"Blinking" electrical supply

[ApS]

Years ago, a thunderstorm would either leave us with electricity or without electricity.

In the case of Friday's storm -- the fiercest winds I've seen -- the power company dimmed our power down to about 25%, then restored it, then "blinked" it bright-dim-bright-dim-bright-dim — just like a turn signal in an automobile. (About 30 seconds).

At the first dim, the refrigerator sounded labored, so I unplugged it. Then went around and unplugged the rest of the motorized and electronic appliances.

Isn't irregular electrical supply bad for motorized appliances -- like the refrigerator and water pump? Or are they internally protected against power fluctuations?

Did anybody experience any appliance failures due to the above "blinking"?

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

Isn't irregular electrical supply bad for motorized appliances -- like the refrigerator and water pump? Or are they internally protected against power fluctuations?

It was a good idea to unplug them. Probably most motors will shrug off the dips but not all will. Dropping the voltage to a motor under load may cause it to slow enough (or even stall) such that it will draw more current than usual, for a longer time period than usual, and possibly overheat and/or burn out. Rapid fluctuations in line voltage is often not too good for your PC too.

[TomC]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

...the power company dimmed our power down to about 25%, then restored it, then "blinked" it bright-dim-bright-dim-bright-dim — just like a turn signal in an automobile. (About 30 seconds).

this effect was likely not intentionally done by the electric company. it was probably the result of overloads due to short circuits dragging down the grid until protection circuits dropped out the problem areas. You are right, though, it isn't particularly good for electrical/electronic equipment

[upthesaukee]

What you are talking about happening is a very good case in point for having an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for your computer. We have had one since we moved over to NH (9+ years) and we lose power or have fluctuations on a regular basis.

The battery backup will allow your computer to run on a nice clean flow of electricity (ups's have a filtering system to get rid of unwanted interference) and in essence, you actually run on battery power all the time. The electronics inside a computer are "delicate" and using a battery backup will help protect those components.

I have my Computer, my monitor, and an older cordless phone plugged into the battery backup side. I have my printer plugged into the "surge protection side" along with my scanner power. The backup is then plugged into a surge protector which is plugged into the wall. (Don't plug a surge protector into the back up!!!!!). When (if) (often happens ) we lose power, the battery backup will allow you to shut down safely and properly if necessary, and in our case, we have a phone available to use without having to dig into the closet for that non-cordless phone we have for emergencies.

Most boxed stock at a retail store will have an informational grid on the box that will tell you for this type of computer (tower, for example) and a monitor (17 in, for example) that boxed stock will allow up to xx number of minutes to safely shut down. Don't skimp on the backup. It's like protecting your assets with insurance. Decent backups would run from about $60 to $100. Well worth it!!!!