Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 05, 1999 05:33pm | #1

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   Mad Dog I'm not an electrician but sounds like a buss bar may be fried taking out 1/2 the 220 coming in causing one side of Your service to go limp. Were You ripping with a 220 citcuit or 110 and is the dust collection 220. It would be running on 110 and all circuits on the other half of that box would be out. May not be a buss bar but definitely sound like You lost 1/2 Your line coming in.

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 05, 1999 05:45pm | #2

   *It does appear like a 1/2 drop. The buss bar could be at fault - I've also had one line from the power company go bad between the pole and the box. Power company had to correct that.Ron Wiener, Woodcarver's Website

2. 
   Mad_Dog | Oct 05, 1999 10:27pm | #3

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   So far, I've spent about 6 hours trying to figure it out.
   What I have discovered is the 120v outlets in the barn that
   control the saw and dust collector are now only putting out
   about 75 volts. Everything else is still a mystery.

   Will check on the lines out to barn and see if one is fried
   in a visible area. They go through a pipe, underground.

   Thanks,

   MD

   xxxx

1. 
   Ernie_Hollmann | Oct 05, 1999 10:34pm | #4

   *Could you have fried your neutral?

3. 
   Guest_ | Oct 06, 1999 12:21am | #5

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   As mentioned above it could be a loose neutral. This can be a dangerous situation. Call the power company. They will come.

   Scott.

4. 
   Bob_Lee | Oct 06, 1999 06:19am | #6

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   I agree it sounds like an open neutral. I have seen something like this before, it was on the line coming in to the house. Some lights worked some didn't but every time the water pump(an ancient old piston pump) would come on the lights would pulse at the pump rpm.

1. 
   Ben_Carnes | Oct 06, 1999 06:32am | #7

   *If you've still got a pump struggling with low power and other motors trying to "make do" with what they're being fed you ought to shut them off immediately....they're gonna fry otherwise....Ask your neighbors if they have a similar problem....it could be the transformer feeding the neighborhood is cooked.... and it's all your fault, you old power hog....We have a drop in voltage at irregular times during the day and night... the lights dim (luckily the computer doesn't fry). I've noticed it for years and it wasn't until a few weeks ago while we were out in the backyard at night that I observed that the dimming occurred when my neighbor's A/C unit kicked on. Water and Power came out and did some line-checking and discovered that when their unit starts up it draws more than our entire house for a few seconds.... neighbors aren't worried about it.... "it's an old unit".... hhmmmm. Don't know how to tell them that they are wreaking havoc on the neighborhood.... nice retired folks.... oh, well.-BenView Image

5. 
   Guest_ | Oct 06, 1999 08:20am | #8

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   MAD DOG

   All of the above sound correct. Check the neutral first, it is your most likely cause with a reading of 75 vac.

   Did most of your sysmtoms happen when it was raining or right after a downpour? I recently had a problem with my power where it would get freaky during/after rains. Seems that on one of the extra footers I put in during workshop construction sat directly on the underground feeder for the property. Seems I must have knicked the isulation with a shovel(Wild guess on my part. I'm not admitting sh*t! :) ). It finally went out 100% with the worst possible timing, took out a transformer, and the dogs got loose while the crew repaired it!

   Scott

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 06, 1999 10:34am | #9

   *Gosh, it's a shame with those old A/C units when they get a tree branch stuck in the fan ... or get so dirty they overheat and fail ... or contamination in the coolant ruins the compressor ... or ... just kidding :)

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 06, 1999 03:06pm | #10

   *Ben,You had better put a upc on your computer. And talk to your neighbors. The local power company here will finance units. also if it is old the power savings may pay for the unit.Rick Tuk

6. 
   Ben_Carnes | Oct 06, 1999 05:59pm | #11

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   Yeah, I know, I should put a UPC on this thing, and probably should do a backup from time to time, also.... probably ought to tune up the truck every few years, too, and add some oil to my air compressor. It's just hard to get around to those things isn't it?

   -Ben
   View Image

1. 
   "Bubba"_Hollmann | Oct 06, 1999 06:40pm | #12

   *Looks like you fried a neutral.

7. 
   Guest_ | Oct 06, 1999 07:33pm | #13

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   If the neutral is loose and one leg is low then the other leg will be high if you have 120/240 to the building. You should also be able to read about 45 volts from neutral to ground if you are only reading 75V from hot to neutral with a bad neutral. Also are there 4 wires from the garage? Hot 1, hot 2, neutral, and ground. The neutral and ground should only be bonded togeather at one point, the Main panel. They should not be bonded togeather in any sub panels.

8. 
   Mad_Dog | Oct 07, 1999 05:55am | #14

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   Hey everyone, thanks for the various tips. It turned out
   that one half was blown out in a fuse panel (cartridge) in
   the lower level of the barn. It should've seen more obvious
   I guess, but there are so many little boxes here (12 between
   service entrance and the saw outlet that I overlooked it.

   Ben: I gotta tell you, I'm not dumb enough to let anything
   run while underpowered, but thanks anyway!

   M

9. 
   Mad_Dog | Oct 07, 1999 10:45am | #15

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   I was ripping some lumber in my shop,
   located in a barn, drawing some pretty
   good juice. Lights go out, motor stops,
   but the dust collector just slowed to a
   hum and lights in next room just went
   dim, as if in a brownout. Backtracking
   to fusebox, no blown fuses. Barn is fed
   from fusebox in garage. No blown fuses
   there either, but door opener flickering
   on and off, not able to close door, and
   water pump making a weird hum. outlets
   in garage not working. All on different
   fused circuits and not one blown fuse!

   I played around with fuses and switching
   lines around for a while with no luck.

   I'd like to get some water pumping
   fairly soon. So would other guys on job
   with me tomorrow (guessing).

   Any clues? Ever seen/heard this before?

   Could use som

10. 
    Guest_ | Oct 07, 1999 10:45am | #16

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    Or You could check all the fuses a secon.... Oh..nevermind.