W recently moved into a new home. ALL Arc Flash breakers. Most circuits 15A with 14Ga wire.
Every time we use the Anova we get flickering lights in the entry way and bathrooms.
It is pretty much timed with when the heating element turns on or off.
Any idea how to stop this behavior? This is our first house with AF Breakers and not all 12ga wiring.
Thanks
Doug
Hi Doug, those flickering lights could be a serious electrical warning signal.
Is this a new new home with 200 amp service? Or a new to you older home?
Sometimes circuit breakers weaken or leak from continued overuse. Best to have a licensed electrician check their condition and the problem circuits. You could have a serious and urgent electrical problem that requires immediate attention.
If it’s the Anova oven you’re using it’s a bit of a culinary workhorse and deserves a dedicated circuit from your breaker panel with a ground fault receptacle. Most kitchens have several. Kitchen supply circuits should not be supporting other areas of your home as they can be often used close to their limits.
Douglas, our Community’s Resident Engineer, may have some better thoughts on your problem and contribute, but by all means check with Anova Support right away.
Good luck on getting this resolved quickly.
It is a brand new home with 200A service. So all breakers are about 2 yrs old. Only have the problem when using our Precision Cooker (Sous vide Older one with Blue wheel for adjusting temp) not an Anova Oven.
The power company has come out and they moved our service to a different transformer because we we getting “dips” in the power.
Electrician has gone through the panel and insured all connections were screwed tight.
Doug Cooper
So, is the problem solved after transformer switch?
Hi ya @Cooperd166
Yes, you have 200 Amp service (rating of your breaker panel) but it sounds like your transformer may be shared with other customers. You need a ‘200 Amp’ 50KVA transformer with you only on it.
‘Arc Flash’ breakers is pretty sophisticated. I am impressed. Arc Flash is failure of a circuit breaker to interrupt current due to the presence of hot ionized gas in the breaker enclosure maintaining high current flow through the arc. Like an arc lamp.
I will check on the transformer rating next. AF Breakers are worthless in Garages and outdoor outlets, try and run a circular saw on them… Rotary loads with brushes are terrible. SqD did send us a complete set of “new” breakers about a year ago and things are much better than before, but still have “tool” issues.
Thanks for all your feedback. Need all the help I can get.
Doug Cooper
No Transformer switch was last year.
Doug Cooper
Ahh, “Arc Fault’ Circuit Breaker, required by code, rather than arc flash.
Ok, still a problem. A few questions:
Do the lights flicker i.e. vary rapidly, or dim when you use the stick?
Have you tried if it happens if you use a different outlet on a different breaker?
Are the lights LED?
More of dim momentarily and randomly
Yes they are LED lights.
Have tried some different outlets still a problem
Led light can be/are sensitive to voltage variations caused by switching in high loads. See for example this link https://www.reddit.com/r/sousvide/comments/2v2kjx/anova_causing_house_lights_to_pulse/
Two comments on your problem(s), based on my experience, with a house I had built in 2018.
1 – the flickering may be due to “cheap” LED bulbs (which builders typically use). If the LED drivers in the bulbs aren’t heavy enough, it can cause flickering. If you have some incandescent bulbs, I’d switch those for the LEDs and see if they flicker. If they don’t flicker, then I’d buy some higher quality LED bulbs, and use those instead.
2 – My new house had a “hobby package” in the garage. Every time I tried to turn on a table saw, pressure washer, air compressor, or anything with a decent motor, it would trip the breaker. Flip the breaker back on, and it was fine the second time. Next day, repeat the process. The breaker they used in the “hobby package” wiring was a standard Square D HM120 20A breaker. I spoke to Square D, and they suggested using a HM120 -HM 20 breaker, with the “-HM” being for “high magnetic”. The HM120-HM provides a split-second extra time before tripping, and is used for anything with a motor trying to draw more power than the HM120 will allow. I changed the breaker, and have had no problem since then. Of course, if the builder’s electrician knew what they were doing, they would have installed a high magnetic breaker on a “hobby package” in the first place but………
Thanks for the feedback I will check the breakers out. The LED lights are all “edison” style, and tough to find.
Thanks again
Doug
Depending on how far you want to go, you can obtain power quality monitoring equipment on your own or you electric utility’s customer service wing may have some you can borrow.