On Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:52:23 +0100, Nick Odell
wrote:

On Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:54:33 +0100, Graham.
wrote:

On Fri, 7 Sep 2012 21:37:24 +0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Graham. writes:
I am trying to help some friends discover what is wrong with their
electrics.

The last 3 or 4 times I have visited them I have heard a thud, and the
lights blink at the same moment. This happens maybe twice per hour,
but not regularly enough to be able to predict the next event.

Does it happen all the time, e.g. including all through the night,
or only during the day? What about weekends?

My friends had not attached any significance to these events until I
called them catastrophic explosions, now they are worried. They hadn't
noticed the lights flicker at all, they had heard the thuds but put it
down to their neighbours door slamming, which isn't unreasonable
having heard it.

All the circuits are affected, lights and power.

Well, it could still be something next door, interfering with the
local mains supply.

Could the bang be a breaker tripping off next door?

Is the flicker a momentary brown-out, or a momentary surge
(which can happen if there's a short circuit on another phase
which momentarily yanks the neutral part way to that phase
voltage)?

Brown-outs and surges can show up better with mains filament
lamps, because they amplify the effect.

Thanks Andrew.
The lights dim not brighten so brownout.

Certainly does it past midnight, and at weekends so 24/7 AFAIK

Neighbour sad she hasn't noticed anything amiss, I am sure she would
have mentioned having to intervene at her CU several times an hour.

I still reckon it sounds like my mum's old fridge.

Nick

Given where the noise apears to come from I would say not unless the
local mice are keeping their cheese fresh in one.

--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%