Mike Dolt Enterprises
Mike Dolt Enterprises
User: Sparky Bill, Location: New Orleans, LA
Asked on: Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 5:35 pm EDT
Answered on: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 3:20 am EDT
Question: I'm new to the forum so I hope I'm asking this question in the right place. I was recently in a poultry house that had 2 200 amp single phase services feeding it. The problem they had was they have 2 circuits of cfl Lamps for work lights in 1 panel and 2 circuits of cold cathode dimmable lamps in the other. When they turned off the work lights they would constantly flicker. So I opened up the panels to discover the neutrals were mixed up between the 2 panels I straitened them out and no more flickering I know this was the problem but when I tried to explain to owner he didn't understand was wondering if anyone can help me
Explanation for the Owner
Problem
When the work lights were turned off, the dimmable cold cathode lamps flickered.
Reason
The neutral wires for the work lights and cold cathode lamps were mixed up between the two panels. This caused a voltage imbalance when the work lights were turned off, resulting in flickering of the cold cathode lamps.
Solution
You straightened out the neutral wires, connecting each circuit to its correct neutral bus. This restored the proper voltage balance and eliminated the flickering.
Analogy for the Owner:
Imagine two people pulling on a rope from opposite sides. If the rope is straight, the tension is evenly distributed, and no one moves. However, if the rope is twisted, the tension will be uneven, causing one person to be pulled towards the other.In the electrical system, the neutrals act like the rope. When the neutrals are mixed up, the voltage distribution becomes uneven, causing the lights to flicker. Straightening out the neutrals ensures that the voltage is evenly distributed, preventing flickering. Flag for review