rag, I was left feeling a bit puzzled by a couple of points:-

Is that a viable explanation by SSE?

Do they really expect customers to contact them when planning to throw the switch?

Untitled

• gman76
• 15 Dec 2011
• 1

Anyone in the know care to comment?

Like most things in the newspapers, its utter B*llocks!

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[bhm1712]

that is a load of rubbish, do they expect people to believe that everybody turned their heaters on simultaneously? the grid control is designed and works in such a way that sudden demand increase goes un-noticed at the end users supply.... ill be damned if im going to ring up and tell them im about to turn stuff on, ill wait 30 minutes to get through on the phone, have to explain to someone that i would like to turn my water heater on and actually get them to understand. By this time i could have heated the water and had the bath...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

that is a load of rubbish, do they expect people to believe that everybody turned their heaters on simultaneously?

Yes, it is a load of rubbish, but if there was a sudden drop in temperature forecast for the next day, a lot of people might have decided to turn their heaters on, and they would all come on at the same time if they were storage heaters as reported.

 

[bhm1712]

accepted, but still rubbish

 

[bernardgreen]

I recall the transformer supplying a housing estate that groaned loudly as an entire estate of night storage heaters switched on in unison. I was told it visible shook as the load increased. The supply to communications equipment in a building supplied from the same sub station dropped by several volts which tripped the supply fault alarms. ( the reason I was there at that late hour ). Within weeks the estate had all its radio controlled off peak switches altered to stagger the switch. It didn't alter the low voltage when all were on but it did reduce the mechanical shock to the transformer. That transformer was later changed for a larger one and a separate one was installed for the supply to the communications building.