Power surges costing Florida homeowner thousands of dollars, as she gains fear for family's safety
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Power surges are putting a homeowner out thousands of dollars, as she loses appliances and gains fear for her family’s safety.
File a class action lawsuit.
Duke Energy should refund her for her loss!
It is time to acknowledge the truth that America's power grid needs to be upgraded and power companies need to start helping more
As a former electrician, you don't want to know the true cost of upgrading the grid.
@@dadevi The same for the Wastewater Treatment plant that is 60 years old with pipes in ground that are 85 years old in the city
@@dadevi yes we do they did a documentary about the power grid a few years ago it would cost billions if not a trillion dollars to do the entire us power gird
And the Goverment is pushing everyone to switch to EV... 😅
Sadly the power companies ect want's the government to foot the bill kinda like how the government gave cable companies money to upgrade their internet service and spread it to rural to bad they didn't upgrade their service but the suites got so happy that they got bonuses lol.
This homeowner needs to have a surge protector installed at the service panel that will protect the whole house.
Please remember a whole house surge protector is a one-and-done device‼️It protects everything electrical in the house BUT IT is destroyed in the process. It will NOT offer any protection for any subsequent surge❗️
Whole house surge protectors MUST be replaced EVERY time a surge occurs.
@@BartlettTFD Yes, but when it trips, it shows that the problem was with the incoming power and not something in the home. So there's not just protection, but more evidence to help bolster her claim....
Yah but it's a easy swap and it's not set off easily is the big serges that is going f everything up @@BartlettTFD
Why didn’t the electrical engineers tell her this?😮
@@godsseed8584 Why are you assuming they didn't? Not uncommon for contractors to recommend things that people say no to...
Watching from out of state & can't wait to see the update on this story... 😊👍
I pray she gets her money back. 🙏
Why. Electric companies are not responsible in Florida unless they change the law. It your responsibility to protect your home. At least this has been in the past.
Depends on what they find as the cause, and IF she can prove negligence vs. a one-time failure.
Magic isn't real - prayer won't get her money back. Sure she would rather have your kind donation than your prayers.
@@stevenpike7857You don’t know the power of prayer. Therefore you shouldn’t speak on it.
I hope you take them to court
It happened after they buried the power lines and they now say "They are examining the entire STREETS issues " So lets not shame this woman. If she said it was happening before the burying, i could see some skepticism . Yes a whole house surge is present in the breaker panel.
they have an electric panel surge protector, cheaper to replace that than other stuff in the home constantly.
Wow duke energy needs fix it safety first.
Get an APC
I thought about that too Steve, but it sounds like she would be replacing them frequently, and they're not cheap. Plus, it's not practical to put them on EVERYTHING. She needs a whole-house surge protector installed by the power company. I don't understand why this hasn't already been done. Something is missing from this story! @Steve-bm2zm
@@Steve-bm2zm I was advised by several experts that although they help with electronics, they are not to be used on appliances as they could make things worse. I don't know how that happens,.
This has happened to me too they did that to me last year and turned it back on because of system flaw and it killed 2 of my computers, they have never addressed this since i made the initial complaint
First guess is a broken neutral. However, assuming the utility checked the connections. If not that, maybe a bad transformer / connection inside. Such as one wire rubbing against another. The big question not answered is whether other neighbors have the same issues? If they have, should help narrow down the issue along with pursuing compensation.
Lose ground at transformer. I saw this after PIKE did new poles in Englewood FL .
If the neighbors aren't having the same problem, it's most likely a bad neutral connection, as several have stated. Depending on what's running, you can have low voltage in part of the house and high voltage in other parts. The low voltage isn't a fire hazard, but the high voltage is. And, surprisingly, individual surge suppressors can be a serious fire hazard if they are plastic! Surge protectors are designed to stop high voltage spikes that are very short in duration. Basically, a part in the suppressor absorbs the spike. But, if you have prolonged high voltage, that part gets very hot. I've seen plastic surge suppressors with holes burned through the outer casing. One was sitting on carpet, and there was a burned area of the carpet where the plastic case of the surge suppressor burned through.
I know a few people in Clearwater with this same issue. Duke energy is the power company for their homes. This is not a coincidence.
You are correct about cheap plastic power strips with surge protection. They can even explode and injure people if they take a large surge. That being said they are numerous companies that make much better surge protectors using different technology that are recommended to protect expensive components or appliances. They just cost more but are still far cheaper that replacing burnt out or damaged devices.
She is 100% correct to be concerned about a danger to her home.
I kept a log of the weather and the symptoms: when the problem was on multiple circuits and my main panel tested properly, I called PG&E and they sent someone immediately: I told them my ceiling light in a bedroom would become brighter when the washing machine began to spin if it was a windy day. Electricity and linemen are very logical.
I had previously replaced the washer with a 2nd and 3rd used washer thinking there was something wrong with them (each would sometimes fail to spin) before realizing it was related to the light on a different circuit. When you have the data, it helps show the problem is on the utility’s side of the meter! Squirrels had damaged a power pole arm, and the neutral wire was shorting out in windy conditions.
PG&E did a temporary fix that morning and another crew replaced the arm the same afternoon. I love PG&E.
What are the electricity rates there heard in news they are about to go up a huge amount if this is CA it’s so scary to me and I don’t even live there
@Vasudeva108. Pg&e has the highest rates in the nation. What's not to love about that.
the power company here FPL switches the power on and off almost daily ,while they "improve the infrastructure " it took 10 years to replace a broken pole that was bent and twisted.yet the fuse that controls the flow is 20 yo technology that must be manually reset.
Did you just come listen and report on her issues, or did you do a better job and knock on many neighbors doors to figure this out. If no one else is having this issue, then it should the lines connecting to her home, or within the home itself. I se your report, but it doesn't give a decent assessment of the problem. I'd like to ask when all this began? Then go look into if work was done by Duke energy nearby. They should have public records if their working out in the field. Perhaps she's getting the initial surge flow and when it gets down the line it's diminished. How close is she to a transformer or relay? My suspicion is a short is not being detected by the electricians. It is a fire hazard. I hope some rich person will step in aid them with attorneys so they can stand and fight if there's no solution found. She just needs one caring advocate.
Exactly. I clicked to fulfill my need to rage against a big bad utility company but just ended up confused about where to direct my rage. Sadly, I can't unclick the video.
Time 123. The burn mark on the plug is from an overload and / or a loose receptacle contact NOT A POWER SURGE.
Why aren't you an electrician, so help that lady! 🤔
You're right it's a bad contact point due to compression in the receptacle
bad neutral/ ground on the utility side. causes high and low voltage issues.
She can't get surge protection plugs?
Why do you think capacitors go out on heat pumps and air conditioners all the time? Maybe because the greedy power companies stopped putting capacitor banks on the powerlines to absorb voltage spikes and help stabilize the power with low or high voltage conditions. Don’t think that power companies are any different than the rest of corporate America over the last 25 years. Outsourcing and cutting cost to increase profits in the executive pockets and their corporate aircraft fleet (used for family vacations).
Has she never heard of surge protectors? I have them in every outlet in my home.
They will probably show with no notice, so she cannot have a skilled observer of her own. Also, has she talked to any of her neighbors, see if they are having these problems?
The reason they didn’t respond to her is because they have all the Power. 😂 ok I will see myself out
😂🤣🤷
Not having complaints from other customers means nothing. That does not mean you didn’t screw up running the wire to her house. Specifically every other customer in the neighborhood could be OK but if you screw up on her house, she’s the one who is going to have the problem. When she comes to you with information from licensed professionals, several of them saying it’s your problem utility company, then you need to send out your expert to refute the claim. You can’t just sit back at your office and say it’s not us look nobody else is complaining. To think that that is acceptable speaks volumes about the character of this utility. My local utility is no saint, but they would never say that they would always come out and at least look at the problem.
Homes built before 1985 may have outdated wirings that can be hazardous to be used constantly.
I’m thinking the same thing. Our home was built in 1984.
this kind of replacement/expense is also synonymous with a "you own nothing, everything is a subscription" world
Power surges don't typically isolate themselves to a single house. What about her neighbors?
Apparent power surging CAN affect a single house. Why! It is called an (intermittent) Open Neutral. The US is a 120/240V country. 120-gnd-120. If the gnd connection is poor or broken, all the 120V loads in the house try and self-balance (the neutral is no longer at 0V to ground ) . I have personally seen 2 cases. OTOH this type does not account for the Electric Stove (240V) fails or the burnt plugs (typical overload - overheat evidence or Aluminum Wiring fails)
@@steveurbach3093That’s right except for the range. They’re 120/240. I had this happen with a broken neutral on my service drop (squirrels chewing it) and it fried the electronics on my range. Fried a bunch of other sh*t too 😆
@@steveurbach3093 The utility should have found that easily. Or maybe it's a bad transformer. Or another live wire intermittently touching. Very odd.
@@steveurbach3093yikes, how do I test this... I'm having the same issue.
She needs to sue!
I have lost appliances due to power surges from blown transformer even with power lines and transformer being underground. Filed claims but was flat out denied.
Never thought of getting surge protectors while waiting for Duke Energy to do something?
A whole house protector can be acquired for $70-300.
I don’t know what planet you are living on, but here on earth, a house surge suppressor costs around the 2,000-3,000 dollar range, material and labor.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely possible to get this done cheaper, but I strongly advise everyone to never fuck around with high voltage. It’s the last thing you should ever try to save money on.
Thankfully, for new build buyers, house surge suppressors became required in the 2020 NEC of the IRC/ICC.
Except, the city you buy a new build in needs to have adopted the 2020 codes or later, generally.
I have individual ones for everything I plug into outlet. Yes they work. Why she don’t. Never plug directly into outlet 😮😮😮😮
@@DunnsDayDashanother way is to replace panel. It’s cheaper than replacing all appliances. I have old home but got a new electric panel. If a power surge hits it shuts that outlet down. Also have power surge protectors in every outlet. Education!!!!
I do not live in Florida but being an old facilities guy operating a least 10 building a one time over seeing Capital improvements projects around 50 million dollars and hiring staff and over seeing the day to day operations of each property, this is what I have done in my home ( and you may want to think about these simple upgrades for your home) that is paid off and is 20 years old 1, installed surge on my house electrical panel, 2 have APC battery backup for my flat screens and internet, 3. installed a surge protector on my A/C condenser unit outside, 4. all electrical outlets & light switches have been replace with new ones, 5, all angle water shut offs for sinks & toilets have been replaced, 6. all toilet wax rings have been replaced, 6. all flex water lines to sinks and toilets have been replaced, These are all simple upgrades that you can do to help control any issues you may come across over the years. Because remember parts wear out and after 20 years they should be looked at and replaced if needed. What do you think ??? thanks
Whole house surge protectors should be required by code. Have at least 2 layers of surge protection, one on the panel or meter base, and one for point of use.
There is something called third or 5th harmonics - harmonic distortion, or electrical noise from dirty power. Basically it is random or additional signals or frequencies, or voltage or current within the normal electrical Sinusoidal waveform that is supplied by the utility.
Buy a surge protector.
Surge protector are one time use only. She will ended constantly having to replace them.
You should install Uninterruptable Power Supplies at any circuit that powers electronics.
These will switch to battery power when there is a surge and protect your equipment.
I like how she has tried to solve the problem, she has proven this, Duke Energy needs to put more effort into solving this and she needs to be reimbursed for her out of pocket expenses, not with credits, but with cash.
Never understood power lines above ground that have not been placed underground. New neighborhoods built are all underground.
During the OH to UG conversion her service was probably knicked. She is having voltage tracking from one phase to another or to the neutral. Replace her service and these issues will go away.
Sorry for her troubles but that stove switch damage wasn’t caused by her power company, that switch is called a infinite switch and many brand electric stoves have them and they are all terribly unsafe designs that can activate
un-commanded with no turn of the control knobs, my stove is a kenmore and its 10 plus years old and i stock a case of switches for both big and small burners, plus when they fail they usually fail full on wide open super high heat while you are simmering something on a low heat.
Ive got a registered complaint with the consumer protection safety board and my stove has eaten dozens of these 35 dollar switches i replace myself or the repair’s on this stove would have cost thousands.
Cant wait for the day when a retrofit rheostat switch is avail like the 1970’s stoves used with hardly any failures
Whole home surge protector by Siemens costs about $400 and installed for about $250
1:41 watch the video and look, she has it. Something else is going on here.
@@user-ln7of9gs4syeah I said but saw that too. But it looks like it’s on the meter and not on the actual panel. I didn’t see a label for the whole home surge.
@@user-ln7of9gs4s and besides don't those have to be replaced each time they get tripped?
@@user-ln7of9gs4s Finally somebody who sees it.
@@user-ln7of9gs4s it might be a bad transformer nearby.
Damage shown in the video is generally from over current heating, or arcs initiated by insects. Nowhere is there evidence of over voltage, such as fried surge protection in power strips or power supplies. The voltage monitor confirms the lack of over voltage issues. There may be under voltage issues resulting in flickering light, but that is relatively common with AC units starting.
FPL is in cahoots with deSatan! They back him, financially, with money from our overcharged electric fees, and he supports them and lets them make their own rules!
I'm sure Duke is doing thee same!
Why is the Neutral side of the plug burnt?
Seems like a detached neutral, if it's the whole block, this is likely at the transformer.
Two of my coworkers have been talking about this happening in their Clearwater homes. Same story and Duke energy denies everything. 😮
While she shouldn't have to pay for anything, I don't understand why she didn't get a whole house surge protection device installed in her circuit breaker. It would have been far less than what she spent on replacing devices, not to mention it would be safer.
First thing that should be done, is someone should check that all of the neutral wires are tightened inside the electrical panel , next check the bear copper ground wire at the meter and Make sure it’s tightly connected to the grounding lug . Lose connections can cause all of those problems .
Poor woman.
That's not the power company that's the builder / electrical contractor... her wiring and junction box / relays are bad or non existent. It's her home electrical system not the power company.
It’s Florida folks, power is intermittent. This has happened to many home owners in Fl, hope they make her whole. Our entire grid in the USA is poor.Hope we don’t have to really find out the hard way. Texas should be an indication of the state of seriousness we are in. They don’t care it’s about the dollar. Many are finding other ways to keep there lights on can’t depend on these companies
why are the breaker boxes outside they have been inside every house ive lived in
Because it is cheaper. You are now required to have the meter and Main disconnect outside. Putting ALL the breakers means they save sheet metal and another mounting (and location). This is mostly for single family dwellings where the access is available to the resident.
I’m glad I have TECO. They can be expensive at times but at least I don’t have these problems, smh. Duke needs to get it together.
I hate Duke Energy.They are the worst somebody fraudulently cashed my refund check from them and they would not even let me see a copy of the check
Not all certified electricians are experienced with this issue. Some should not be certified.
With Insurance company's in Florida, & local govt. corruption NO WAY, would I live in Florida.
Lady you need some education on the subject. Makes no sense. Never plug directly into outlet.
Yeah same thing happened in Danbury Connecticut our complex and the psi there’s a big power surge and blew half the boxes out. And the power company said oh it’s not our fault. But it independently Kristen said they been playing this game all along they know what’s going on. Sweetheart them red-handed
A whole house surge protector is less than $100. $80 for labor. You should have one anyway.
But it's not her fault.It's the utility company's fault ...
Voltage drops and surges are bigger problem because everything has electronics. Where I live the electric quality is not great so voltage protectors used. .
What do you mean a recording voltage meter will be installed or a second time? You never talked about the first time they installed a recording voltage meter?
This sounds like a loose neutral between the secondary of the transformer that serves her and the guts of her breaker box. Most electricians are not trained to find and solve this. I noticed a "loose neutral" was not mentioned in the video. A recording voltmeter will only detect a loose neutral upstream from the installation of the recording meter. After two years, no other neighbors are complaining or having problems? Again this looks like her transformer, service cable or breaker box. Therefore this could be Dukes problem or her problem. A surge protector will not fix a loose neutral. Poor response from Duke and the electricians she payed to investigate. This is not rocket science and should not have lasted this long. Should have been verified within an hour of investigation. Fix would take longer. I did this type work and investigations for 42 years working for a utility company.
Lolol it’s called getting a small surge protection. 😂😂😂😂
those particular burner controls burn out , very common , even burning off the blade where the wires plug , happens a lot with those stoves , i have changed dozens for people
Man, if they only made something to suppress the surges.
When the power cord was shown its on the Neutral side. Now since she had electricians and a engineer look at the house and if she is the only one on the street having the issue I think it would be possible the service line connection from the transformer to the house is loose or damaged.
Id have an electrician install an online UPS. Should protect the sensitive electronics as a temporary fix.
Polk County FL duke energy power surges have destroyed my AC twice $900 every time 14 days to fix
I agreed it's a loose neutral connection somewhere, a surge protector won't fix that.
Sounds like a loose neutral connection somewhere between the transformer and the breaker panel.
My whole house has surge protection plus every electronic has backup power so it’s clean always. Large appliances have point of use protection. Florida is the lightning capital of the world. Zero problems so far.
Outrageous!!!😮
Scientology problem. All I had to hear was ‘Clearwater’.
Time to invest in a whole house surge protector!
It's not just a surge protector for the whole house. This is more serious as there is a possibility of a fire breaking out in her hone,because of these power surges.!
@@JustMe-dn9fh surge protectors Shunt the energy back to the grid. This one would be at the panel. But there is a definite problem.
Want to screw up a utility? Privatize.
What? You want the government involved.
@@icelandviking1961 f n cost less and better service from government. Boeing and Musk have people stranded in space for Cs sake! Your food isnt even food and is making you sick. Privatization KILLS PEOPLE FOR PROFIT
@@icelandviking1961 as opposed to a corporation looking out for its shareholders at your electrical expense by doing everything cheaply and bare-bones.
@@icelandviking1961 lets see.....privatized space program.......astronauts stuck in a near death situation because Musk and Boeing. NASA did s better job CHEAPER. so enough gaslighting.
They sell whole house surge protectors. Did she install one?
Have the same problem with FPL got told they dont replace transformers until they dont work, but i could buy one and they wouldnt charge me to install it.
Do not charge anything overnight.
Keeping batteries plugged into a socket will start a fire.
Those burn marks are a sign.
The utility is selling a product which is substandard and is responsible for it, if it was me I would go off grid!
This is terrifying
Just get a surge protector on the panel and on tvs.
The damage I am seeing is not a result of surging. The outlets appear to be worn and old cause a loose connection which gets hot asf.
I see this every day. Also often times you have under sized wire for the load.
A power conditioner will not fix these conditions. Its not hard to fix though, so there is that.
As suggested at the very end, if the utility had already previously installed a recording electric meter on her home than we already know definitively where the problem is coming from. That seems like a pretty big omission to leave out of the report. It seems highly unlikely the trouble could be coming from the transformer and not causing the same issues for her neighbors.
Omg. She can either have am electrician install a surge protector at the panel or use individual ones for computers tv and fridge. This is not rocket science
Have commercial grade surge protection and lightning protection installed on the lines coming in from your power company at the home's power panels. I have these installed at my home plus a lightning rod system. I also installed surge protection for the cable and internet phone connection. FPL's surge protection on the meter base is not effective enough to protect against a strong surge. Some of neighbors have the power company surge protection and have lost televisions, stoves, computers and other electrical devices. I am an electrical engineer an have tried to protect my home as best as I can with Delta commercial products. I have not had any damage to my home or equipment.
Issue issue issue it's not an issue it's a problem is that the only word peoples vocabulary
3:22 there’s a clue! Look at the concrete patches!!!
Clue to what?
Happens in Texas also! You can hear the ceiling fans and other AC current items single phasing or trying to running after loosing a phase.
We call FPL to remove branches and they say they will but never shows up. I had to pay $1,300.00 to remove the branches. All over Pensacola this problem exits.
She needs a whole house surge protector
1:37 you can see she’s missing the surge protector on her service panel. They’re only like 200 tops could’ve saved their thousands
I dont understand. Florida has a low budget but a huge surplus. Why cant the money go back to the tax payers?
Duke energy is a private company?? Vanguard owns 9% of it. It's not a government company lol.
@@vjaguirre6044 I’m just talking in general. If the cost of living in florida is expensive and the state has billions in surplus maybe it’s time to give back in the form of lowering property tax or rebates.
because that wouldn't be the American way
Thats not from a power surge its from to much draw from something like a microwave and using multi plug connectors
I just had the same problem with Duke and had to pay out of my pocket $1,850. Duke will not cover the damage even through it was there transformer that caused it!
It is clear the customer is loosing the neutral bonding throwing the line balance off. A three channel chart recorder with full floating inputs and an independent ground rod will pinpoint the problem. It may be a customer issue. Just because you have a ground rod installed to code does not mean it works.
In some cases it is necessary to have multiple ground rods and if available the load center should be bonded to the municipal water supply.
What about a surge protector ?
I also had an electrician repair the wiring where the electric power comes into house. I had flickering lights and my home was not well maintained by previous owners. It cost me $500 but worth it. Again that was not the power company but worn out parts that needed replacement for an old home built in 1960. Changed the panel box too.
This house is going to burn down !
I would say go solar, but Florida will charge you a Sun tax that is more than power bills.
This lady needs to write her congressional leader fir her district. In addition, she needs to file a claim for all ofvthe damages to her household items with Duke. Claims adjuster shoukd have already compensated her for her losses.
Why is her breaker box outside & exposed to the elements?