Household electrical problem

After a large storm here in Michigan I began experiencing a problem in our barn's electrical system. Now all of the circuits were functioning fine up until this storm hit and I have checked everything I can possibly think of to try to repair the problem.

First,... a little description of the problem. When you turn on the lights in the tack room the bulb does light but it's on the dim side (60 watt bulb). Now with that light left on in the tack room,.. if I turn the lights on in my shop which is the room right next door the bulb in the tack room gets brighter (like a 100 watt bulb in brightness) Both of these circuits are on different breakers in the box. When I go to use any of the power tools in my shop there isn't enough amps/volts to drive the motors. IE chop saw, compressor, bench grinder. The power to the main breaker box in the barn is fed by the main box on the utility pole where the meter is mounted. the power is fed through a 100 amp breaker which supplies 2 seperate circuits to the breaker box in the barn, each is 120v ( I replaced this breaker to make sure it wasn't the problem and it made no difference in my barn problem) Now when I check my incoming voltages at both receiving legs in the barn breaker box I read 105 volts on the left leg and 135 volts on the right one. I have physically disconnected all of the circuits in the barns breaker box from all of the leg connections and tried each one seperatly to see if there was a problem in a individual circuit. None of the individual circuits have any change in the symptoms I have related to earlier by doing this. I have checked the grounds and neutrals in each circuit and can't find any problems in any of the individual barn lines. If I leave the power on in the barn for the tack room light & shop light so they are lit,.. the power for the lights within the barn area (stalls and such) will function (florescent fixtures) but if I turn off either of the other 2 lights (tack room or shop) the barn lights will go out also and come back on if I turn the tack light on or the shop light on depending on which one I had shut off originally.

Now remember,... EACH of these circuits are on their own circuit breaker and none are interconnected anywhere in the system with the exception of the MAIN power source to all of them. Quite frankly I AM Stumped!!

Is there ANYONE out there that could high-light me as to what the problem could be and what could be done to fix it???

ANY suggestions would be GREATLY apperciated !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to
Warlock49766
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After a large storm here in Michigan I began experiencing a problem in our barn's electrical system. Now all of the circuits were functioning fine up until this storm hit and I have checked everything I can possibly think of to try to repair the problem.

First,... a little description of the problem. When you turn on the lights in the tack room the bulb does light but it's on the dim side (60 watt bulb). Now with that light left on in the tack room,.. if I turn the lights on in my shop which is the room right next door the bulb in the tack room gets brighter (like a 100 watt bulb in brightness) Both of these circuits are on different breakers in the box. When I go to use any of the power tools in my shop there isn't enough amps/volts to drive the motors. IE chop saw, compressor, bench grinder. The power to the main breaker box in the barn is fed by the main box on the utility pole where the meter is mounted. the power is fed through a 100 amp breaker which supplies 2 seperate circuits to the breaker box in the barn, each is 120v ( I replaced this breaker to make sure it wasn't the problem and it made no difference in my barn problem) Now when I check my incoming voltages at both receiving legs in the barn breaker box I read 105 volts on the left leg and 135 volts on the right one. I have physically disconnected all of the circuits in the barns breaker box from all of the leg connections and tried each one seperatly to see if there was a problem in a individual circuit. None of the individual circuits have any change in the symptoms I have related to earlier by doing this. I have checked the grounds and neutrals in each circuit and can't find any problems in any of the individual barn lines. If I leave the power on in the barn for the tack room light & shop light so they are lit,.. the power for the lights within the barn area (stalls and such) will function (florescent fixtures) but if I turn off either of the other 2 lights (tack room or shop) the barn lights will go out also and come back on if I turn the tack light on or the shop light on depending on which one I had shut off originally.

Now remember,... EACH of these circuits are on their own circuit breaker and none are interconnected anywhere in the system with the exception of the MAIN power source to all of them. Quite frankly I AM Stumped!!

Is there ANYONE out there that could high-light me as to what the problem could be and what could be done to fix it???

ANY suggestions would be GREATLY apperciated !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to
Warlock49766

Did you check that the ground returm is not floating?

It may be that loads in relation the entry which is in two phases, is not seeing a proper neutral return.

Did you check that the neutrals all meet to ground where they are suposed to?

If you are not experienced in electrical installation service, it would be best to pay the cost for an experienced electrician.

Jerry G.

Reply to
Jerry G.

You have an open or a very bad connection on a neutral wire in the breaker box or from there to where ever it goes til it gets back to the transformer at the power pole. Could even be the Wiring to the pole.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

It sounds like you've lost the Nuetral connection somewhere between the breaker box and the branch circuits. The brigtening/dimming of lamps on other circuits is the classic behavior.

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Reply to
Sam Goldwasser

Jerry,... Thanks for your response and YES I did check ALL of the Grounds and Neutrals within the box in the barn. "A BAD Ground" was my first thought when I saw the bright /dim lighting problem. All of the neutrals and grounds are in the proper positions in the box,.. and the connector lug screws are tight on all the terminal connections for the grounds, neutrals, and breakers.

Ralph,.. now I was kinda' hoping that someone was going to suggest the power at the pole. The only other thing that I was thinking along that line of thought was a problem in the underground supply leads from the box on the meter pole to the mains in the box in the barn.

I think that with your suggestion I'll call the Power Company on Monday and have them first check out their equipment. It's just too strange for everything to be working fine all this time and then after that few days of Cold, Snow, and Winter Storm for it to just go haywire on me.

Many thanks to the both of you for jumping to my aid as rapidly has you had. It IS greatly appreciated!!

Reply to
Warlock49766

SNIP

pole.

I partly agree. Call the power company, it could be a problem with a transformer that serves your property.

Reply to
Michael Ware

call the electric company, you have a problem between the barn and the pole. sounds like a combination of a ground problem and connection problem on the pole.

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Reply to
Jamie

Had same problem. Utility company found poor connection in neutral between pole and ahead of meter. WW

Reply to
Warren Weber

You mentioned the two voltages on Leg A and leg B, as 105 and 135 volts. Also used the word 'household' i.e. Residential like.

What was the voltage between A and B? Somewhere around 230 volts?

If so suspect the neutral or zero voltage (middle wire) of the three incoming service wires is open or very high resistance, somewhere between or at the power utility transformer!

By the way someone here referred to Legs A and B, as 'Phases'. In household installations they are rarely, if ever ................. NOT phases.

In most normal North American (residential, small farm and other etc.) systems, the two legs are, as it were**, the + (plus) and - (minus) ends of a 230 volt SINGLE phase transformer supply which has its centre used as the neutral.

The use of the word phase is not uncommon but is technically incorrect; except perhaps in the wiring parlance/practice of the industry; where someone might loosely say "Phase A is black wire and Phase B is red wire." The two legs are actully the opposite ends of the SAME phase.

Reply to
Terry

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