Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with electricity

Green Mountain Energy in NYC

greta simone — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:04 -0800

New York City dwellers: Do you use Green Mountain Energy for your household power? Why or why not? I see those guys promoting on the street and it seems like a good deal. Have you/do you have it? How does the cost (fixed rate) compare to normal ConEd costs? Do they have good customer service? Are you happy with it? Why or why not? I'm moving into my own place in the city for the first time and I've never been the holder of the electricity account (I paid roommates my portion).

Thanks!

Will my appliances work in Europe?

photo guy — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:21:01 -0800

I'm moving to Germany in a couple of months and have a few questions about using various 110V US-purchased appliances on the local 220V power. Specifically the 50Hz/60Hz issue - how big of a deal is it? My understanding is that anything with a motor may have a shorter lifespan and run somewhat less efficiently (and of course anything that uses AC for timing will run slow), but any other issues? I ask because I had flirted with the idea of including a portable A/C unit similar to this one in my household goods. My employer-provided housing, while spacious and centrally-located, is also somewhat dated and lacks A/C. I'm well aware that Germany is not exactly a tropical climate and personally I wouldn't bother with A/C at all, however my SO is somewhat more temperature-sensitive and she is pretty insistent on having it. Normally I would just wait and buy a 220V unit locally, however we will only be living there for a few years, so having a 110V unit for future use might make more sense. Not to mention that my shipping allowance is pretty generous, so throwing in the A/C wouldn't be an issue.

I also have a 3kW step-up/down transformer that I can use with it, which should be plenty - the A/C is rated at 1250W max power consumption. However, I am wondering what effect the 50Hz mains would have. Would it just run somewhat less efficiently, maybe shorting the lifespan a bit or are there other concerns I haven't considered? Given the climate, my guess is that we won't be running it every day, maybe just a few days each summer. Google searching didn't help - some claimed they had used 110V/60Hz appliances (coffee pots, Kitchenaid mixers, even power tools) on 220V/50Hz no problem, and others saying it's not a good idea period.

My Cooker Wants To Kill Me

fruitopia — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:00:38 -0800

Why is my oven crackling and sparking at the on/off switch and will it start a fire in my wall? I have an electric oven that has a red on/off switch next to it on the wall. The switch has a white base (like light switches have). When I turn on the switch and then the oven, there is a crackling sound and sparks can be seen under the white base of the switch. Since it's the weekend and Monday is a bank holiday, I'm assuming the landlord will take until at least Tuesday to get someone in to look at it. Is it safe to use in the meantime, as long as I don't leave it on unattended, or am I just asking for electrocution/fire? Is it something that can be a DIY fix?

Electricity math! Need help planning for solar...

squirbel — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:41:42 -0800

So instead of providing an answer, please help me by showing me how you got your result. I have a 12v device that consumes 1W in idle mode, and 5W in active mode. How many "amp hours" am I looking at over a 24 hour period (always on). I am looking specifically for amp hours... I don't understand the relation between amps and amp hours yet.

My dryer died last night. I'm not sure if it is the outlet or the dryer.

johnpowell — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:01:53 -0800

My dryer died last night. I'm not sure if it is the outlet or the dryer. I do have a digital multimeter and want to test the outlet. I'm not sure how to do this without killing myself. The meter is a Fluke 12. I can test a battery with it but I am a bit concerned about testing a 220V outlet with it. Any tips with on what setting should be used on the meter and where I should stick the leads in and in what order would be appreciated.

Is my laptop going to kill me?

DMelanogaster — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 13:49:23 -0800

I got a shock from my laptop the other day and now I'm afraid to use it... It was plugged in and I touched it and I got a pretty bad shock. My husband carefully (holding it between two rubber-soled sneakers) unplugged it and shut it down.

Then he booted it up the next day and didn't get a shock. He says that the place where the plug goes in, in the laptop, seems to be loose, and maybe that's why there is some sort of short that happens. He believes that this is the kind of situation where fixing it would require replacement of the motherboard, which would not be worth it (the laptop is a few months past its three-year warranty -- it's a Toshiba Satellite).

I really like this laptop! Could the shock have been lethal? could another shock from it BE lethal?

What should I do?

What's up with our electricity?

smackfu — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 05:50:42 -0800

We woke up this extremely cold morning (9F/-13C) and various electric things in our condo seem to be flaky, like there's not enough power. I also noticed that the thermostat for our heat pump says "Auxiliary Heat On", which I haven't seen before. Has anyone seen something like this before? Since it's all electric, it seems like it might be related. Flaky things:

Electric stove won't heat up to bright red, just very warm.
Light in refrigerator is dim.
CFL in bathroom flickering.
Stereo receiver won't turn on from Standby.

Has 12 year old cranioplasty turned me into a capacitor?

schade — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:40:49 -0800

Nearly 12 years ago I underwent cranioplasty, which involved dissimilar metals being added to the inside of my skull. Could it be possible that I'm generating a low voltage current? This would explain roughly 90% of the unexplained symptoms I've noticed since that time. This seems like a case of electrochemical capacitance to me. I understand that YANMD; in fact, it may even be the case that YARNAD. That's just fine, I don't really want anyone's 'medical' advice. What I need is some advice on what questions to ask and which specialists I 'should' actually be seeing to properly diagnose and resolve these issues. On April Fool's Day in 2001, I was riding my Suzuki RM125 on a gravel road in WV. In a section comprised mostly of ballast rock due to it's proximity to the railroad, one of the rocks tore open my front tire. This, in turn, caused the front rim to immediately sink deep into the roadbed as the bike began flipping end over end at around 55 mph; I was NOT wearing a helmet.

Yes, I know, I ~~was~~ am a fool. However, for many years after that day, most residents of the local area wear their helmets. I, myself, have worn one ever since that day.

I underwent cranioplasty in Cumberland, MD; resulting in one 1 inch by 4 inch spring steel plate, 4 brass screws, 29 surgical steel staples and, though not metallic, 209 stitches to finally repair and then reupholster the exterior wall of my left frontal sinus cavity. The 4 brass screws are threaded through my skull into the plate on the backside of my frontal bone inside the sinus cavity.

Over the years I have suffered from severe to extreme migraines seemingly brought on by no apparent cause, random specific and regional muscle spasms that can sometimes last ten to twelve minutes, an odd slightly metallic taste when wearing shoes that prevent me from grounding naturally, most of the time I can discharge 'static' electricity even when grounded, and other phenomena seemingly related to electrical current in some way. These are all magnified by the simple act of pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth. None of those symptoms mentioned have ever really gotten a satisfactory diagnosis over the years, other than "Oh yeah, you do have a metal plate in your head."; as if that just explains it. The one doctor whose diagnosis was anywhere close to what I believe is happening suggested only about 80% of my neurons were actually able to collect their intended signals resulting in a roughly 20% loss of all signal traffic. While his diagnosis ended up being incorrect in the end, he never satisfactorily offered a cause or any treatment that had any effect on these 'inconveniences' I continue to suffer.

Other that the cranioplasty, I am in reasonably good shape and overall health. If I do have any undiagnosed mental disability, it hasn't, at this point, affected my ability to function in everyday life. I am not currently on any medication

I don't want anyone's medical advice. I have a doctor for that; I will eventually have other doctors for even more of that. What I want is to brainstorm with the hive mind to ensure I'm on the right track with this. These are the questions I know I have:

1 What questions should I be asking my doctor?
2 What specialists should he be referring me to?
3 What specialists should I be demanding he also refer me to if he doesn't on his own?
4 What questions should I be asking the specialist?
5 Should I have more questions about this issue that I'm not thinking of?

How much electricity does a gas boiler use?

lccslug — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 12:29:08 -0800

I know this question is a little bit arbitrary, but any response will be helpful. I live in a 2 family spilt house/condo. I noticed that my electrical box is powering the OTHER unit's gas boiler. I assume that the electrical just feeds the thermostat and maybe triggering the pilot to boil the water?? (My knowledge here is limited.) Without knowing too much about their heating use, I am trying to determine the urgency of getting an electrician to switch it from my electricity to the other unit's electrical box.

Why is our power bill so high?

hanov3r — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:11:43 -0800

We've been in our new house about 3 months, and our power bills feel a lot higher than they should be, based on our perceived usage. Looking for ways to track down errant usage. My wife and I purchased a 3BR, 1BA, 1700sf 2-story house in the suburbs of Philly in September. Since then, our average monthly power bill has been around $300, which seems about 30% higher than what we'd expect to pay for this place (we'd figured we'd be in the $210-$240 range).

Details:
* gas heat
* gas dryer
* gas oven/stove
* we're pretty conscientious about turning off lights, etc., when not in the room
* we both WFH, but keep the thermostat set at 68 during the day

One other things of note - apparently, one of the previous owners was a HUGE fan of dimmer switches, and 5 rooms (kitchen, front hall, bathroom, bonus room, and upstairs hall) are on dimmers. Do dimmer switches draw more/less/the same power as their regular switch counterparts?

So... how can we go about tracking down things that might be using more energy than we expect? While we could pretty easily move some things (TV, PS3, the like) to a powerstrip that gets turned off when not in use, that would only make sense to do if those things are drawing a lot more power than expected when in standby mode.

I'm not necessarily looking for advice on actually cutting power usage; more like figuring out what's causing the usage we have. It would also be good to know if this is just in our minds and that our power bill is actually pretty much as expected.

Simplex Double-Sided Clock Removal

a_green_man — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:20:53 -0800

I have (legal) access to a building slated to be demolished and can take whatever I want. Specifically I want to remove a Simplex clock Similar to the one here. It's currently running and I do not have access/ability to shut off power to the clock. Will I have a problem just cutting the wires after I unbolt it from the ceiling? Is it safe, as in low-voltage? If not, what can I easily do to remove it without getting shocked?

Please help me not burn down my new apartment in Singapore

zennoshinjou — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 07:51:38 -0800

Who makes reliable, well manufactured step down transformers? I am in the process of relocating to Singapore from the US and I am in need of step down transformers. Understanding that cheap or poorly manufactured electrical components such as this can lead to all manner of misery (and fire), I want to ensure I am purchasing something well manufactured. What brands have you used and liked?

Alternatively, what qualities should I look for in one that would be considered well manufactured/quality?

As a bonus question, is there an issue with plugging a US power strip into the output of a step down transformer provided its big enough to handle (with overhead) all of the devices plugged in to it?

Help me not get painful static shocks to my hands at Costco please.

fingersandtoes — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:13:22 -0800

I get painful static shocks to my hands where they touch the cart as I'm pushing it around at Costco. As far as I can tell this happens while wearing various kinds of shoes, although I haven't experimented rigorously. Help me devise a method to prevent this that I can realistically implement during impromptu trips to the store. I don't know much about static electricity, so if I've left out a variable necessary to design a solution, let me know. I will ride this thread like a pony to get to the bottom of this if necessary. It really hurts!

Ok here goes: Wheeling a cart around at Costco (which I need to go to sometimes - I understand that never going there is in itself a solution, but is not the one I'm looking for), I get painful static shocks to my hands, which are resting on the handle of the cart. I assume it has to do with the cart's wheels somehow building static as it rolls across the floor but I know nothing about electricity so tell me if I'm wrong.

My shoes are usually some sort of rubber sole... today's culprit was these. ("Poly-rubber" sole.)

The cart's handle is metal with a plastic part covering most of it. Even if I keep my fingertips away from the metal, I get shocks from the plastic part.

I don't know what the floors are made of.

I am not an exceptionally staticky person as far as I know, but I must be the only person getting shocked at Costco, because other people aren't throwing their hands up and squeaking pained obscenities every few feet as they walk. Seriously, it really hurts.

The problem was constant some months ago. My solution was to grab a sweatshirt from the car and use it to shield my hands from the surface of the handle; that seemed to work mostly, but was awkward; the shirt would fall, etc. Then the problem seemed to go away for a while, enough that I got in the habit of going again. Today it's back. I had to abandon my cart and left the store. Perhaps dry winter air makes a difference?

Would wetting the soles of my feet (by stepping in a puddle) make a difference? What about wetting the wheels of the cart? Lotioning my hands? Praying to Xenu? All options taken into consideration. Only thing is, it has to be something I can realistically do as I go into the store. I thought about trailing a wire from the cart onto the floor to serve as a grounding antenna, but realistically (1) I'm not going to remember to bring wire and (2) come on.

240 @ 50hz to 120V @ 60Hz

digividal — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:49:26 -0800

I need to find about 10 transformers/converters from 240 @ 50hz to 120V @ 60Hz capable of about at least 1000W @ 120V. I would probably not be able to figure out how to build them so |I am looking to buy them.

I find a lot of converters from 240V to 120V but they do not adjust the frequency. I do realize that its much more difficult to accomplish the frequency change.

My ideal situation would be a central unit so I could pay a professional to install it and run wires around the appartmnet.

However I would be fully happy with 10 small boxes.

Why does my friend get violent static shocks way more often than I do?

Detuned Radio — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:52:19 -0800

Why is my business partner always on the receiving end of painful (but hilarious) static shocks in our office, yet I seem to be unaffected? So it's hilarious to shuffle your feet for a few seconds and then deliver a nice static shock to an unsuspecting co-worker. But my business partner can't seem to stop conducting these static shocks.
He's very conscious about not shuffling or dragging his feet - but when we're walking up the office stairs (carpeted with an extremely low/none pile carpet, as is the whole rest of the office) at the top of the stairs he'll touch a wall or a railing or a marker and get a violent shock, whereas I get off scotch free.
We can't figure out what's different that makes him such an extreme conductor of static electricity while I conduct so much less. We're the same height (he's about 15 - 20 pounds heavier, we dress the same-ish, and we're about equal parts "bass ass" and "dumb ass").
Help?

Put me in charge!

Obscure Reference — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:46:50 -0800

Explain to me the technology of charging devices. Is it mainly about voltage? About current? How close to the "required" values must you be? Sometimes it takes a long time to charge a device. Sometimes it takes less time for the same device. What is it about charging via USB that makes it slower (if, in fact, it is) than charging it with an adapter that plugs into house current? Why can things be overcharged? And how can some things never overcharge (or so the manual says)? What did my phone detect when it displayed a message that said "this cable is not recommended for charging this device" when I attempted to charge it with a cable that looked to me just like all the others?

Lastly, my cordless landline phone sits in a cradle to charge it that says 9 Volts 150 mA. I assume some of that is to detect whether it is in the cradle or not and the rest is to charge the battery. How far off of these values can I stray (since it no longer works, thanks to the recent flood) with out it being ruined?

Electricians/IT experts: Can you solve this mystery?

Chris4d — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:16:27 -0800

My computer cycles off without warning, and it's on a battery pack/surge protector UPS. What gives? I am in the USA, in a regular two-story office building, on a regular 120V duplex outlet. On this outlet, there is a fluorescent lamp with a 13W ballast, and a UPS/surge protector (APC Back-UPS ES 500). On the UPS, I have a regular desktop PC and two regular 19" LCD monitors. About 0-5 times per week, without any warning or any precipitating factor that I can see (neither I nor my neighbor are bumping the table, the cables, the wall, anything), the UPS will beep and the computer and monitors will turn off, then back on. I lose whatever I had open on the PC; isn't this what a UPS is designed to prevent? Oh, and when this happens, the fluorescent light attached to the other outlet in the duplex is fine; no dim, no surge, nothing. Just carries on brightly.

I have switched out the UPS with another (same model), and it happened again. Then, I switched out the PC (old gateway for new dell), and it happened again. The only thing unchanged at this point is the monitors and the cables attached to them... and the wiring in the wall.

I am not an electrician, but we've called one to check out the building wiring. I'm also relocating desks. In the meantime, I'd appreciate any thoughts for other avenues of investigation. Thanks!

Circuitry Mystery

dortmunder — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 06:23:05 -0800

Electrical Filter: Help me figure out how an electrical circuit seemingly got rewired overnight. Went to sleep last night and my electricity was fine. Woke up this morning and it was partially out, like a fuse was blown. Overhead lights worked, but no wall outlets in the kitchen or living room. I live in an apartment with no circuit breakers or fuse box to check, so I put in a maintenance request. In the meantime, power has come back intermittently, but the current seems to be weak, and now the switch that controlled my garbage disposal now controls power to a light in my living room and the power to the tv. And my garbage disposal isn't working at all.

My question is what happened? Can a switch be reset like that without some kind of human intervention? It seems odd that a light switch would just start controlling power to outlets in another room.

Help my iguana survive Frankenstorm

pupus — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 16:24:00 -0800

How do I keep my iguana alive during an electric blackout? All of her lighting and heating elements demand electricity. I don't have a generator or the funds to purchase one. I'm most concerned about her getting too cold. Under 80*F for extended periods is the danger zone.

Am I going to nee dto move this ground wire?

COBRA! — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:45:10 -0800

I have a question about my house's ground wire, and may need recommendations for an electrician in Minneapolis. I'm having the very, very ugly back steps of my house knocked off and replaced. KICK ASS! But there's a problem: for some damned reason, the house's main breaker box is located right next to the back door, and the ground wire comes down from it along the exterior wall into a PVC pipe that sticks up out of the dirt right next to the steps that are due for demolition (actually, the pipe is kind of embedded in the stucco of the house).

I'm worried that the location of this wire's going to be a problem with the demolition of the existing steps and the pouring of new ones, especially since the contractor wants to widen the steps (and might even be required to because of housing codes; that conversation was a while ago, and I can't remember for sure).

So, my questions: is this likely to be a problem? If it is, is moving the ground wire over a few feet something that I or a sufficiently motivated concrete contractor could do?

If it's a problem but needs to be handled by a professional, I'd love to hear recommendations for an electrician who'd work in south Minneapolis on short notice.

Save our surveillance

dozo — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:04:48 -0800

What's the best way to protect surveillance equipment from lightning? SURGE PROTECTORS! Yes I know, but Florida.

The company I work for has for years had problems with lightning taking out multiple cameras and surveillance DVRs on several occasions. The last severe storm knocked out a bunch of equipment in 12 locations, leaving us to replace almost 50 cameras as well as 4 DVRs and 2 HDTVs that we use to monitor the cams.

We have these cctv surge protectors that apparently didn't work. After the fact, we were told that they are only for protecting the DVR, although we asked specifically for cam protection as well (from the third party that installed them) and the description from Ditek themselves says it's for camera protection. Even though there was a major failure on the part of either the equipment or installation, nothing is covered due to the third party claiming it came from other sources like the HDMI line - the HDTV that is connected as the monitor (plugged into a surge protector as well!?!).

What we want to know is what we can do to minimize lightning damage to the surveillance systems. Each DVR has a UPS, the Ditek cctv protector strip grounded to our telecom ground, network surge protectors (these work great, by the way - saved our VOIP phones!) and whole-building surge panels on the breaker box.

We've looked at these inline cam surge arrestors but before we spend $4000 for as many as we'd need I'd like to know if anyone has experience with them? And does anyone have any ideas on HDMI surge protection?

So, hive, does anyone have any advice on what we'd need to do to save our equipment? We've looked at lightning rods but they don't attract lightning so a strike in the parking lot would not be protected against. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Power's out, how long will the cold last?

gracedissolved — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:39:01 -0800

Power went out... right as I'd gone to the grocery. I put all the must-stay-cold stuff away anyhow because the stuff I'd bought was worth more than what was already in there. So, it's been opened once, what was put in was still frozen/cold from the grocery. I'm not opening it again. How long can I expect stuff to still be good for? It'd be nice if I had a better idea when it was coming back, but unfortunately, no such luck. I'm hoping it's not much longer, but given that it *could* be late tonight or tomorrow, I'd just like to have an idea what to expect. The fridge and freezer are reasonably full but mostly of various leftovers that I won't be heartbroken about losing, but the groceries I just bought will be more annoying.

Is this thing going to kill me?

A Terrible Llama — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 05:03:02 -0800

I want to get a voltmeter. I think that is what it's called. Can you recommend one? I want one of those thingies that measures electricity being carried to wires after you've cut the breaker, so that you know for certain you're not going to kill yourself swapping out an overhead light. It's like a little probe thing, and it's to measure current.

Some of these look right but there is a price range from about nine dollars to about a hundred. I just want the right thing at the appropriate price, and I actually don't know what that is.

Maybe useful: I would like a good quality, easy to use piece of equipment that isn't overly fiddly. I am pretty much interested mainly in the question of 'will this kill me? Y/N' and have limited plans for it. That said, I want to feel confidant that the thing isn't some cheap piece of crap because the correct answer to that question right is important.

I'm not going to do anything wacky or weird. I understand electricity can kill me, but I want to be able to swap out a ceiling fixture without calling an electrician for it, or swap out the weirdly unseated dimmer switch in the dining room. Also, secondarily, while my knowledge is limited Mr. Llama's is better and I want us to own one, because if it is owned it will be used.

How does electricity work?

asnowballschance — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:15:37 -0800

I need a primer on how (electrical) power works. I need to make a decision in regards to solar power (and corresponding offers to do it) without knowing anything about power at all. I need a book (or a website!) that walks me through the basics of electricity, wiring, and I have no idea what else. Things I’ll need to have passing familiarity with: loads, generators, reliability, stabilizers … ?? …

I have a solid math background, if that helps, but don’t remember any of my college physics. I understand that I won’t be knowledgeable enough to get into the nitty gritty details, but I’d like to at least have a grasp of the vocabulary. What should I be reading? Where should I start?

Can I use american fabric steamer in European electrical network (220-240V)?

usertm — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 22:01:43 -0800

I want to buy a fabric steamer to iron curtains, but not sure which model to choose (details inside) Requirements:
1. It has to work from 220-240V electric socket (like those used in Europe), preferably without transformer.
2. It should be small enough to fir air travel restrictions (I don't have luggage apart from this potential buy)
3. It's main use will be to steam iron curtains. Currently my mother spends weeks ironing them. Is there any better solution?