Not getting 120V ?!?! - Power Line Conditioners...

[DarkDune]

Hey folks,

We just installed a Panamax M5300-PM Power Line Conditioner, and it shows that from the plug we use, we are only getting 103 - 110 Volts.

Any idea what we could do to get it up to the 120 Volts we expected? I was thinking of replacing the outlet for a start. Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

[erict]

Originally Posted by DarkDune

Hey folks,

We just installed a Panamax M5300-PM Power Line Conditioner, and it shows that from the plug we use, we are only getting 103 - 110 Volts.

Any idea what we could do to get it up to the 120 Volts we expected? I was thinking of replacing the outlet for a start. Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Use a meter to check to make sure that the Panamax is correct.

[blujacket]

Live in California? Seems you're not getting enough power from the pole to your panel box. I agree with erict, verify with a meter.

[Trix]

Originally Posted by DarkDune

Hey folks,

We just installed a Panamax M5300-PM Power Line Conditioner, and it shows that from the plug we use, we are only getting 103 - 110 Volts.

Any idea what we could do to get it up to the 120 Volts we expected? I was thinking of replacing the outlet for a start. Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Are you in a single house, or are you in a duplex/appartment complex/condo unit? I have very rarely seen a perfect 120v reading anywhere but stand alone houses and commercial buildings. Myself, my voltage runs anywhere from 102 - 110 in my apartment, and there is not really anything I can do about it. Changing the outlet would most likely not change anything, as someone pointed out that you're just not getting the current, period.

[ryandubbz]

I work for an electrical company, call your power company, and tell them your experiencing low voltage in the house, and trust me they will come right out to check it out, and its a free call, so why not do it??? Ask them your questions when they come

[Hammie]

My house runs hot. usually 122 - 128. I use all 130V bulbs because 120V bulbs might last a few weeks at most.

All my critical electronics are on power conditioners.

[kingofgrills]

Your actual voltage level can also vary greatly depending on what the current draw is on that circuit. If you have a number of other things drawing current from the same circuit breaker, unplug them all and then test your power level. If it's close to 120v you'll know the issue. If it's still significantly lower, call your electric company for a test.

As a head's up for anyone building a dedicated home theater room, it might be worth it to place it on a dedicated circuit too - especially if you run separate amps and a projector.

[wafi]

Originally Posted by louhamilton

My house runs hot. usually 122 - 128. I use all 130V bulbs because 120V bulbs might last a few weeks at most.

All my critical electronics are on power conditioners.

Woah that is pretty hot! Mine's 120-122.

[Cisco in HD]

My 5300 has been/is reading between 117-119... Sometimes 120 but not over, I don't think. That's really odd you'd be getting a 103.

[ryandubbz]

Your voltage range at the meter socket can be 120 volts plus or minus 5 % so anywhere from 126-114 is the standard.

[Nick4Blu_81]

I think everybodys voltage is a little different. As an electrician, I would start at the panel and measure the voltage at the main lugs/breaker of your electrical panel. This will tell you what the voltage coming in from the utility is. If it is higher than what you have at the receptacle, then your problem maybe some where in the circuit. I dont know how many stab in type receptacles I have pulled out of the wall, that have had a loose or burnt wire causing voltage drop on the circuit. Contacting the utility company is a good idea, altough the wont be able to do anything inside the house.

[solarrdadd]

first, is the receptacle your unit is plugged into, is it on a circuit by itself or is it a "shared" receptacle circuit? before inspecting the receptacle, turn off the power, you can then do two things:

safely inspect the outlet for correct wiring, polarity, grounding and evidence of high heat on the connection points. if it's the push in type then to be on the safe side i recommend using the side screws and attach them to the screws and tighten down. if you buy receptacls that come in a "individual box type package" they'll have instructions for side wiring. of you saw discoloration on the sides of the receptacle, bubbling of the insulation whitish, greenish powdery type substance then it's most likely from high resistance due to a loose connection. in which case you'll replace the outlet and wire it properly with tight connections.

the other thing you can do is determine if this is a dedicated circuit or a shared circuit. if it's dedicated then nothing else in your house will have lost power when you turned off the circuit breaker; only that outlet. check to make sure all appliances, lights, heaters, a/c and all other electrical appliances are working...anything that is plugged in or would/should be powered. if you find that you have other things on that circuit that would possibly be running when the power is restored then you may simply be suffering from a voltage drop due to high loads on that circuit that is being shared. if you live in a house that you own, i recommend that if you can either do it yourself (only if qualified please) or have a licensed electrician install a dedicated 20a circuit in for you.

you should, again, if qualified and know what your doing, use a voltmeter to check power in a couple of other outlets in your place to see if your running about the same voltage everywhere. then, you should, again, if qualified open your electrical panel that feeds that receptacle and check the power at a couple of places. from the circuit breaker where the circuit is attacked to the neutral/ground bar and see if the voltage you read is different (more or less) or the same as you had at the outlet or in other outlets in the house. also do the same for the main breaker be careful, this is the direct feed from your meter and the utility. check it to see if you have the same reading you got on the smaller breaker that goes out to the outlet. if all voltages are the same, call the utility company to check the voltage supply to your meter to verify it is what it should be. if they say that the voltage is what it should be and they will tell you what it is. they may tell you that you need a licensed electrician to check the wiring in your house.

if you don't know how to do these things, or you don't want to, call a licensed electrician and for the price of a service call he can inspect your outlet, the voltage at several points in your house and check the panel and give you a right up if he thinks it's too low and determine why. If you are getting a different voltage when reading from phase (hot) to ground and phase (hot) to neutral (if they are on seperate busses) then you probably have a neutral issue. ideal voltage would be 115v - 122v that level is taking into account your nominal voltage and normal loads running in your house at the time of measurement.

I have a dedicated 20a 125v circuit run for all of my gear using #12awg wire. nothing else is on that circuit so i have unshared power going to my gear. I have a dedicated line conditioner just for my amplifier and a UPS for everything else connected to this 20a circuit with some room to spare.

I do recemmond that you have a professional come in and check it out. I can do mine myself because I am a Licensed Master Electrician. I again recommend you have a licensed electrician evaluate your situation. A licensed Journeyman or Master Electrician is what you want. If you have doubts they must show you their license which they should be carring on their person as required by state law and it will have their license number, their name and their address on it. some states have pictures too but not all. When you call the company tell them you want a licensed electrician to come, not just an electrician who works under the license of the company masters' license but an actual licensed electrician.

keep us posted about what your resolve is.

[DarkDune]

Thanks for all your help!

I do have a BS in EE (been doing Network Engineering for a LONG time though), so I figure I am "qualified" .

I did pick-up a Voltmeter, and a plug wiring tester. I have a few Open Ground plugs around the house, which I may need to fix. I will tag the breakers and plugs to figure out what is connected to what and let you know what I find.

BTW: I did see 113 Volts this morning on the Panamax when everything in the Home Theater was shut off. It goes down to 103 Volts when everything is on in the Home Theater though.

[solarrdadd]

what part of the world do you live in (you didn't mention that) I also recommend that if possible if you have friends with the folks who live next door to you (either side) ask them if you can check their voltage levels to see what they are getting. 103v when your house is loaded is really low. this might be indicative of a true problem with your service either on your side or the utility side.

[DarkDune]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

what part of the world do you live in (you didn't mention that)

Boston MA - USA

[Nick4Blu_81]

If the voltage drops when your stuff is turned on, it may be that there is a loose connection somewhere in the circuit. Could be a loose hot or grounded conductor (neutral).

[ozzman]

I live in a upper apartment,2 levels ,4 Bedrooms .

My power conditioner shows 103 to 111,(most of the time its at 110,Like right now at this moment) I never thought to look into it.

It Never bothered me before.
After reading this thread iam going to look into it


Thank you for posting this Thread

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by wafi

Woah that is pretty hot! Mine's 120-122.

me too, i run 120 - 123, hardly ever strays and is usually at 121...

[ozzman]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

first, is the receptacle your unit is plugged into, is it on a circuit by itself or is it a "shared" receptacle circuit? before inspecting the receptacle, turn off the power, you can then do two things:

safely inspect the outlet for correct wiring, polarity, grounding and evidence of high heat on the connection points. if it's the push in type then to be on the safe side i recommend using the side screws and attach them to the screws and tighten down. if you buy receptacls that come in a "individual box type package" they'll have instructions for side wiring. of you saw discoloration on the sides of the receptacle, bubbling of the insulation whitish, greenish powdery type substance then it's most likely from high resistance due to a loose connection. in which case you'll replace the outlet and wire it properly with tight connections.

the other thing you can do is determine if this is a dedicated circuit or a shared circuit. if it's dedicated then nothing else in your house will have lost power when you turned off the circuit breaker; only that outlet. check to make sure all appliances, lights, heaters, a/c and all other electrical appliances are working...anything that is plugged in or would/should be powered. if you find that you have other things on that circuit that would possibly be running when the power is restored then you may simply be suffering from a voltage drop due to high loads on that circuit that is being shared. if you live in a house that you own, i recommend that if you can either do it yourself (only if qualified please) or have a licensed electrician install a dedicated 20a circuit in for you.

you should, again, if qualified and know what your doing, use a voltmeter to check power in a couple of other outlets in your place to see if your running about the same voltage everywhere. then, you should, again, if qualified open your electrical panel that feeds that receptacle and check the power at a couple of places. from the circuit breaker where the circuit is attacked to the neutral/ground bar and see if the voltage you read is different (more or less) or the same as you had at the outlet or in other outlets in the house. also do the same for the main breaker be careful, this is the direct feed from your meter and the utility. check it to see if you have the same reading you got on the smaller breaker that goes out to the outlet. if all voltages are the same, call the utility company to check the voltage supply to your meter to verify it is what it should be. if they say that the voltage is what it should be and they will tell you what it is. they may tell you that you need a licensed electrician to check the wiring in your house.

if you don't know how to do these things, or you don't want to, call a licensed electrician and for the price of a service call he can inspect your outlet, the voltage at several points in your house and check the panel and give you a right up if he thinks it's too low and determine why. If you are getting a different voltage when reading from phase (hot) to ground and phase (hot) to neutral (if they are on seperate busses) then you probably have a neutral issue. ideal voltage would be 115v - 122v that level is taking into account your nominal voltage and normal loads running in your house at the time of measurement.

I have a dedicated 20a 125v circuit run for all of my gear using #12awg wire. nothing else is on that circuit so i have unshared power going to my gear. I have a dedicated line conditioner just for my amplifier and a UPS for everything else connected to this 20a circuit with some room to spare.

I do recemmond that you have a professional come in and check it out. I can do mine myself because I am a Licensed Master Electrician. I again recommend you have a licensed electrician evaluate your situation. A licensed Journeyman or Master Electrician is what you want. If you have doubts they must show you their license which they should be carring on their person as required by state law and it will have their license number, their name and their address on it. some states have pictures too but not all. When you call the company tell them you want a licensed electrician to come, not just an electrician who works under the license of the company masters' license but an actual licensed electrician.

keep us posted about what your resolve is.

Very helpful info .
Is my system at any danger running 110

What will my benefits be if i can get it up to 115-120v

[DarkDune]

Originally Posted by ozzman

What will my benefits be if i can get it up to 115-120v

Not sure if this is right , but if a device pulls 450 Watts, if the Voltage is lower, it will have to draw more current. This is because Power = V * I, or Watts = Voltage times Current. Since most circuit breakers are rated at 15 Amps or 20 Amps, drawing more current will effectively lower the number of devices that can be on the same circuit.

At 120 Volts, 15 Amps is 1800 Watts.

At 110 Volts, 15 Amps -- you can only have 1650 Watts

At 100 Volts, 15 Amps -- you can only have 1500 Watts

All before the circuit breaker goes.

I also know that higher current normally gives cleaner sound signal on speakers, so I am unsure is 110 Volts could actually be better for sound.

My gut tells me that since devices are built to expect 120 Volts, it is probably better to give them that.

I will talk to our power company on my way home tonight!