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Michael A. Terrell

wrote:

In alt.engineering.electrical Michael A. Terrell wrote:
| wrote:
|
| In alt.engineering.electrical Michael A. Terrell wrote:
|
| | The central air kicks on without my lights dimming, and I am in North
| | Central Florica.
|
| I bet it's on its own branch circuit, too.
|
|
| So what? The meter is on a pole on one side of the driveway ( two
| feet from the property line, because Progress Energy does not allow
| drops to cross a driveway anymore.), and an outdoor breaker box is on
| the remaining four foot stump of the old pole on the other side of the
| paved drive, about 40 feet away. The 60 A breaker for the AC is in that
| box, along with the 100 A main breaker that is used as a disconnect for
| the house. That box is over 125 feet from the pole pig, on a 150 A
| service. That box also feeds another underground line to the laundry
| building,, and well pump. The main breaker box for the house is another
| 20 feet from the outdoor box. Now, tell me how it can have no effect on
| the line voltage. I still see very little flickering, usually only on
| hot summer days when everyone in the subdivision is using the AC and
| their kitchen stoves at the same time. That is usually followed by a
| blown 60 A fuse in the 7200 volt line, feeding my street.

If it were not on its own branch circuit, that would (in addition to being
a code violation) more likely cause other stuff (whatever else is on the
same circuit) to experience dimming. The fact that it is onis own branch
circuit doesn't mean there isn't a big voltage drop. But only the A/C would
be getting it, and it wouldn't matter (much).

It can have no (or very little that cannot be noticed) effect on the line
voltage because you have good wiring and the transformer has a high enough
capacity and low enough impedance. This is stuff you know.

Blowing a 60 amp fuse at 7200 volts is not a small neighborhood.

48 lots, 47 with homes. That gives 7200*60/240 or 1800 A @ 240 V for
47 homes gives an average 38.29 A per home which is the reason that fuse
can blow more than once a week, along with it's explosive discharge that
sounds like a shotgun every time it blows.

I can understand them not wanting to go overheard over a driveway. RVs can
be a fun place for kids to climb on (even if terribly unsafe). Or they can
catch fire (I've seen that happen and it _was_ a case of a service drop over
a driveway that faulted when the insulation melted off).

At one time there were two meters on the property, because the
original owner had a blacksmith shop in the 1200 Sq Ft garage.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida