High line voltage issues at Carverfest

yes what rainman said....

this took about 2 min to find.....

http://www.ncuc.commerce.state.nc.us/nc ... ulstoc.htm

chapter 8
page 11 and 12
on page 12 see sec: B sub sec:1



(b) In order to promote harmony between the service of electric suppliers and the utilization voltage requirements of presently manufactured equipment, the following service voltage variations are permitted:
(1) For service rendered for individual residential use or specifically for lighting purposes, the voltage variations shall not exceed five percent (5%) above or below the standard base voltage.

I dont think 134V falls within the plus/minus 5%....

this page has the phone number to call, in the lower left corner......

hint...hint....

Thank you for this post Mike. I just got off the phone with the owner of the cabins and he said our conversation was, and I quote, "enlightening". There is definitely some things going on behind the scenes both here and at the cabins and the power company [Duke Power] to address these issues. A class action lawsuit is also not out of the realm of possibility either. Time will tell on that.

It seems as if we are not the only folks that have an issue with the power that is provided to the cabins and at this point, Duke is denying that there is an issue. That is easily solved. The cabins will be recording the sine waves as well as incoming voltage in the coming months to prove to Duke Power that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. Once this is done, they will be forced to address the issue. I thank Tim for his time, money and efforts as well as his willingness to work with us to get this issue resolved.

Hang tight and when I know something, you folks will be the first to know. Hopefully, by next year's CF, there will be the great voltage we once had in year's past and no blown tubes or amplifiers.

Just in case they don't fix the voltage, I found a great deal on a UPS power conditioner:

APC S15 in silver for $300 shipped

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/ ... ite_search

This thing has an MSRP of $1500 and retails for $800.

It has voltage regulation:

The transformer in the unit automatically regulates power, allowing the S-type to correct brownouts and over voltages between 90-144 volts to within 5% of 120 volts. If the power goes outside this range the battery back-up will kick in to keep your system safely up and running.

I picked one up and it is really nice. It will be put into one of my systems this weekend.

Just an update...they are still working with Duke Power about the issues concerning the voltage.

Just in case they don't fix the voltage, I found a great deal on a UPS power conditioner:

APC S15 in silver for $300 shipped

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/ ... ite_search

This thing has an MSRP of $1500 and retails for $800.

It has voltage regulation:

The transformer in the unit automatically regulates power, allowing the S-type to correct brownouts and over voltages between 90-144 volts to within 5% of 120 volts. If the power goes outside this range the battery back-up will kick in to keep your system safely up and running.

I picked one up and it is really nice. It will be put into one of my systems this weekend.

I have the J version of that; my Sunfire UR would shut it down~

It wont' pass sufficient current at full tilt.

My Signature Sunfires don't work well with it either. I use it for my pre, cd and other stuff.

still,... 128-130V is out off spec....
the power company needs to fix this......

here is some reading...

I'll use my state law, most states have this....
or the power companys would be runnin amok....

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx ... 80-100-373
this one says 5% max or 8% total plus/minus....

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx ... 80-100-378


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_was_120V_ ... er_voltage

so what is the law in NC????

if the law is close to this, then the electric Co may not be aware they are outa spec....
but I bet they do know and dont care.....

That may be the law but I can tell you that Snohomish County (immediately north of where mbskeam is) PUD crowds 130 V power line mains frequently...

Just an update for those folks that have not arrived at the 'fest yet. All cabins tested so far have had perfect incoming voltage with no known voltage drift. Everything measured so far has been right on track at in between 119VAC and 122VAC, depending on the individual outlet at the cabins. To boot, the owners of the cabins called Duke Energy and had them come out the day we arrived to re-check the voltage at all six transformers that provide power to all of the cabins.

Now get this......just in case the power was drifting or off for the 'fest, the owners of the cabins went out and purchased a power regulator/battery backup unit for each cabin at no cost to the members attending. THAT, my friends, is going well above the call of duty and is almost unheard of in today's business world. It gets even better. Those who would like to take these units home with them, they can do so at a cost of only $100.00 per unit. How 'bout that?

It turns out that they have had some rather serious voltage issues. In working with the owners, we developed a plan that could get this fixed. The #1 thing that made Duke Energy get off their ass and admit they had a problem was a couple of months ago when a recorder was placed on the incoming voltage. It actually recorded worse voltage than we had last year at CF. Apparently the recorder showed that the incoming voltage was dipping down to 80 and as high as [EDIT]180VAC! Holy crap! No wonder we were blowing tubes left and right last year.

I would just like to take the time out to say a personal and collective thank you from the Carverfest attendees to Watershed Cabins for working with me, following up, staying on the ball and then going well above the call of duty to get this issue resolved. Your time spent on this is appreciated more than you know, especially knowing about the kind of winter you had up here this winter.

"the incoming voltage was dipping down to 80 and as high as 120VAC"

I thought 120 was pretty much the standard...weren't you seeing 130 VAC last year?

Sorry about that.....haven't had my morning coffee yet. That was a typo - It went up to 180VAC and dipped down to as low as 80VAC. Thanks for spotting that, Gary. Last year, Jerry had 139 in his cabin at one point. I believe his was the highest of all of the cabins last year...

119.8-120.2V as of 9:10 am...

Wow....180 is CRAZY! Sounds like the electrical version of the Slinky Effect....

That’s great! It sounds like the owners are doing everything they can to make sure everything goes well for Carverfest!

Just an update for those folks that have not arrived at the 'fest yet. All cabins tested so far have had perfect incoming voltage with no known voltage drift. Everything measured so far has been right on track at in between 119VAC and 122VAC, depending on the individual outlet at the cabins. To boot, the owners of the cabins called Duke Energy and had them come out the day we arrived to re-check the voltage at all six transformers that provide power to all of the cabins.

Now get this......just in case the power was drifting or off for the 'fest, the owners of the cabins went out and purchased a power regulator/battery backup unit for each cabin at no cost to the members attending. THAT, my friends, is going well above the call of duty and is almost unheard of in today's business world. It gets even better. Those who would like to take these units home with them, they can do so at a cost of only $100.00 per unit. How 'bout that?

It turns out that they have had some rather serious voltage issues. In working with the owners, we developed a plan that could get this fixed. The #1 thing that made Duke Energy get off their ass and admit they had a problem was a couple of months ago when a recorder was placed on the incoming voltage. It actually recorded worse voltage than we had last year at CF. Apparently the recorder showed that the incoming voltage was dipping down to 80 and as high as [EDIT]180VAC! Holy crap! No wonder we were blowing tubes left and right last year.

I would just like to take the time out to say a personal and collective thank you from the Carverfest attendees to Watershed Cabins for working with me, following up, staying on the ball and then going well above the call of duty to get this issue resolved. Your time spent on this is appreciated more than you know, especially knowing about the kind of winter you had up here this winter.

Thanks for the update Tom. Kudos to all of those involved to correct this problem.

Thanks for the info....