I've had problems with lights blowing out after only a day or a few weeks at the most. I also have a room where the lights go out a few seconds after they are switched on. Will my service upgrade fix some of this, all of this?
Will I be able to run more high-powered devices/appliances at once? What are the obvious and identifiable benefits of this upgrade?
Also, will I only receive the benefits when my utility comes to connect the line on my street to my upgraded service? My contractor made it sound like the line I have from my street right now might already have 200amps. If so, is there any way a lay person can test or confirm this? I know the work was done, I was just hoping to be able to notice the difference.
2007-02-21 06:27:18 · 5 answers · asked by alcoh71 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The problem with light bulbs going out after a short period of time seems to have stopped since the contractor has done the job. I'm still waiting for my town to inspect the work and for the utility to do whatever it needs to do to finalize the job. I probably should have clarified this upfront. My earlier questions relate in part to what the utility does at this point. I'm writing this after receiving four answers.
2007-02-21 07:57:36 · update #1
Upgrades as you describe will not fix the power surges you also describe. You need to purchase a line stabilizer to even out the surges on your feed from the city.
They are not expensive when you consider that everything you have plugged into your house is getting boosted every now and then by too much electricity. Some things are fragile (like light bulbs) and can't handle the 'shots' much so they fail. Imagine your fridge or washer or tv failing due to this. The warranties will not be valid for this type of thing. Your electrical comapny has test equipment they will install on your line to evaluate whether or not this is the problem. I would call them, explain your scenario and ask them to confirm a stable feed to your house. Push, they'll drag their feet but eventually come around and verify your concerns or suggest some other source for the problem after they test.
Good Luck!
2007-02-21 06:40:15 · answer #1 · answered by 6kidsANDalwaysFIXINGsomething 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The line coming from the pole connecting to your home is the power utilities responsibility. They are the ones who connected this to your new down pipe. Don't let the contractor charge you for this. You will be able to use more power consuming devices, all at once, so long as they are not on the same circuit. If you do blow a circuit, it will be easier to fix than the old fuses you had. I hope those bulbs were blowing before you got the upgrade, not since. If they are blowing now, I would call a different electrician to diagnose this problem.
2007-02-21 06:47:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The service is regulated by the meter. If you upgraded from 100amp service to 200amp, they may not have to change the wire to the street, just your meter outside. Your power will be out while this is changed.
As for the other problems, I would check with an electrician, especially the room where the lights turn off. Normally a service upgrade is only helpful if you notice lights dimming while an appliance on a separate circuit breaker is drawing power. Otherwise, you may have underpowered / faulty circuit breakers. This is something that a trained electrician should handle.
2007-02-21 06:39:01 · answer #3 · answered by _Hiro_ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A service upgrades only gives you the abilty to add more circuits to you panel and more loads and thats is about it besides adding value to your house. The problem with the lights going out that quickly sounds like it may be a surge problem and that could be solved with a whole house surge protector and for the wires coming from the pole to the house they are usually good for as much as 400 amps even though they may be smaller then the wires in your service due to the insulation on the wires
.
2007-02-22 10:54:11 · answer #4 · answered by brndnh721 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WOW dude you got skrewed. Increasing your service to 200 amps will only allow you to run more electrical items at the same time. For some reason the electrical quality is not where it should be. Have the contractor hook up a voltage recorder to see when the voltage in the house is spiking, and spiking up to what amount (VAC). You may have to install a line filter.
As for checking to see if the service to the house is rated for 200 amps, I strongly recommend to let the utility service check this for you.
2007-02-21 06:46:47 · answer #5 · answered by Mike S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋