voltage fluctuation

Andy From Sligo

hello, is it normal for household electric voltage fluctuate from 240v to lower figure as low as 231v or should it be stabilised at 240v all the time?

- i have one of these digital plug in energy meter devices that plugs into the sockets and calculates wattage that an appliance uses. if i press a button the voltage will come up on the screen. this morning it said 240v but when i put 3kw kettle on it went down to 234v and then back up to 240v when the kettle boiled and switched off.

And sometimes in the evenings lights will dim a bit without anything heavy wattage being on, obviously when 8kw shower goes on they dim quite a lot, i havent even checked what the voltage goes down to when the 8kw shower is on, i must check.

but other times i have looked at the energy device and its read as low as 231v on the screen. - have you an idea why it fluctuates like that throughout the day? - would anything need to be added to the outside pole by esb do you think to stabilize the voltage or bring it back up or level out voltage to 240v even when heavy things like the 8kw shower is on? thanks.

Explosive_Cornflake

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

hello, is it normal for household electric voltage fluctuate from 240v to lower figure as low as 231v or should it be stabilised at 240v all the time?

- i have one of these digital plug in energy meter devices that plugs into the sockets and calculates wattage that an appliance uses. if i press a button the voltage will come up on the screen. this morning it said 240v but when i put 3kw kettle on it went down to 234v and then back up to 240v when the kettle boiled and switched off.

And sometimes in the evenings lights will dim a bit without anything heavy wattage being on, obviously when 8kw shower goes on they dim quite a lot, i havent even checked what the voltage goes down to when the 8kw shower is on, i must check.

but other times i have looked at the energy device and its read as low as 231v on the screen. - have you an idea why it fluctuates like that throughout the day? - would anything need to be added to the outside pole by esb do you think to stabilize the voltage or bring it back up or level out voltage to 240v even when heavy things like the 8kw shower is on? thanks.

Voltage is 230 in Ireland, link here

Andy From Sligo

Explosive_Cornflake wrote: »

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

hello, is it normal for household electric voltage fluctuate from 240v to lower figure as low as 231v or should it be stabilised at 240v all the time?

- i have one of these digital plug in energy meter devices that plugs into the sockets and calculates wattage that an appliance uses. if i press a button the voltage will come up on the screen. this morning it said 240v but when i put 3kw kettle on it went down to 234v and then back up to 240v when the kettle boiled and switched off.

And sometimes in the evenings lights will dim a bit without anything heavy wattage being on, obviously when 8kw shower goes on they dim quite a lot, i havent even checked what the voltage goes down to when the 8kw shower is on, i must check.

but other times i have looked at the energy device and its read as low as 231v on the screen. - have you an idea why it fluctuates like that throughout the day? - would anything need to be added to the outside pole by esb do you think to stabilize the voltage or bring it back up or level out voltage to 240v even when heavy things like the 8kw shower is on? thanks.

Voltage is 230 in Ireland, link here

hmm.. is the energy meter calibrated wrong then?

Electric Ireland: David

Hi Andy From Sligo,

If you have any concerns about voltage fluctuations, it would be best to contact ESB Networks on 1850 372 757. Their stated voltage (for single phase connections) should be in the range of 207 Volts to 253 Volts.

You can find further details here. Hope this helps.

Thanks,
David

Andy From Sligo

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

Hi Andy From Sligo,

If you have any concerns about voltage fluctuations, it would be best to contact ESB Networks on 1850 372 757. Their stated voltage (for single phase connections) should be in the range of 207 Volts to 253 Volts.

You can find further details here. Hope this helps.

Thanks,
David

thanks David for the reply - looking on their details it looks like the mic would need to be upgraded if I have it correctly, and at over a thousand euro plus to do that I think I might just put up with the lights going dim when something heavy is on!!

Electric Ireland: David

Hi Andy From Sligo,

Happy to help. I think it might be worth contacting ESB Networks on 1850 372 757 to further enquire about the cost just to be sure, as factors such as your existing MIC and the surrounding electricity network may be taken into consideration.

Thanks,
David

Andy From Sligo

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

Hi Andy From Sligo,

Happy to help. I think it might be worth contacting ESB Networks on 1850 372 757 to further enquire about the cost just to be sure, as factors such as your existing MIC and the surrounding electricity network may be taken into consideration.

Thanks,
David

thanks, i think i will later on. I am first going to keep a diary/record over a month of the voltage and what times of the day it changes and what items are on when the voltage dips and then see what they say. Thanks.

Electric Ireland: David

Sounds like a very sensible plan Andy, best of luck.

Thanks,
David