Beefsteak 305 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 Just had one, it lasted for a second! all the alarms in the street went off, bloody racket. I was able to turn ours off. It came back on straight away as I said but then we had a second one about an hour later. This time I couldn't turn the alarm off, the microwave appears to have blown up (Not literally ) the table was turning but no cooking took place I can't get the gas oven to come on eitheras it needs leccy to start it ! My mate up the road (Who's a sparky) said the voltage had dropped to 110 as opposed to the normal 240! If my microwave really has packed up can i put a claim in to my energy providers? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 Yes you can Beef, but whether they pay out is another thing ! Most probably in THEIR small print there will be some sort of disclaimer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 We get loads of power outages, most around a couple of seconds, squirrels are our main culprits, they climb the power poles and get strung across the 7200 volt lines, breakers detect a fault, trip and reset. Squirrels are converted into flying squirrels for a short time....LOL Power companies usually only guarantee power to be within 10% of the stated voltage, anything else is due to a fault somewhere which is generally not their fault. breakdown of an insulator, wildlife getting strung across a phase to earth, idiots trying to steal copper wire etc.. Good advise is to have surge protection on domestic electronics to "strap" transients to earth before they cause problems. I use a good quality UPS, (Uninterruptable power supply), which has good surge protection to protect my computer. There is also a "whole house surge protector" mounted on my meter at the power pole. It protects the motors on our fridge...freezer and washing machine plus house wiring from voltage transients caused by lightning. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pixie 162 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 Netherfield gets quite a few of these mini power cuts. I remember in the old house, not long after having a baby. My other half said, you go to bed.. I'll sort her if she wakes. So as I lay in bed, watching a little bit of tv, the power goes off and back on, alarms going off... It came back on but we kept having a repeat of said power cuts every 10 or so minutes. In the end we decided to just switch everything off. Was no joy getting to sleep with next doors alarm goinf off every farts end though. Would it be the energy supplier your with to put the claim in, surely it'd be to whoever has controll over the electricity it's self as people on your street may all be with different providers and had the same problem. Just a thought? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 Ted Heath was PM during the 72 and 74 miners strike, Maggie was just an MP. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 I didn't like Ted Heath as a PM but I thank him for the wonderful son we conceived during the early 70s power cuts. I'm so glad that, when a fuse blows we no longer have to pratt about with fuse wire by candle light. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted September 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 It's started working properly now! Must have just been the big voltage drop. Really weird though, how part of something can still work even on low power! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 The electronics have either a standard linear regulated power supply, or a switching power supply Ian, they will work probably down to 80% of line voltage, although the Magnatron, (the valve, that produces the RF for cooking with) won't be as efficient at those voltages. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted September 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 It was nice and quiet though , I thought someone had fitted the microwave with a silencer!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 The fan wasn't working at full speed, the magnatron could have overheated!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MELTONSTILTON 452 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 We get quite a few power cuts the the winter, with the weight of snow breaking the power lines, we live in an area which is mountainous, and people just accept it, and all the locals have a stock of candles and oil for the lamps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 It's not snow where I live that causes problems, icestorms are our biggest fear with power, a cold layer of air from ground to about thirty or forty feet high settles in, it's well below freezing, usually the edge of a cold front, with warmer upper ar laden with moisture. Once it starts raining, the rain freezes on contact with everything it lands on. Power lines get so heavy that it snaps the poles like carrots, once one goes it's a domino effect. We had a very bad one a few years back, brought several states to a standstill, roads had up to three inches of solid ice on them, thousands of miles of power lines on the ground, crews couldn't get to them because roads were skating rinks. Trees explode with the weight, it's an eerie sound listening to creaks and cracks as they come crashing down. We were without power for about a week, some were still without power in Kentucky six weeks after the storm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alisoncc 379 Posted September 30, 2013 Report Share Posted September 30, 2013 When I lived on the Upper North Shore in Sydney, power "flickers" were quite common. Invariably it meant that another possum, flying fox, or fruit bat had been barbequed without the trimmings. Possums were nice though, they would sit in the gutters next to our kitchen door and wait for pieces of apple. Stick a piece on the end of a cane and hold it up for them, and they would take it and sit there holding it with both hands whilst munching away. They could grow to the size of a small rabbit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trevor S 2,003 Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Get the little barstewards in your roof cavity with all their pi$$, shi!! and running around all night and see if you still think they are nice.And you cannot poison them, you must get a possum man out to capture it and he releases it somewhere else to create havoc.alisoncc, go up to the falls at Marysville one evening and you will get the best of both worlds after dark; the Steavenson Falls lit up with floodlights and the ability to feed more possums than you can count. They are almost tame, they come down low in the trees or on the fence rails and you can feed them all night long. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alisoncc 379 Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Get the little barstewards in your roof cavity with all their pi$$, shi!! and running around all night and see if you still think they are nice. They are nice if you don't let them in to your roof cavity. Had some friends in Sydney who were convinced by a roofing contractor that the marks on their ceilings were due to rain ingress, so spent many thousands having their roof redone. I asked a few pertinent questions like "did they get a lot of noise in the roof at night" and they replied "yes". Unfortunately this was after they had signed the contracts to have the roof redone. It was possums in the roof. We were able to keep them out of our roof, but fruit bats from the Gordon colony used to raid our trees, and make a god-awful mess. Once saw one with "wings" outstretched come down between two power lines. It was better than the fireworks at New Years Eve. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Thought you had snakes to do that job Trevor............................ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trevor S 2,003 Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Not here in Melbourne, just Peter the Possum Man....and guess what he really does with those he catches- Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alisoncc 379 Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Nasty person. Admins can we have a "Don't like this" button, pleeze. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trevor S 2,003 Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 'Possum on a stick' sausages is one of the serving suggestions for Possum Day. Barry Humphries alter-ego, Dame Edna, has done a huge amount to internationalise Australiana, and Edna's expression 'hello possums" is part of that. But while possum is now well regarded overseas including as meat, fur and fibre, most Australians have little regard for this native. But in northern Tasmania preparations are being made for promoting "Possum Day". Taxidermist Gerald Schnitzhofer has presented a multitude of freeze-dried possums "with attitude", after some cosmetic work and a little imagination. Artist Ray Norman says the silliest thing we do is not eat enough possum! Gerald Schnitzhofer is a licenced game shooter and taxidermist who specialises in creating his 'Possums with attitude!' Metz cafe bar co-owner Alyce Elmore serving up possum meals like possum pie, possum on a stick and possum pizza. John Kelly from Lenah Game Meats (left) and Ray Norman pose with stuffed possums. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 I'm a bit bewildered by all this but I think I am beginning to understand it. If we do get prolonged power cuts, then we will have to eat imported possum sandwiches or possum sausages. OK. I'll put plenty of salad cream on to kill the taste if I don't like them. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 By the looks of those stuffed possums @ #21, playing guitars - I don't think I'd wish to eat any - enough to make you cringe! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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