What are the signs of low voltage or other power disturbances?
|
What causes these power disturbances?
Sags/Swells
- Symptoms - shrinking computer displays (the image doesn't fill the whole screen) or lights that are overly bright or dim.
- Causes - brief reductions or increases in voltage that occur when a major appliance switches on or off or by a short circuit.
Transient Voltage
- Symptoms - processing errors, data loss or burned circuit boards.
- Causes - Also known as impulses or spikes, these problems occur when there are sudden increases in voltage. Transient voltage conditions may be caused by lightning, or starting or stopping major equipment.
Radio/Television Interference or Noise
- Symptoms - loss of radio/television reception, poor-quality sound or picture that is interrupted by static, popping sounds, crackles, rolling horizontal lines, wavy lines, snow, ghosting or other reception problems.
- Cause - Signals from other equipment, usually within your home or a neighbor's home. Possible sources include doorbell transformers, toaster ovens, electric blankets, ultrasonic pest controls, fans, refrigerators, heating pads, light dimmers, touch-controlled lamps, fluorescent lights, aquarium or waterbed heaters, furnace controls, computers or video games. At times, the interference may be generated by utility equipment, such as loose hardware, or dirty or damaged insulators.
Harmonic Distortion
- Symptoms - Home appliance problems, such as communication errors, overheating or electrical hardware damage.
- Causes - Certain home electronic equipment, such as computers, computer monitors, laser printers, video games, touch-controlled lamps and fluorescent lights, may use electricity in a way that causes distortion of the normal electrical wave pattern. Contrary to popular belief, harmonic distortion is not caused by a utility company sending out distorted electrical current.
