Mangaluru: A few residents near the railway track near Manipal School at Attavar experienced an electric shock of a different kind on Saturday night. Incandescent bulbs blew prematurely, mobile chargers plugged into the power socket and bulb holders started emanating smoke, causing instant loss of electronic and electrical appliances.
Some of the alert residents, to confirm the voltage fluctuations switched on their electronic and electrical gadgets and watched them breaking down!
A resident, who experienced such problems due to high voltage fluctuation, put on the bathroom light and the incandescent bulb blew out. They did not realize that a mobile charger which was plugged to the socket had got burnt. A member of that family who is an engineering student said that such high voltage fluctuations brought a loss of around Rs.2000.
When an anxious resident called up the AEE, Sunil Monteiro, he said he was not aware of it and asked the resident to check it with the Jeppu Mescom office. The resident, who called up the Mescom office to confirm about voltage fluctuations, was questioned by the Mescom call attender if he had called to lodge a complaint about the same.
Reluctantly, the call attender revealed that they had received several such complaints. He said that the voltage fluctuation was due to trees falling on the electricity lines and also the live electricity lines coming in contact with each other. He quickly added that the problems were rectified.
Another resident in the same area lost four bulbs due to the voltage fluctuation on Saturday. When the Mescom Assistant Engineer for the area was contacted, he advised that if one has to avoid such loss due to voltage fluctuation, they have to unplug all electrical appliances from the power sockets before going to bed at night. He also said that it is not avoidable in case of refrigerator which needs to be kept running throughout. Since Mangaluru is experiencing rain, it is advisable to take precautionary measure to avoid the loss.
Poor power supply can also cause electronic equipment to fail (especially computers) and may cause interference in radio or television reception.
According to a qualified electrical engineer:
What causes poor power quality?
Voltage fluctuations are generally caused by loose or corroded connections at either the house or on the power lines, and are often noticed by flickering lights. Dim lights can be a symptom of voltage being too low. This can be caused by overloading on the network, loose connections or the conductor wire transmitting power to your house being too small. In extreme cases, a loose connection can cause electric shocks from metal appliances and surfaces in your house.
Power surges and spikes are commonly caused by lightening, power switching on the lines or sometimes from household appliances drawing excessive amounts of power in either your own house or neighbouring premises. Other less common causes of power surges and spikes include lines clashing as a result of trees, strong winds, vehicle accidents or possums and birds on the lines.
What do I do about poor power supply?
The quality of power supply you receive does vary from time-to-time as a result of the above factors and with most one-off situations does not require further action. However, if the problem is regular occurrence, it may be advisable to contact the Electricity supply company.
Typical problems experienced with poor power supply:
• Lights flickering or dimming
• Computers restarting/crashing
• Light bulbs not lasting
• Cooking equipment problems
• Electric motors not starting / unexpected tripping
• Equipment slowing down
Who pays to fix power supply problems?
If a problem exists continuously or is regular in occurrence, there will be no charge for the problem to be rectified. If it is found that the problem is on your equipment, it is your responsibility to rectify the problem. You are welcome to hire your own electrician and ask him to complete the work for you.
If you are prone to frequent power fluctuations, it may be worthwhile having an electrician install a surge protector in your distribution board. A cheaper option is to ensure you have power surge protectors on all electronic appliances, for example computers, televisions and DVD players.
