Voltage fluctuation caused by range

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sparkync

Senior Member
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North Carolina
I have a customer who has a problem with the range somehow interfering with the voltage between the 2 phases coming into the panel. When the range is turned on, it raises the voltage up on 1 phase, and is causing a TV to turn on by itself. Voltage in the panel is alright until range is turned on. The range is pretty old. I have checked connections at plug, on back of range, etc. and just assume that the inward wiring of the range is messed up. Any explanation on how this is happening?? Thanks for you input.
 
My knowledge on this is limited by my understanding is that an increase in voltage can only be caused by a bad neutral somewhere in the circuit. Have a look from the panel to the range for a bad connection. I’m sure others will be on here shortly to give more detailed troubleshooting techniques and correct me if I’m wrong.


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My guess is you have bad neutral and the Stove is just enhancing the problem.
 
My guess is you have bad neutral and the Stove is just enhancing the problem.

This. Contact the utility immediately.

I just had a client with the same issue, and the TV turning itself on was the only part of her story I had trouble believing. Wow.

It can get worse within days or hours. Call the utility after confirming the issue is not in the main panel. I find it's usually the utility's xformer connection. And it's usually affecting neighbors on the same xformer, also.
 
My guess is you have bad neutral and the Stove is just enhancing the problem.

I'm with you on that. If the house is pretty balanced load-wise, the range will upset that apple cart right quick, depending on what elements get turned on.
 
I'm with you on that. If the house is pretty balanced load-wise, the range will upset that apple cart right quick, depending on what elements get turned on.
Many ranges only have 240 volts to the elements, but if there is any 120 volt elements or situations where they apply 120 instead of 240 then that can throw otherwise balanced situation off.

1000 -1500 watt 120 volt load plugged in at various places in the house should still give similar results if there is a bad service/feeder neutral.
 
Many ranges only have 240 volts to the elements, but if there is any 120 volt elements or situations where they apply 120 instead of 240 then that can throw otherwise balanced situation off.
The old GE multi-button ranges used combinations of 120 and 240v across the two elements.
 
I would turn off all of the circuits in the house (all of them) except one 120V receptacle circuit, then plug in a hair dryer or heat gun or space heater, something with a reasonably significant load.

Check the voltage L1-N, L2-N, L1-L2 with nothing operating. Then turn on the heat gun (and nothing else) and check the voltages again. One line will have the load and the other line will not.

If the voltage goes up on one line to neutral and down on the other line to neutral and stays about the same on line to line, then this is an indication that there is a high resistance connection in the neutral feeding the panel (typically a PoCo neutral connection, but could be a meterbase issue but doubtful).

Don't let the PoCo rep just say everything is fine. Years ago I stepped outside and saw that there was a PoCo service truck next door. Being the curious fellow I am, I asked what was going on. I was told about flickering lights and watched the PoCo tech use a meter to check voltages and said everything was fine, and started to leave. Neighbors looked lost.

I intervened and did the test I described above and showed the PoCo tech that the voltage went up on one line and down on the other and that they indeed did have a neutral problem and he should not be leaving because they have a problem (I was pretty adamant to him). He went to the radio for a few, then came back with the "beast". Plugged it in, read the data, called in for a digging crew that found the underground splice that was defective.
 
The old GE multi-button ranges used combinations of 120 and 240v across the two elements.
How easy was it to get unbalance of more than 1500 maybe 2000 watts? That is what I find a little odd is OP seems to only have trouble when using the range, when a typical hair dryer can probably cause same problem.

But if they still have one of those old ranges, they may not have much else for modern loads?
 
Seems like there have been quite a few threads about neutral issues lately. Are they seasonal?
Probably. Rapid, frequent or extreme temperature changes will aggravate any mediocre connection. The frost line will penetrate to its deepest levels in late winter, bringing frost heaves with it. And stuff that stays dry most of the rest of the year will get wet during snowmelt season. (aka. "mud season" in New England)
 
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