Power Surges

[John Smith]

I recently have been having a lot of electrical problems in my house, and was wondering if it could be due to power surges, and if so, how would I detect the surges, where they're coming from, and how would I fix them.

The problems have all occured in the last month, and include a Christmas light timer which sometimes turns on and off lights (and sometimes starts them flashing...) at random times, my alarm system keeps going off for no reason, my garage door opener sometimes opens the garage for no reason, and an X10 switch has stopped working. This has all happened in the last month or so, so save a poltergiste, I think something may have happened.

So my questions exactly are:

1) How do you detect power surges? I don't even know who to call, or what to buy. 2) If there is a problem, and it's coming from the outside line, what can I do? (or is Ontario Hydro responsible at that point?) 3) If there is a problem and it's coming from inside, is there any easy way to determine which device it's coming from

One more concern -- I replaced a few plugs in the house, and noticed that the previous owner had done some wiring he wasn't really qualified to do (a couple of plugs with the live and neutral wired the wrong way, and one that wasn't even grounded!). I'm not overly concerned because we haven't had any problems for a year now, but could a short circuit or non-grounded circuit cause this problem?

Thanks,

John

John

[m Ransley]

Call your elec co. could be your main, they are free and usualy look inside to help people out.

[J. Handley]

It sounds like there may be an open neutral in the power company's secondary circuit, especially common in underground service. They should be able to check it promptly - and free of charge.

[Jim Thompson]

I had that problem one time.

The thing to watch for is some lights brighten and some lights dim when something like a furnace blower is running.

...Jim Thompson

[m Ransley]

I had the same problem, a big tree branch hit my main without my knowledge and I kept getting repeated momentary resets on everything. Your Elec co will check their line and more for Free. They dont want a suit against them for a burn down. Offer some food, snacks and beverages , you may find they like your place better than the road , saving you a bundle in whatever they find. Who knows , you may get a complete diagnosis for free and a repair or two .

[Loose Cannon]

Sell the place quickly and let someone else fight the ghosts.