'fie Dop' Or Blackouts

[jaideeguy]

In the past 2 months, our little neighborhood has been plagued by frequient blackouts....the last one was 15 hrs almost killing our koi from lack of oxygen and a bad night's sleep from no fan. There are only 5 houses serviced by one transformer and the neighbors on the next transformer don't loose power.

All it takes is a slight breeze or a few drops of rain to shut down power, while neighbors don't loose it.

Can it be said that it is our transformer ?? and how can we get the electric company to fix?/ or is the transformer our responsibility?? and we pay??

Would really like to get this resolved before the real rainy season arrives.

[Crossy]

You need to check with PEA / MEA whether the Tx belongs to them (their problem) or 'you' (your problem).

Either way it's not something you can DIY so if the Tx is 'yours' then you'll need to locate an approved contractor to investigate.

Time to get a baby genset to run a few lights and the koi pump

[Rimmer]

We had this problem all the time at the previous house, every time it rained or the wind blew the power went off. This silly situation went on until the transformer was replaced with a bigger unit. Maybe yours is overloaded and getting hot and a bit of outside weather is tripping it off.

What size is your transformer? Is it single or three phase? How many houses does it feed? What size is the outgoing cable? Also when was it last serviced? They should be done once a year. Are it the big J type fuses next to the unit dropping down or does the unit just sigh and die and quit working?

But if the worst comes to the worst and you have to club together to buy a new unit they are surprisingly cheap.

[jaideeguy]

Details......2 fotos are worth 2000 words, but to clearify. this is the transformer that services only 3 houses. I mentioned in my OP that it serviced 5 houses, two are vacant.

This is in a 15 yr old development and [basic] infrastructure was provided by developers, so can I assume that developers are responsible for maintenance of elect?? or is the electricity company responsible??

What is the norm? Would like to find out before confronting electicity co.

and re: the cost of transformers....how cheap?/ a few years ago, I priced transformers and as I recall, a small unit was 150kTHB....not cheap!

[Rimmer]

Looks like a very old three phase transformer. But only seems to have one outgoing circuit, this could now be a problem as all the load will all be concentrated on one phase and the unit has probably never been maintained through out it's life.

Are the Kyleata trees touching any of the fuses or cables at all? Can they touch them in a strong wind?

Which fuses drop out when you have a problem? Is it the long ones with a hole on the carriage or is it the single J type fuse on the out going side?

The Big long ones protect the transformer and and the small J type fuse protects your cables which look to be about 25 or 35mm difficult to tell. The cables look to be correct anyway and in good condition. If it is the single J type fuse that clears then the problem should be on your side of the transformer.

If the transformer is inside your village it is probably the property of the developers.

A 50 kva TP transformer should be no more than 50k. I am told they now don't make anything smaller than a 50kva unit but that is a big chunk of power.

[jaideeguy]

Yes, there are trees and branches that constantly touch during wind and even when still. Good planning of the developer's to plant acatia trees under power lines that are seldom trimmed

.

Can't really say....haven't observed what fuses blow when fie dops, but will make an effort to look next time.

We live in a gated private development and the developers are near broke from poor planning and poor timing, with 75% of the lots unsold, so getting money out of them will be impossible. It is the electric company that does the tree maintenance and comes to the rescue when we call them....does that mean that it's their responsibility?/

planning a trip into talk to the 'boss' in the main office to see if our squeaky wheel can get some grease, but would be handy to know where we stand as far as who is responsible for tx repair/replacement.

Thanks rimmer

[jaideeguy]

One more small detail that maybe could shed some light is that during our last fie dop, I saw some lcd lights still on, so I checked voltage with my little volt meter and found 25v. If a fuse is blown, then where does that 25v come from??

[Rimmer]

Try cutting the trees back with a tree saw on a long bamboo pole.

Your 25v reading could be coming from a neutral or back emf from one of the other phases that is not feeding your village and is still on line.

Look to see if any of the 3 big fuses drop down next time if not it's your small J type fuse that's clearing.

If it's not the trees and you can't locate a problem on your side of the fuse like a poor installation in one of the three houses with maybe water getting into a connection or a damaged cable shorting out to earth you got to talk to the man at the PEA.

[jaideeguy]

PEA, I assume is the power energy association....or the electric co??

As far as cutting/trimming trees, it is almost a kilometer run....so, maybe we should go into the office and request it. For sure needs to be done before the rainy season comes.

Thanks again rimmer

[Rimmer]

PEA Provincial Electric Authority

Hope you solve the problem, let us know how you get on.

[jaideeguy]

Rimmer, Today after 2 fie dops, I checked the tx and found a stenceled PEA on the back of the tx. That means that they are the owners and responsible?

maybe the next move should be for me to go into the main office, not confrontational, but politely asking fot a checkup and tree trimming.

My Moma always said that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

If that doesn't work, then I'll bring a bottle of vinegar. I'm on my own as the wife won't confront authority, like most Thais.

[jaideeguy]

I wouldn't immagine that there would be any consumer advocacy offices here that could put pressure, should I need it?? TIT!!