08-24-2024, 09:44 AM
This post was last modified 08-24-2024, 09:51 AM by Waterglass.
(08-23-2024, 08:56 PM)l0st Wrote: Maybe playing devil's advocate here but a lot of what yourself and Waterglass have described could be caused by a loose neutral either in your electrical panel, service drop, or at the transformer whether buried or on a pole. Pretty much all of what you both have described except dead batteries. Where dead batteries are concerned, they're just garbage now. I bought a brand new battery last year and it was dead after 6 months and I've learned that this is practically the norm now. (maybe not 6 months, but short lifespans). A bad transformer and/or connection to it will spew RFI all over the spectrum which can cause all kinds of issues.
If you want to check it, attaching a voltmeter on one leg and then turning on a large load (like a stove or water heater) on the other leg will result in a minor variation of the voltage, but it should still be relatively close to 120 VAC. If only leg goes way high while the loaded leg goes way low then you've got a neutral problem somewhere.
A place where I used to work had all kinds of problems with WiFi and the electronic devices on it that we could never really track down the cause of. Then, one day the microwave in the kitchenette died. Surprise, surprise once the new microwave was in problems disappeared. The relatively astute engineering group I was in had pretty much immediately dismissed the idea of the microwave being the issue since all microwaves are faraday cages. Well, turns out old microwaves can develop RF leaks.
I would be curious what the RF spectrum looks like when the issues are occurring. With a log-periodic antenna and an SDR with the appropriate software you may even be able to track down the source. Most ceiling fan remotes operate at 433 Mhz, so there is a starting point. My guess is that you will see a large chunk of the spectrum being shit on by some device somewhere.
I had WiFi issues at an old apartment that I beat my head against the wall getting to the bottom of. Eventually, I pulled out an on AM radio and tuned it to a frequency with no station broadcasting and went around the house. I noticed right away that about 10' from every single outlet the AM radio was picking up massive interference across the entire band. It was so bad, I could sit at the breaker box (in a completely different part of the building) and still pick up some interference - assuming it was coming from the panel itself. I flipped off breakers one by one until I found the culprit. I then left everything else off and went back into the unit to investigate. I found an old Chinese DVD player that I bought from Target some 10 or 15 years before was spewing out all kinds of interference. I unplugged the player and flipped everything else on and problem solved. Tossed it straight in the trash.
Another possibility:
I had some strange flickering in light and I could ever hear transients coming through the power lines through stuff like PC speakers that are always on but maybe not in use. My UPSes used to make weird noises as well and didn't seem too happy with the power quality, flipping on and off battery. This would happen randomly. I noticed that it seemed more likely to occur when the dishwasher was running, but couldn't nail it down because it didn't always happen.
Fast forward 1.5 years my well pump died. When I pulled it out, I found that the prior company that worked on it did not reinstall the pump with cable guides. The drop pipe with the cable taped to it had rubbed against the inside of the well casing, causing 3 or 4 spots where the cable was rubbed through. These were probably under water (I hit water at 30') so stray currents were likely grounding out to the casing. After I spliced up the well wire and installed a new pump and set it back in the well all issues are now resolved. I would never have guessed that the pump wiring was the cause. There were no other apparent issues with operation. I have a large tank and an HE dishwasher so I'm guessing that sometimes the pump never had to kick on because the tank wasn't drawn down so I never saw the issue while running a load of dishes while other times the pump had to kick on and the issue would present. TBH I initially thought I had just bought some cheap light bulbs.
This points very strongly to a problem with grounding in the house, which would also be bonded to neutral and should only be bonded in one place.
The descriptions of the property and items affected lead me to believe the location might be "higher end" and in a hurricane zone. Is there a generator in place? Is it bonded or floating neutral? Is it permanently connected with a transfer switch? There are two "types"(configurations) of generators for use when attached to a house versus standalone.... the wrong one will cause issues.
Those EMF detector apps use the magnetometer in the phone. They're intended for measuring the earth's magnetic field and not EMF radiation, which is several orders of magnitude stronger. I would take the results with a grain of salt. Any metal object will be an antenna that will drive that thing nuts. I would use an AM radio tuned to dead air.
The surge protection you have will not help if the problem is a neutral bond issue. Common surge protectors use an internal component that is basically "one time use only" and then they either go open (no voltage) or work like a regular power strip with no protection. If you're the crafty type, its possible to buy these parts and replace them. They're dirt cheap.
I will attest that WiFi for security cameras is not only unreliable, any crook can go on Alibaba and buy a wifi jammer that will take down every AP in the neighborhood on two or three AAA batteries. Ring cameras will still record and upload the footage later, but if your criminal knows that, they can just 86 the cameras before turning off their wifi jammer.
Hey thanks for your excellent input as you are light years beyond two Master Electrician's and the Owner of the "Wire Monkey" in Lexington, they do security cams and Home Theater Wiring. He said this same electrical zapping issues surround the entire lake Murray shoreline. He's 8 miles away across the lake on the Southern shoreline. One of his clients got an $20,000 stereo system zapped.
The surge protection you have will not help if the problem is a neutral bond issue. Common surge protectors use an internal component that is basically "one time use only" and then they either go open (no voltage) or work like a regular power strip with no protection. If you're the crafty type, its possible to buy these parts and replace them. They're dirt cheap.
We moved here in 2017 and bought a 1994 4600 sqft home. I can remodel and I do it per Code. I currently have two ongoing live permits with Lexington County. I had both circuit breaker panels and breakers removed and replaced in 2020 with Siemens. Not one breaker has tripped since. Have had numerus power and WIFI outages since. I had them install the Eaton Whole Home Surge protection in the box.
I also have in wall surge outlets with a indicator light. I haven't lost any yet nor the Monster Strip Protectors are new [2021] My 2008 Monster HTS 3600 MKII Surge Protector Clean Power Stage 3 still has [5] Banks left. The others have been fried.
In 2017 I used test and found they had the Ground wired to Neutral in almost 12 receptacles. I corrected per Code. I also found that many wires were becoming loose from the receptacles. I am now wondering whether I should go through the entire house and replace all of them. He used some knock off brand that I never heard of.
I will attest that WiFi for security cameras is not only unreliable, any crook can go on Alibaba and buy a wifi jammer that will take down every AP in the neighborhood on two or three AAA batteries. Ring cameras will still record and upload the footage later, but if your criminal knows that, they can just 86 the cameras before turning off their wifi jammer.
Amen to you brother as your statement agrees with the Monkey +2 other Security System installers in Columbia, SC. Both of my neighbors deal in "stuff" One is a CEO and the other is an CPA + Lawyer. Would-Could a WIFI blaster disable a Android Smart Phone from taking a picture or a video. Why, because when they were moving a golf bag that had a slump in the center [without clubs] it appeared to have a human body in it. I tried to video and a picture by the fooking camera malfunctioned several times. That's why I didn't contact the police! It happens often with "them" with my phone. I have 3 other witnesses to the golf bag thing on three separate times and days with others. One said its so horrific they have blocked it from their memory. Thoughts?
So I went to Trail Cams. I cop I know said that those signals to the ATT or Verizon satellite can also be disabled!
(08-21-2024, 02:16 PM)ArMaP Wrote: To Northeast?
If I'm not mistaken, that chart says the Moon, today, rises exactly to the East, 90º from North clockwise.
Yes, the chart I am looking for August 21, 2024 at 9:27 pm ↑ (90°) which pertains ONLY to Columbia, South Carolina USA!
My camera can only see up to 80 degrees as the corner of the house is there.
Today, 24August 2024 Moonrise is at 11:03 pm ↑ (66°). I should be able to see that on the cam. I will get back to you
