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Power cut only upstairs |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 411
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Power cut only upstairs
I don't know where to post this, but the other night we had a local power cut for about a minute.
My Sky-box upstairs went off along with lights etc.and had to be restarted,but downstairs my Sky-box along with tv,cooker clock and a normally sensitive trip for outside pond pump stayed on.Anyone know how this could happen? Neighbouring houses were affected by the cut but I don't if they only had a partial cut like mine. |
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,296
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Quote:
I don't know where to post this, but the other night we had a local power cut for about a minute.
My Sky-box upstairs went off along with lights etc.and had to be restarted,but downstairs my Sky-box along with tv,cooker clock and a normally sensitive trip for outside pond pump stayed on.Anyone know how this could happen? Neighbouring houses were affected by the cut but I don't if they only had a partial cut like mine. |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London
Posts: 7,584
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Power cut only upstairs
Quote:
Do you by any chance have 2 phases connected rather than the normal one ?
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,794
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Quote:
What is a "Phase"?
Electricity in the UK is distributed as three phase, with industrial premises having all three phases connected (for the massively increased power capabilty), and domestic premises only having a single phase connected. In order to spread the load equally houses are connected to different phases, so in a normal street number 1 would be phase 1, number 3 phase 2, number 5 phase 3, and number 7 starting back at phase 1. It would be VERY, VERY unusual for a domestic house to have different phase upstairs and downstairs - and there are fairly serious safety implications in doing so. The reason for short mains leads is so you can't can't possibly plug items in different phases and then touch both items - likewise there are strict regulations about how close sockets on different phases can be. So assuming the OP only has a single phase (easily spotted as he will most probably only have a single meter), there's nothing external to the house that could cause a fault upstairs and not downstairs. |
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,296
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Quote:
It's a basic electricity connection term.
Electricity in the UK is distributed as three phase, with industrial premises having all three phases connected (for the massively increased power capabilty), and domestic premises only having a single phase connected. In order to spread the load equally houses are connected to different phases, so in a normal street number 1 would be phase 1, number 3 phase 2, number 5 phase 3, and number 7 starting back at phase 1. It would be VERY, VERY unusual for a domestic house to have different phase upstairs and downstairs - and there are fairly serious safety implications in doing so. The reason for short mains leads is so you can't can't possibly plug items in different phases and then touch both items - likewise there are strict regulations about how close sockets on different phases can be. So assuming the OP only has a single phase (easily spotted as he will most probably only have a single meter), there's nothing external to the house that could cause a fault upstairs and not downstairs. |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,794
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Quote:
I went to look at a house with a electrically heated pool recently with a 3 phase installation (connected to a 11 kV overhead line).
![]() It's really an industrial supply for an industrial application, mostly I've seen use oil or gas for heating them, I don't think I've seen an electrically heated one? - probably because of the costs of running it, and having a three phase supply laid on in the first place. In any case, it's VERY much the exception
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,296
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Quote:
I wouldn't really consider that a 'domestic' installation
![]() It's really an industrial supply for an industrial application, mostly I've seen use oil or gas for heating them, I don't think I've seen an electrically heated one? - probably because of the costs of running it, and having a three phase supply laid on in the first place. In any case, it's VERY much the exception ![]() .Sometimes very small installations have 3 phase supplies simply to run 3 phase motors. A friend in Stratford has a butchers shop which lives above. His walk in freezer has a 3 phase motor but it's not a particulary large load. |
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,794
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Quote:
You ain't seen the houses in the posh end of Solihull
.Sometimes very small installations have 3 phase supplies simply to run 3 phase motors. A friend in Stratford has a butchers shop which lives above. His walk in freezer has a 3 phase motor but it's not a particulary large load. we have three phase at work, but the only three phase device is a small goods lift.But because of the three phase supply, different parts of the buildings are on different phases - so we do lose just some parts during power cuts. It's easy to check, just try the lift, if a phase is down it just buzzes. Thinking on, we've actually got two seperate three phase supplies incoming, from completely different directions - so we can even have parts of the buildings still powered if all three phases go down. |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 411
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Quote:
It's a basic electricity connection term.
Electricity in the UK is distributed as three phase, with industrial premises having all three phases connected (for the massively increased power capabilty), and domestic premises only having a single phase connected. In order to spread the load equally houses are connected to different phases, so in a normal street number 1 would be phase 1, number 3 phase 2, number 5 phase 3, and number 7 starting back at phase 1. It would be VERY, VERY unusual for a domestic house to have different phase upstairs and downstairs - and there are fairly serious safety implications in doing so. The reason for short mains leads is so you can't can't possibly plug items in different phases and then touch both items - likewise there are strict regulations about how close sockets on different phases can be. So assuming the OP only has a single phase (easily spotted as he will most probably only have a single meter), there's nothing external to the house that could cause a fault upstairs and not downstairs. Only one meter. We do get our fair share of power cuts but always the whole house. My son who lives nearby had some lights out others on (I don't know if it was on the same floor. Many thanks for the amusing replys.
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: London
Posts: 3,638
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We have fun and games here, we have:
2 x 11kV 3 Phase "General" mains - direct from the national grid from two substations. 3 Phase "Tech" power, that is derived from the 11kV feeds, but is fed from generators when power fails, but isn't on UPS, then 2 x 3 Phase UPS protected power supplies again derived from incoming mains, but sustained using UPS while the generators run up. All of which are variously available around the building, and all are available in the apparatus rooms! |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: South Notts (Waltham TV TX)
Posts: 20,200
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Quote:
I don't know where to post this, but the other night we had a local power cut for about a minute.
My Sky-box upstairs went off along with lights etc.and had to be restarted,but downstairs my Sky-box along with tv,cooker clock and a normally sensitive trip for outside pond pump stayed on.Anyone know how this could happen? Neighbouring houses were affected by the cut but I don't if they only had a partial cut like mine. Don't notice nowadays as the most sensitive stuff is on a UPS or has since died, oh and the construction work has also ended. |
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: The Sticks
Posts: 3,720
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What sort of property is it? If it's old terraces, could they have adapted flats into houses giving you an up/down property from two previous flats?
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,296
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Quote:
What sort of property is it? If it's old terraces, could they have adapted flats into houses giving you an up/down property from two previous flats?
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 411
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Quote:
Which could mean the OP is paying for someone elses energy and vice versa
![]() It's a detatched property. |
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Caledonia
Posts: 5,687
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Is it always the case that 2 phases means 2 meters?
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 8,105
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Quote:
I wouldn't really consider that a 'domestic' installation
![]() It's really an industrial supply for an industrial application, mostly I've seen use oil or gas for heating them, I don't think I've seen an electrically heated one? - probably because of the costs of running it, and having a three phase supply laid on in the first place. In any case, it's VERY much the exception ![]() As a consequence, they have four of everything, meters, consumer units, and ELCBs ! On Peak Ph 1, Off Peak Ph 1, On Peak Ph 2, Off Peak Ph 2 Dad had to build a cupboard around the installation to hide it away ! Still all there now, confuses the hell out of the young meter readers when they come round
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,296
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Quote:
Is it always the case that 2 phases means 2 meters?
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#18 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Caledonia
Posts: 5,687
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Quote:
It is for domestic installations. The OP should turn off the main switch on his consumer unit and see if everything goes off. If not check with his neighbours if they have lost any supply.
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,296
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Quote:
No it isn't - a friend of mine had a second phase installed recently whilst extending his house, they replaced his meter at the same time and only has one meter.
Example here http://www.eon-uk.com/distribution/C...rd%20Apr06.pdf |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Caledonia
Posts: 5,687
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Quote:
I guess domestic metering technology has moved on since i retired from the industry. It does however confirm that multiphase installations in larger properties aren't that unusual despite what Nigel says. It's often the only way to supply larger properties fed by light line 11Kv overhead distribution.
My said friend has all electric heating. Is the second phase required because of high potential demand in a house? |
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,296
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Quote:
I've also just found out that I have 2 phases supplying my house. (I had no idea
My said friend has all electric heating. Is the second phase required because of high potential demand in a house? The problem is much worse on overhead networks like the construction detailed in the link. |
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