Help with Partial Outage in NY

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cqueen40

Member
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Occupation
Investment and Public Policy
Hello, I live in an apartment building in Brooklyn, NY. We are currently in a heat wave and Con ED has reduced voltage by 8%. They have also advised using only 1 AC and reducing energy usage. My 5000 BTU AC works but the brand new 8000 BTU will barely go into cool. Furthermore, even when the 5000 BTU is on, the lights in my kitchen and bathroom are dim to the point of being off.

That can't be the trade off right? Something tells me it may also be something with my electrical wiring. Even when we didn't have a heatwave a few days ago and I had two ACs on, the lights were quite dim.

Should I go to Con ED first and then find an electrician with my landlord? Obviously, the default answer now is it's a heatwave but I feel like there is more to it! What questions should I be asking? Thank you!
 
I don't know if the moderators are going to allow this one, but since it could be time sensitive, I'll just ask questions so that if they allow it, some of the information that is needed will be there.

1) Square footage of the apartment
2) Approximate age of the building
3) Size of the service (this would be a number in amps). You may not be able to access the disconnect to get this info.
4) A better description of "barely goes into cool".
5) Are lights dimmer just when the unit starts or all the time while it is running?
6) What (generally) are the other loads of any significance running at the same time?
7) Type of bulbs that are getting very dim: incandescent, fluorescent or LED?
 
Check if the neighboring apartments are having the same problem. Most equipment can tolerate a 8% voltage reduction and still function, so after you find out if it is isolated to your apartment only, call your landlord for an electrician
 
busman said:
I don't know if the moderators are going to allow this one, but since it could be time sensitive, I'll just ask questions so that if they allow it, some of the information that is needed will be there.

1) Square footage of the apartment
2) Approximate age of the building
3) Size of the service (this would be a number in amps). You may not be able to access the disconnect to get this info.
4) A better description of "barely goes into cool".
5) Are lights dimmer just when the unit starts or all the time while it is running?
6) What (generally) are the other loads of any significance running at the same time?
7) Type of bulbs that are getting very dim: incandescent, fluorescent or LED?
Click to expand...
1) 800 sq ft
2) 1931, old pre war building
3) NA
4) the 8000 BTU AC will not cool in cool mode. It will stay in fan mode. It doesn't appear compressor is turning on
5) Lights dim all the time while it is running
6) The Fridge is running, gas stove was on for a little bit. Two ACs didn't work so I only kept the 5000 btu on but I am not using a washer or dryer or any heavy applicances
7) LED lights getting dim

Hopefully this helps! Thank you
 
ron said:
Check if the neighboring apartments are having the same problem. Most equipment can tolerate a 8% voltage reduction and still function, so after you find out if it is isolated to your apartment only, call your landlord for an electrician
Click to expand...
other buildings having similar issues
 
(based on the info available)
Unless it was rewired, this sounds like the type of place that was built for some lights, a clothes iron, and maybe a refrigerator. It could be that two A/Cs happened to work with the voltage from the street was was 120 and they could cope with the drop from there; reduce the street to 110 volts then add a higher drop (higher motor current at lower voltage), and they just give up.

There probably aren't any quick fixes, but having an electrician measure the voltage at each outlet would tell them a lot.
 
Con Ed came by and said the building was getting all the power but whatever it was going through in the basement was too small. They advised upgrading electrical equipment. I think the wiring could be dropping the voltage a bit lower than the 8%
 
cqueen40 said:
Lights dim all the time while it is running... LED lights getting dim
Click to expand...
That would indicate more than just a lowering of the voltage by 8%. The voltage would hold steady under load at approximately 115V which is normal for many kinds of equipment. No, sounds like each apartment was wired with one 15A circuit for a light bulb and hotplate. Probably a 30A fuse or a penny. Then what @zbang said above.

-Hal
 
cqueen40 said:
Con Ed came by and said the building was getting all the power but whatever it was going through in the basement was too small. They advised upgrading electrical equipment. I think the wiring could be dropping the voltage a bit lower than the 8%
Click to expand...
You should have noticed lights dimming and flickering when the voltage was normal.

-Hal
 
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