Posted this yesterday but did not get a chance to read the 9 responces due to the glitch in the old Forum. The Question. I'm concerned about dirty power and don't want any chance of have any of my appliances damaged because of dirty power. When do you suggest disconnecting from the grid? I want to watch the Ball Fall In Times Square. I'm not in the Eastern Time Zone. Your suggestions. P.S. Do I throw the switch at the side of the house or do I just pull the plug on the separate appliances.

-- thinkIcan (ThinkIcan20@hotmail.com), December 29, 1999

Answers

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-- thinkIcan (ThinkIcan20@hotmail.com), December 29, 1999.

I think you just cut through the 3 main wires coming into your service box with a good set of wire cutters.

(tongue in cheek for the clueless)

-- You Knowwho (debunk@doomeridiots.com), December 29, 1999.

Watch and be alert and be ready to throw that switch based upon information you obtain. I, myself, am throwing it around 5 pm on Dec 31st as quite obviously our government will be hiding all pertinant and vital information that effects us from us.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), December 29, 1999.

You Know Who, Why are you so mean spirited? I feel sad when I read your replies and if I have offended you in any way I am truly sorry. Most of the posters here do not deserve your demeaning posts and would help you in a NY minute if you needed help.

-- Carol (gler@usa.net), December 29, 1999.

I've got a cheapo multimeter set to read 150vac, wired straight to a 120v line plug. (Can't afford a recording voltmeter.) Whole rig cost maybe $15, but I already had the parts anyhow, so it's not like I shelled out just for this. My good meters I reserve for other work.

I'll plug it in and just watch it from time to time. Don't plan to spend the whole evening staring at it, but maybe it'll be a slow day. If I see any needle movement, I'm gonna throw the main breakers, and then do the same for all the consenting neighbors.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), December 29, 1999.

My suggestion is you don't disconnect. "Dirty Power" has become a buzz word for people who really don't know what they are talking about. If you are concerned about your computer and such just pull the plug. The power has to get really bad before it would damage things like your fridge or your furnace. That would be obvious way before it happened. The lights would grow dim then become dim then become very bright and so forth.

Relax and enjoy the holiday.

-- (The Engineer@tech.com), December 29, 1999.

"people who really don't know what they are talking about".

You're right, most of us are beyond our depth on power questions. All our information comes from two sources: People who hold themselves out as knowledgeable sources and say that everything's fine, and people who hold themselves out as knowledgeable sources and say everything's toast. My impression of TheEngineer is that he/she's honest, a little stuffy, and well-intentioned. I'm not suggesting any bad faith, here.

The one consistent pattern, through all of Y2k preparedness since I started on the problem in 1994 or -5 (getting fuzzy, here) is the prevalence of conflicting information. So my advice is to be skeptical about all authoritative statements (including mine), and to take the course that protects you regardless of how the events go.

TheEngineer might be perfectly correct, "Dirty Power" might be a myth, but I'll be watching the needle for significant shifts (should have phrased that better in my earlier post). Most of our stuff will be unplugged, and I'll decide for myself at what point to alert neighbors and start throwing breakers.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), December 29, 1999.

Honest? I like to think so. Stuffy? Well, maybe. I didn't say "dirty power" was a myth. It can happen but you have to have the right (or wrong) conditions. People are just assuming that any problems, Y2K related or not, will cause "dirty power". It's become a catch all and almost meaningless phrase. It's far more likely that any major problems would cause equipment to trip then to stay in service and also have high harmonic content with low volatges. Dirty Power is a concern to places like chip plants but what bothers them won't bother your home freezer or TV. If you are worried about your computer buy a surge suppressor or unplug it.

-- (The Engineer@tech.com), December 29, 1999.

Chubby Hubby gets home from work at 5pm on the 31st. He will then throw the transfer switch removing us from the grid and putting us on our 40kw gen. We intend to watch the fireworks with full power, heat, snacks, etc. Then we will see the next day if the grid is up and go from there. In the meantime, I filled a couple of oil lamps today and posted my emergency numbers by the phone in case 911 is TU. Taz

-- Taz (Tassi123@aol.com), December 29, 1999.