All AFCIs tripping, related to solar storm?

N

noon9elec

Member
Location
Bourne, MA
Occupation
Self employed Electrical Contractor
Greetings,
30 yr self employed electrician here. Have never seen this happen, let alone in my own home, a brand new home, 6 months old.
I was watching news, they were discussing a solar storm, where in New England you may be able to see yhe Northern lights.
At 9;30 PM, EST, my wife called out that she lost power in bedroom. I figured she was imagining tjings, but ehrn I went to the 100-amp, Eaton subpanel, every AFCI breaker had tripped. However, only on one phase, thus every other breaker.
I am resetting these breakers and they don't hold. Then I hear the main panel breakers triipping. This is breakers on both phases, I thought I was tripping, and just went to bed, listening to wife complain it was way I wired home…. This morning everything reset Thoughts…..
 
W

winnie

Senior Member
Location
Springfield, MA, USA
Occupation
Electric motor research
Solar storms have been known to disrupt power grids, doing things like kicking out transformers on high voltage lines.

But something hitting only one bus of a single phase panel seems oddly specific and localized, and I'd think something else was going on. Possibly some sort of secondary effect where the solar storm causes some distribution system to respond, and that response impacts your panel.

Or perhaps you have something like a long outdoor circuit that was acting like an antenna?

Jonathan
 
ptonsparky

ptonsparky

Tom
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
noon9elec said:
Greetings,
30 yr self employed electrician here. Have never seen this happen, let alone in my own home, a brand new home, 6 months old.
I was watching news, they were discussing a solar storm, where in New England you may be able to see yhe Northern lights.
At 9;30 PM, EST, my wife called out that she lost power in bedroom. I figured she was imagining tjings, but ehrn I went to the 100-amp, Eaton subpanel, every AFCI breaker had tripped. However, only on one phase, thus every other breaker.
I am resetting these breakers and they don't hold. Then I hear the main panel breakers triipping. This is breakers on both phases, I thought I was tripping, and just went to bed, listening to wife complain it was way I wired home…. This morning everything reset Thoughts…..
Click to expand...
My cell phone disconnected yesterday afternoon. Home Wi-Fi gone, 5G and 4G down. Blamed the solar storm. What else could it have been?🙂

My spouse has had similar thoughts on occasion, but that’s okay. I’ve suggested that her Rolled Pork Roast sure didn’t taste like my Mothers. I needed some alone time anyway
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Or perhaps you have something like a long outdoor circuit that was acting like an antenna?
Click to expand...
Must be effecting this site as well, reply quoting the message isn't working for me, anyway seems like nearly every service has this with the service conductors?
 
R

ramsy

Roger Ruhle dba NoFixNoPay
Location
LA basin, CA
Occupation
Service Electrician 2020 NEC
noon9elec said:
brand new home, 6 months old.
New England ..Northern lights. At 9;30 PM, EST
Eaton subpanel, every AFCI breaker had tripped. This morning everything reset Thoughts…..
Click to expand...
Do the test buttons still work?

Eaton's built-in surge protection (SPD) + impedance of subpanel feeder may have delayed permanent damage.

NFPA-70 is now trying to protect GFCI & AFCI breakers with SPD.
2020 NEC requires SPD for panel flipping in "dwelling units". 2023 NEC 230.67 and 215.18 expands this to dormitory units, guest rooms/suites of hotels/motels, patient sleeping rooms of nursing homes, and limited-care facilities.

Nothing lasts forever with front-row seats to utility excursions, much less computerized integrated circuits.
 
N

noon9elec

Member
Location
Bourne, MA
Occupation
Self employed Electrical Contractor
winnie said:
Solar storms have been known to disrupt power grids, doing things like kicking out transformers on high voltage lines.

But something hitting only one bus of a single phase panel seems oddly specific and localized, and I'd think something else was going on. Possibly some sort of secondary effect where the solar storm causes some distribution system to respond, and that response impacts your panel.

Or perhaps you have something like a long outdoor circuit that was acting like an antenna?

Jonathan
Click to expand...
thanks for response I left out that it was only one phase, but that was initially in the sub panel While i was watching in amazement as breakers were tripping in front of me, my main 40 circuit panel, all breakers were tripping individually the next day everything reset no issues i am following up with Eaton first thing, but I am not expecting much.
 
N

noon9elec

Member
Location
Bourne, MA
Occupation
Self employed Electrical Contractor
ramsy said:
Do the test buttons still work?

Eaton's built-in surge protection (SPD) + impedance of subpanel feeder may have delayed permanent damage.

NFPA-70 is now trying to protect GFCI & AFCI breakers with SPD.
2020 NEC requires SPD for panel flipping in "dwelling units". 2023 NEC 230.67 and 215.18 expands this to dormitory units, guest rooms/suites of hotels/motels, patient sleeping rooms of nursing homes, and limited-care facilities.

Nothing lasts forever with front-row seats to utility excursions, much less computerized integrated circuits.
Click to expand...
Everything reset in morning, no apparent issues. where I go from here, I don’t know thanks
 
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