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Trickle of electricity during outage

  • 28-03-2024 12:20pm
    #1
    plodder
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,354 ✭✭✭


    We are in the middle of a known outage at the moment, but we seem to be getting a small trickle of power. Enough to run some small devices (like the broadband/wifi) and some lights, but not enough for any high powered appliance. I've never seen this before. Could it be coming from neighbour's solar panels?

    I'm not 100% familiar with the smart meter display, but the symbol that shows a normal 230V phase is not showing.



Comments

  • #2
    10-10-20
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,411 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058343948/trickle-of-electricity-during-outage

    A solar inverter should not be doing this as the system should be isolating itself off the grid (anti-islanding) in times of an outage. It's written into the spec for grid connected systems and is demanded by ESBn. You may be seeing a brown-out condition where there is low voltage being delivered. I'd be very careful if that's what it is - it can blow devices very quickly through under-voltage.



  • #3
    L1011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,413 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    I've had this with a broken neutral before - there was sufficient path via earth to give ~70V

    Some stuff with switched mode power supplies, such as routers, would work and resistive heating also worked but at a quarter of power - fifteen minutes to boil a kettle sort of stuff.



  • #4
    plodder
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,354 ✭✭✭plodder


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948944#Comment_121948944

    That's what I thought (that the inverter shouldn't deliver power). I think I will disconnect the modem. Thanks!



  • #5
    tomhammer..
    Registered Users Posts: 1,304 ✭✭✭tomhammer..


    I switch off if there's a voltage disturbance or outage

    Main switch and rcbos/rcds



  • #6
    plodder
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,354 ✭✭✭plodder


    So, the power went off completely around ten minutes before it was restored. I guess it was a brown-out then. Never seen that here before.

    Thanks for the advice!



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  • #7
    Antenna
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,327 ✭✭✭Antenna


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948955#Comment_121948955

    Probably OK to have left the modem on - its power supply is likely capable to work for all worldwide voltages 100V (Japan) to 240 V , so whatever low voltage you were getting it still worked.

    Anything with an electric motor which fail to turn but still have current flowing through them would be a concern to plug out



  • #8
    Glaceon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,148 ✭✭✭Glaceon


    We had a power failure in south Drogheda on 18th March last. At first, we just noticed a dimming of the lights and our radio shut off. I have all of the comms stuff on a UPS, which kicked in. The UPS logs showed that the power dropped down to 98 volts for about 10 minutes and then went out entirely. Came back on about an hour later.



  • #9
    Lenar3556
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,507 ✭✭✭Lenar3556


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121965496#Comment_121965496

    it’s not uncommon, can happen when the ESB transformer supplying your house looses one of the incoming phases. You get 50% voltage on some of the phases on the secondary side. Best to turn all off until the situation is resolved.



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