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[FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 1st 17, 06:31 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.engineering.electrical,sci.electronics.repair,sci.electronics.basics,alt.home.repair
Mr. Man-wai Chang
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 697
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes

A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear in hundreds of homes

Full story:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/...eds-homes.html


Residents in the small Pennsylvania town of Brookville must've wondered
what on earth was going on earlier this month when a sudden power surge
caused electrical appliances and gizmos in up to 1,000 homes to fry,
explode, or simply conk out.

What may have momentarily seemed like some kind of weird supernatural
happening was actually an electrical surge caused by a failed power line
component, according to an AP report. Local media said that "damage
ranged from residents losing a refrigerator to losing all appliances in
the kitchen or losing everything in the house."

Up to a quarter of the town's 4,000 residents were thought to have been
affected by the incident, with many reporting fried computers, burned
electrical meters, and damaged power strips. Some even spoke of
fluorescent lights suddenly exploding.

When the surge occurred, the high volume of calls flooding into the
emergency services forced the local fire department to call for extra
help from three nearby facilities.

As for the local cops, the incident tripped its main office radio,
causing them to miss the first emergency calls. The first they knew
something was up was when they heard the fire trucks roaring through the
town.

"We were fortunate that nobody was hurt," Tracy Zents, the director of
Jefferson County's Department of Emergency Services, told AP.

--
@~@ Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper!!
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty!
/( _ )\ May the Force and farces be with you!
^ ^ (x86_64 Ubuntu 9.10) Linux 2.6.39.3
不借貸! 不詐騙! 不援交! 不打交! 不打劫! 不自殺! 請考慮綜援 (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_...sub_addressesa
  #2  
Old February 4th 17, 10:57 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 30
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes

I recall working on geophysical crews years ago. We used to go to South America
and the power in some of those towns was rather "flexible".
We had surge supressors the size of a shoebox, not the mickey mouse things that
hang off a wall socket.
  #5  
Old February 8th 17, 06:11 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.engineering.electrical,sci.electronics.repair,sci.electronics.basics,alt.home.repair
Michael Moroney
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Posts: 12
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear in hundreds of homes

"Mr. Man-wai Chang" writes:

A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear in hundreds of homes


Full story:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/...eds-homes.html



Residents in the small Pennsylvania town of Brookville must've wondered
what on earth was going on earlier this month when a sudden power surge
caused electrical appliances and gizmos in up to 1,000 homes to fry,
explode, or simply conk out.


What may have momentarily seemed like some kind of weird supernatural
happening was actually an electrical surge caused by a failed power line
component, according to an AP report. Local media said that "damage
ranged from residents losing a refrigerator to losing all appliances in
the kitchen or losing everything in the house."


Interesting how a failed insulator could have caused this. How often are
distribution circuits of different voltages connected together but
separated by only a single insulator?

Up the street from me, they upgraded a MV distribution circuit from a lower
voltage to a higher one (13,800V I believe). But a portion of it they
decided to leave at the lower voltage, probably because there are a bunch
of pad-mounted transformers feeding businesses there they didn't want to
replace. They decided to feed that section from the far end through a
bank of transformers, but where that section was once connected to the
now upgraded section, they put in multiple breaks so that a single failed
insulator or a lineman doing the wrong thing won't connect the two
circuits. An underground feeder had its fuses removed, wires connecting
the fuse holders were removed and the line from the pole with the
underground feeder to the next pole had insulators spliced in the middle.
At least 3 breaks.

I've also seen the results of that type of surge. The top of a pole broke
in a storm and the 4800V MV distribution wires made contact with the
120V/240V feed to houses. Two of them burned to the ground.
  #6  
Old February 8th 17, 08:41 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.engineering.electrical,sci.electronics.repair,sci.electronics.basics,alt.home.repair
Mr. Man-wai Chang
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 697
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes

On 9/02/2017 1:11 AM, Michael Moroney wrote:
....
I've also seen the results of that type of surge. The top of a pole broke
in a storm and the 4800V MV distribution wires made contact with the
120V/240V feed to houses. Two of them burned to the ground.


Thank you for sharing!

--
@~@ Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper!!
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty!
/( _ )\ May the Force and farces be with you!
^ ^ (x86_64 Ubuntu 9.10) Linux 2.6.39.3
不借貸! 不詐騙! 不援交! 不打交! 不打劫! 不自殺! 請考慮綜援 (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_...sub_addressesa
  #7  
Old February 8th 17, 08:46 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.engineering.electrical,sci.electronics.repair,sci.electronics.basics,alt.home.repair
James Wilkinson Sword
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Posts: 12
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes

On Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:31:50 -0000, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear in hundreds of homes

Full story:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/...eds-homes.html


Residents in the small Pennsylvania town of Brookville must've wondered
what on earth was going on earlier this month when a sudden power surge
caused electrical appliances and gizmos in up to 1,000 homes to fry,
explode, or simply conk out.

What may have momentarily seemed like some kind of weird supernatural
happening was actually an electrical surge caused by a failed power line
component, according to an AP report. Local media said that "damage
ranged from residents losing a refrigerator to losing all appliances in
the kitchen or losing everything in the house."

Up to a quarter of the town's 4,000 residents were thought to have been
affected by the incident, with many reporting fried computers, burned
electrical meters, and damaged power strips. Some even spoke of
fluorescent lights suddenly exploding.

When the surge occurred, the high volume of calls flooding into the
emergency services forced the local fire department to call for extra
help from three nearby facilities.

As for the local cops, the incident tripped its main office radio,
causing them to miss the first emergency calls. The first they knew
something was up was when they heard the fire trucks roaring through the
town.

"We were fortunate that nobody was hurt," Tracy Zents, the director of
Jefferson County's Department of Emergency Services, told AP.


You should have anything expensive in a UPS.

--
A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting!
Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, "PULL OVER!"
"NO!" the blonde yelled back, "IT'S A SCARF!"
  #8  
Old February 8th 17, 10:55 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.engineering.electrical,sci.electronics.repair,sci.electronics.basics,alt.home.repair
Phil Hobbs[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 15
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes

On 02/08/2017 02:46 PM, James Wilkinson Sword wrote:
On Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:31:50 -0000, Mr. Man-wai Chang
wrote:

A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear in hundreds of homes

Full story:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/...eds-homes.html



Residents in the small Pennsylvania town of Brookville must've wondered
what on earth was going on earlier this month when a sudden power surge
caused electrical appliances and gizmos in up to 1,000 homes to fry,
explode, or simply conk out.

What may have momentarily seemed like some kind of weird supernatural
happening was actually an electrical surge caused by a failed power line
component, according to an AP report. Local media said that "damage
ranged from residents losing a refrigerator to losing all appliances in
the kitchen or losing everything in the house."

Up to a quarter of the town's 4,000 residents were thought to have been
affected by the incident, with many reporting fried computers, burned
electrical meters, and damaged power strips. Some even spoke of
fluorescent lights suddenly exploding.

When the surge occurred, the high volume of calls flooding into the
emergency services forced the local fire department to call for extra
help from three nearby facilities.

As for the local cops, the incident tripped its main office radio,
causing them to miss the first emergency calls. The first they knew
something was up was when they heard the fire trucks roaring through the
town.

"We were fortunate that nobody was hurt," Tracy Zents, the director of
Jefferson County's Department of Emergency Services, told AP.


You should have anything expensive in a UPS.


Big help if the house burns down.

I've heard of folks getting MOVs put in right at the meter, outside the
house. In that sort of super nasty surge, they explode and isolate the
house from the line. Never had the urge to do it myself, but it might
be good insurance.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net
  #9  
Old February 8th 17, 11:00 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.engineering.electrical,sci.electronics.repair,sci.electronics.basics,alt.home.repair
James Wilkinson Sword
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 12
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes

On Wed, 08 Feb 2017 21:55:06 -0000, Phil Hobbs wrote:

On 02/08/2017 02:46 PM, James Wilkinson Sword wrote:
On Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:31:50 -0000, Mr. Man-wai Chang
wrote:

A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear in hundreds of homes

Full story:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/...eds-homes.html



Residents in the small Pennsylvania town of Brookville must've wondered
what on earth was going on earlier this month when a sudden power surge
caused electrical appliances and gizmos in up to 1,000 homes to fry,
explode, or simply conk out.

What may have momentarily seemed like some kind of weird supernatural
happening was actually an electrical surge caused by a failed power line
component, according to an AP report. Local media said that "damage
ranged from residents losing a refrigerator to losing all appliances in
the kitchen or losing everything in the house."

Up to a quarter of the town's 4,000 residents were thought to have been
affected by the incident, with many reporting fried computers, burned
electrical meters, and damaged power strips. Some even spoke of
fluorescent lights suddenly exploding.

When the surge occurred, the high volume of calls flooding into the
emergency services forced the local fire department to call for extra
help from three nearby facilities.

As for the local cops, the incident tripped its main office radio,
causing them to miss the first emergency calls. The first they knew
something was up was when they heard the fire trucks roaring through the
town.

"We were fortunate that nobody was hurt," Tracy Zents, the director of
Jefferson County's Department of Emergency Services, told AP.


You should have anything expensive in a UPS.


Big help if the house burns down.

I've heard of folks getting MOVs put in right at the meter, outside the
house. In that sort of super nasty surge, they explode and isolate the
house from the line. Never had the urge to do it myself, but it might
be good insurance.


Wouldn't a really big surge destroy the first thing it hits, i.e. the main fuse, meter, etc?

--
What's the difference between PMS and Mad Cow Disease?
The number of tits.
  #10  
Old February 8th 17, 11:13 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.engineering.electrical,sci.electronics.repair,sci.electronics.basics,alt.home.repair
Phil Hobbs[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 15
Default [FoxNews]A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear inhundreds of homes

On 02/08/2017 05:00 PM, James Wilkinson Sword wrote:
On Wed, 08 Feb 2017 21:55:06 -0000, Phil Hobbs
wrote:

On 02/08/2017 02:46 PM, James Wilkinson Sword wrote:
On Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:31:50 -0000, Mr. Man-wai Chang
wrote:

A small town's sudden power surge fried tech gear in hundreds of homes

Full story:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/...eds-homes.html




Residents in the small Pennsylvania town of Brookville must've wondered
what on earth was going on earlier this month when a sudden power surge
caused electrical appliances and gizmos in up to 1,000 homes to fry,
explode, or simply conk out.

What may have momentarily seemed like some kind of weird supernatural
happening was actually an electrical surge caused by a failed power
line
component, according to an AP report. Local media said that "damage
ranged from residents losing a refrigerator to losing all appliances in
the kitchen or losing everything in the house."

Up to a quarter of the town's 4,000 residents were thought to have been
affected by the incident, with many reporting fried computers, burned
electrical meters, and damaged power strips. Some even spoke of
fluorescent lights suddenly exploding.

When the surge occurred, the high volume of calls flooding into the
emergency services forced the local fire department to call for extra
help from three nearby facilities.

As for the local cops, the incident tripped its main office radio,
causing them to miss the first emergency calls. The first they knew
something was up was when they heard the fire trucks roaring through
the
town.

"We were fortunate that nobody was hurt," Tracy Zents, the director of
Jefferson County's Department of Emergency Services, told AP.

You should have anything expensive in a UPS.


Big help if the house burns down.

I've heard of folks getting MOVs put in right at the meter, outside the
house. In that sort of super nasty surge, they explode and isolate the
house from the line. Never had the urge to do it myself, but it might
be good insurance.


Wouldn't a really big surge destroy the first thing it hits, i.e. the
main fuse, meter, etc?


It matters where the big arc happens, though. You don't clear a high
energy 1600-4800V circuit with a domestic 240V breaker, that's for sure.
The result is an _arc flash_, which you do _not_ want in your
vicinity, trust me. (Youtube has a lot of examples if you doubt this.)

Having a major league arc flash on a cinderblock foundation outside the
house is a very different proposition from having one in a breaker box
mounted to a wooden stud wall inside, for one thing, but I'm outside my
experience here, so I'll happily defer to any actual power engineering
types who want to chime in.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net
 




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