Flickering Electric Throughout The House

[UKJASE]

Hi Guys 

we had our house built about 5 years ago, and in the last two weeks have started to have a problem with the electric.

Throughout the day, everything in the house will kind of pulse, like it is having its electric supply starved - ie lights will flicker, music amplifier will cut off and restart, fish pump will make strange noises etc.... even the light in the fridge flickers.  When something flickers it will happen throughout the house at the same time - so the lights in the kitchen will dim at the same time the lights in the living room do etc.  it can happen 4 - 5 times in a minute sometimes.

I have tried going through the control box / safety cut box and turning off / isolating one switch at a time and seeing if the flicker is still present, but still the house flickers.  This has made me think it has something to do with the external electric feed, rather than an internal problem.  I spoke with the neighbours tho, and they dont have this problem.  We live on a small moo baan - with 5 or 6 villas, with a phase 3 PEA transformer supplying the electric. (sorry if my terminolgy is all wrong)

 

We called the electric board, and within 30 seconds of my GF speaking to them, they said it was an internal problem. (brush off?)

I will go back to the PEA and get them to come and do a proper check, but i thought i would ask you guys if you had any idea whay could be causing this, or maybe you can advise what i should tell the PEA so that they come and do a proper inspection?

 

PS it does seem to be worse in the evening (when we are drawing more electric) and also (maybe) after a rainy day

Hope you can help - and hope everyone is well ????

 

[johng]

31 minutes ago, UKJASE said:

they said it was an internal problem. (brush off?)

 

My guess would be  low voltage ( brown out)

perhaps due to a faulty/overloaded transformer.

 

[tonray]

1 minute ago, johng said:

 

My guess would be  low voltage ( brown out)

perhaps due to a faulty/overloaded transformer.

 

Yes...or a neighbor bringing both Bitcoin mining equipment and Weed growing lights on at the same time

[jvs]

We had this problem last year for a long time,finally the PEA came out and tightened the wire connection from the main cable to the meter.The cables were just put on without a real clamp.

took 20 minutes and no charge,problem solved.

To be clear,it was the connection on the main line coming towards the meter,they told me it is a very common problem.

 

[Crossy]

What sort of rate do these effects occur at?

 

Any untoward noises / smells in your distribution box?

 

It's certainly worth checking all your connections are tight.

WARNING the incoming supply screws will still be live even with the switch OFF, take great care (or get a man in).

 

As noted, check the connections at the meter too (definitely get a man in).

 

My money is on a large load outside (new factory, farm operation maybe).

 

EDIT A thought, is anyone building a house / barn / whatever nearby, welding can do interesting things to the supply.

 

[JetsetBkk]

7 hours ago, Crossy said:

As noted, check the connections at the meter too (definitely get a man in).

 

The live and neutral were reversed at my meter when I lived in Phuket Town. Probably wouldn't cause your problem though.

[Muhendis]

Is the problem in the daytime? Maybe there is a bit of welding being done downstream. Any new building work going on?

Edited July 29, 2021 by Muhendis
additional info.

[UKJASE]

9 hours ago, Crossy said:

What sort of rate do these effects occur at?

 

Any untoward noises / smells in your distribution box?

 

It's certainly worth checking all your connections are tight.

WARNING the incoming supply screws will still be live even with the switch OFF, take great care (or get a man in).

 

As noted, check the connections at the meter too (definitely get a man in).

 

My money is on a large load outside (new factory, farm operation maybe).

 

EDIT A thought, is anyone building a house / barn / whatever nearby, welding can do interesting things to the supply.

 

thanks for all replies guys - i bet one of you has nailed it.  TV DIY forum always does!
i dont think it is welding as it happens until we go to bed at midnight.

i dont think it is a factory build as we live in the sticks in hua hin and i have not noticed anything of size being built.

i dont think it is a dodgy transformer, as only our house in the moo ban is suffering.

i think it could be the loose connection on the feed, or something up with the control box / safety cut.

i have not noticed any smells near to the box.

i will go to the PEA and tell them catergorically our connection is loose, and see if we can blag a quick check out by one of their guys

???? ???? 

[UKJASE]

On 7/29/2021 at 9:15 AM, jvs said:

We had this problem last year for a long time,finally the PEA came out and tightened the wire connection from the main cable to the meter.The cables were just put on without a real clamp.

took 20 minutes and no charge,problem solved.

To be clear,it was the connection on the main line coming towards the meter,they told me it is a very common problem.

 

quick OP update guys - the PEA came twice in the end.  Second time they cleaned the terminals at the main feed entering our house from the meter, and cleaned the wires further upstream near the transformer box for our village.  This is where the problem must have been, as ever since they did that the electric has been flicker free ????

 

thanks for your help guys - the wifey is very happy now, as am i ???? 

[Crossy]

RESULT!!

 

Thanks for the update, it's always nice to get feedback for a problem solved ???? 

[Tookta]

I had the same problem, it was a loose connection at the meter

[jomtienisgood]

On 7/29/2021 at 9:12 AM, tonray said:

Yes...or a neighbor bringing both Bitcoin mining equipment and Weed growing lights on at the same time

Or having his own private GG Bar with a lot of flashing lights. Voltage drop. 55555

[jomtienisgood]

1 hour ago, Tookta said:

I had the same problem, it was a loose connection at the meter

That sounds very plausible.. 

[jomtienisgood]

On 8/6/2021 at 9:00 AM, UKJASE said:

quick OP update guys - the PEA came twice in the end.  Second time they cleaned the terminals at the main feed entering our house from the meter, and cleaned the wires further upstream near the transformer box for our village.  This is where the problem must have been, as ever since they did that the electric has been flicker free ????

 

thanks for your help guys - the wifey is very happy now, as am i ???? 

Yes that was probably it. Not to forget whenever you have electric consumption this implies heat, Oxidation,  this and the humidity can be a source of many problems .

[Sydebolle]

Get a certified electrician (I use Swiss-run Sirimano Co., Ltd. in Pattaya, Mr Ilco, phone 085-277-0325‬) to look at the problem. 

It could be some loose screw connections at your PEA-meter outside, some loose screws in your fuse box - as far as what is "internal". As outlined previously, get someone who knows and "don't try this at home yourself"! 

The other, more likely, reason is, that they've been adding more and more users to the same power supply/transformer which eventually will see overload problems. Your 3-phase wiring outside the house is transformed down to one phase; if too many users are on the same supply phase, you get such irregularities. 

To protect more sensitive equipment (air conditioners, fridges, freezers) you might want to put a voltage regulator. Worst case scenario is, that said regulator will cut off the supply in case of low voltage. Inconvenient but will beware you of replacing compressors et al. Good luck. 

[millymoopoo]

On 7/29/2021 at 9:38 AM, UKJASE said:

When something flickers it will happen throughout the house at the same time

And here is the clue.

If it happens throughout the house it's likely a supply problem not an individual circuit problem.

If there's a PEA transformer supplying the half dozen houses in the moo, checking with one of the neighbours may not reveal a problem as each phase off the transformer will only be connected to two of the houses. Eg: Red phase for two houses, Blue phase for another two houses and Yellow phase for another two.

Best check with all of the neighbours.

If none are having problems then the fault could be in your meter or the line from it to your house, or for that matter the line supplying your meter.

[1FinickyOne]

On 8/6/2021 at 9:00 AM, UKJASE said:

near the transformer box for our village.  This is where the problem must have been, as ever since they did that the electric has been flicker free ????

but none of the other houses had the problem.. 

 

Ghosts sure... they just performed an exorcism... 

[Almer]

On 7/29/2021 at 7:00 PM, UKJASE said:

thanks for all replies guys - i bet one of you has nailed it.  TV DIY forum always does!
i dont think it is welding as it happens until we go to bed at midnight.

i dont think it is a factory build as we live in the sticks in hua hin and i have not noticed anything of size being built.

i dont think it is a dodgy transformer, as only our house in the moo ban is suffering.

i think it could be the loose connection on the feed, or something up with the control box / safety cut.

i have not noticed any smells near to the box.

i will go to the PEA and tell them catergorically our connection is loose, and see if we can blag a quick check out by one of their guys

???? ???? 

Or, a faulty main trip pulsating under load,  take care with it, if it

bites it hurts.

[Nojohndoe]

Twice have has similar issue. Both times the fix was PEA tracing it to an arcing swing up pole fuse. Second time they replaced the entire unit which had been fried and oxidized.

The whole street was happy both times but we were the only ones who complained  to local PEA !

[Gottfrid]

My bet is that you with 5 years of happiness, already by far outran the warranty on a Thai electricity installation. ????

[AlQaholic]

On 7/29/2021 at 7:00 PM, UKJASE said:

i will go to the PEA and tell them catergorically our connection is loose, and see if we can blag a quick check out by one of their guys

Maybe you can take a pic of the incoming terminations at the meter and the outgoing terminations that connects to your house? Maybe someone here can help further with that additional info.

[JetsetBkk]

1 hour ago, AlQaholic said:

Maybe you can take a pic of the incoming terminations at the meter and the outgoing terminations that connects to your house? Maybe someone here can help further with that additional info.

Maybe take a pic of the transformer:

 

...and a video of what it looks like - and sounds like - at night:

 

 

 

 

[AlQaholic]

Fuse problem.

 

[JetsetBkk]

1 minute ago, AlQaholic said:

Fuse problem.

 

Insulation problem.

 

[Peterphuket]

2 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

but none of the other houses had the problem.. 

 

Ghosts sure... they just performed an exorcism... 

There are so many Ghosts in LOS, ask your wife/GF Definitely she will confirm.

[AlQaholic]

30 minutes ago, JetsetBkk said:

Insulation problem.

 

Ditto, probably insulation problem over the fuse:) But it seems the insulator is not working well. I think this in combination with poor connections your meter. The fact that neighbors are not having problem may be because they use almost no power at all. The video should wake PAE I think.

Edited August 9, 2021 by AlQaholic

[1FinickyOne]

51 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

There are so many Ghosts in LOS, ask your wife/GF Definitely she will confirm.

don't need confirmation... we have had a few family crisis... 

[Pdavies99]

On 7/29/2021 at 3:15 AM, jvs said:

We had this problem last year for a long time,finally the PEA came out and tightened the wire connection from the main cable to the meter.The cables were just put on without a real clamp.

took 20 minutes and no charge,problem solved.

To be clear,it was the connection on the main line coming towards the meter,they told me it is a very common problem.

 

Yes, had the same, especially when raining, turns out the cables were so loose going into the meter they had to change it through overheating.

[xtrnuno41]

4 hours ago, JetsetBkk said:

Maybe take a pic of the transformer:

 

...and a video of what it looks like - and sounds like - at night:

 

 

 

 

 

For sure an insulation or connection failure, Eventually the cables could break.

Looks like an airplane hit the post, everything is bend. 2 Cables look close together and space between them could be out of limit, they should have minimum space from each other. To close and not insulated can give "shortcut" through air, the air is ionized then and it glows like a TL lamp.

[Road Warrior]

as a qualified and retired electrician I WOULD GO FOR LOSE CONNECTION AT THE INCOMING SUPPLY  which is a fire risk