On Thu, 30 Oct 2014 12:17:56 -0700, etpm wrote:

On Thu, 30 Oct 2014 12:58:22 -0500, F. George McDuffee
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Oct 2014 10:10:08 -0700, wrote:

A friend of mine here on Whidbey Island has a welding business. It's
pretty new, only a few years now. Anyway, he called me yesterday with
an electrical problem. Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has had complaints from
neighbors about voltage spikes or drops, my friend wasn't clear on
this, but they showed him a graph which I have yet to see. The solution
PSE is proposing is a new xmfr at the pole. PSE told my friend the
problem is because of the hard starting welder. The welder is an older
xmfr type machine with lots of copper. At full load it is rated at 11
kw, which is about 46 amps. But I don't know what the current spkies to
when he first steps on the pedal. The machine is now wired for single
phase but can be wired for three phase. What he wants to know is if he
ran the welder from a Rotary Phase Converter would the current spikes
and voltage drops be less. I don't know. I also don't know if there is
a way besides my friend paying thousands for PSE to install a new xmfr
on the pole for this situation to be ameliorated. He can't afford at
this time for a new welder with a softer start setting. Besides, the
hard fast start means his employee can make more welds. Any help would
be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric
==============
How is this his problem? Why should he pay to fix a problem that
belongs to the electric company?
I don't know. It may be he needs to talk to the state about it. But it
looks now like it is his problem. Do you have a solution?
Eric

It depends on the contract that he signed for power, or the regulations
in your state.

There's a good chance that anyone using power beyond normal residential
use is expected to pay for any necessary upgrades -- it varies by state,
and I wouldn't even have a clue as to what the rules are in Oregon.

For that matter, in most places if you want power run to your house
you've got to pay for it, by the foot.

--
www.wescottdesign.com