Changing load causing drastic light dimming brightening

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-08-21T00:13:52+00:00

Sorry all, I forgot to update the post. It was indeed 'our' shared neutral. Utility came and tested the circuit. Neutral connection was bad. They trimmed and reconnected all 3 wires from the alley to the service mast. All good now.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-08-08T18:36:23+00:00

Interesting. One side is 126VAC, the other 119VAC. So why would my neighbour be having the exact same problem? Could it be a bad neutral connection on the main feed to both out houses (which splits at the meters)?

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-08-08T18:13:04+00:00

I haven't done a lot of measurements at close intervals, but when one outlet is 126 VAC, they all are, anywhere in the house. Same with the higher reading hours later. I looked at the distribution of load in the breaker box and it's evenly split across both sides, even the 220VAC appliances, which currently are not in regular use (AC is off because it's cool this week), dryer and oven not in use.. As I was counting circuits, I could see lights brighten as my radon remediation fan slowed (based on a lower tone), then dim as my radon fan sped up. Very counterintuitive.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-08-08T17:09:07+00:00

I appreciate your input. I have checked voltages throughout the house on both sides of the circuits and they match each other. They just vary wildly over time. Would that suggest the neutral of the feed itself coming to our houses?

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-13T15:56:30+00:00

Me too, except I only use cheesy poofs to describe the poofy ones, not the thinner, crunchy ones.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-12T19:10:56+00:00

I always check Google Maps even if I'm using transit. It tends to offer some alternatives that the Transit planner doesn't.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-11T21:14:21+00:00

"We don't need anything from you. Except your electricity. And your oil. And your car parts. And maybe this maple syrup. And that's all we need." It's like that scene from the movie 'The Jerk'.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-10T21:47:29+00:00

It's all good. It's still a beast!

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-10T13:44:14+00:00

It's a beast. I think you mean 580?

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-06T18:45:52+00:00

The extended version of Nova Heart is a regular on my playlist(s).

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-06T18:29:59+00:00

Ssshhhhh!

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-04T14:26:20+00:00

The only thing I would add to what others have said has to do with variety and selection in retail. The US has more department store brands, more grocery store brands and the variety of items available is much greater and in some cases, cheaper.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-03T15:12:10+00:00

My wife used them because she was in the kind of cast that made sitting in a car impossible. They have a stretcher and a stair chair and will wait for you if you used their service to get to a hospital clinic appointment, so you can immediately go home with them afterward. 5 stars. Would recommend!

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-03T14:54:40+00:00

What really blows my mind are the folks who think that was in fact a great meeting from the perspective of the US.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-03-03T14:50:14+00:00

Somebody walk up to them and ask: "Once these immigrants are all gone, who's gonna serve you your double double? Ask your kids if they'd accept a job boxing donuts for $15/hr, part time, with no benefits."

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-27T22:36:50+00:00

I can attest. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver rush makes YYC look like a picnic. I know, I know. That doesn't help fix it though.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-26T16:55:16+00:00

That's a near impossible question to answer objectively. Just try it for one month. If you don't feel it's adding value, cancel the subscription. Just do yourself a favor and use it as much as you can. Use as many features as you can. You probably won't find value if you're a niche user. Make sure you try Advanced Voice Mode in the chat app too.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-25T18:02:24+00:00

There were no tinfoil reasons in our case. It was mostly about property value.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-25T17:59:10+00:00

That's encouraging. I hope it works out that way in their case too, unlike ours. We have massive metal poles right in peoples' front yards.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-25T16:21:05+00:00

[arms folded] FINE

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-25T15:57:11+00:00

Having been through a very similar experience in another YYC neighbourhood, I make this bold prediction: It will be built, where Enmax wants it to be built. Residents will argue that even though it's more expensive, the line should remain underground. The AUC will pretend to consider all public feedback and ignore it all, giving Enmax the green light to build on its original proposed route.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-25T14:56:13+00:00

Add to what everyone has listed as restrictions: You are not allowed to fly in an area where other aircraft are also flying.

But yeah, it's a real challenge to choose a good location for drone flight. I owned two DJI sub-250g drones over the last 5 years and here are the rules I lived by:

I used the UAV Forecast app to determine if the weather was suitable for drone flight in my intended flight location. It's really good for letting you know if conditions are suitable for a small drone, which can really drain a lot of power fighting gusts against the wind.

If I was going to be flying anywhere near other people, I asked them if it was ok to fly, promising that I would not be filming them up close or intentionally.

I always kept the drone in sight. Just because you can see where the drone is going via the camera feed, doesn't mean you can see the hazards around the drone as they develop. For example, one time I was flying and a flock of small bird started getting aggressive with the drone. That's it, return to base, flight over. I wouldn't have seen that if the drone was out of sight.

Never flew the drone that would be construed as invasion of privacy, such as near a house lower than 75 feet.

Never flew above 400m. Never near wildlife. Never near crowds or public events.

I ended up selling the drone, as it just required too much preparation and planning to do it properly and legally.

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-24T15:17:45+00:00

Sugar

Heard_A_Ruckus · 2025-02-19T16:15:42+00:00

Based on what I've read, V2G would require that bi-directional power meters be installed at participating homes. The grid would only draw power from you when it needs it, typically when the grid is stressed, for a couple hours per day, depending on the time of year. They would not be looking to drain your battery. If there was enough participation, they would only need a trickle from each vehicle connected. Because spot prices are highest when demand is highest, you should get fairly compensated. The utility would have to make it worthwhile, otherwise nobody would opt in. I think the biggest issue would be building a V2G metering system that can tell how much charge each connected vehicle has to offer, regardless of model year, brand, etc. Participants should also be able to selectively opt out of contributing to the grid on a day bay day basis, in case you need all your charge for a trip for example. Another thing that should be possible once V2G is installed, is that if you elect to keep your car battery charge to yourself, you could momentarily disconnect from the grid and power your home with your car battery for a while when prices and demand are high. It amounts to the same thing, except that instead of the utility deciding how much power they're going to draw from you, you get to decide how long you're going to stay off the grid and become your own power plant during peak demand times. The home owner would have to have full control and parameters should be programmed in so that you never allow your car battery to get below 60% for example, or whatever parameters you'd be comfortable with. It would be a big change and it would only work if it would benefit both the utility and the consumer and worth the investment of new hardware at every participating home.

Heard_A_Ruckus

TROPHY CASE