We got a call recently from someone who owns a home and is having issues with their lights dimming when a vacuum is started or any other motor. The lights typically dim to about 50% until the load is removed. The power company has visited the site several times and put a recorder on their service. They found that before the meter there was no issue, but after the meter they found that there were several low voltage dips around 30 times a day. They found a voltage present in the neutral of about 14 volts and the phase voltage to be 98 (I believe this is when the load is applied). Important Note: The lights do not return to 100% until the load is removed from the circuit.
Typically, I would think this is a power company issue but after hearing the info on the recorder I think the problem would have to be that the neutral isn't properly bonded to the ground or the house is insufficiently grounded. I hear about this issue a lot but it always seemed to be solved by the power company. Anyone have experience with this?
Typically, I would think this is a power company issue but after hearing the info on the recorder I think the problem would have to be that the neutral isn't properly bonded to the ground or the house is insufficiently grounded. I hear about this issue a lot but it always seemed to be solved by the power company. Anyone have experience with this?