Suspected power fluctuations on new 20A Circuit

Why do you need regulated power? Venezuela? Zimbabwe? 
Have you listened to compare with/without the regulator? Because that is the only basis on which to buy anything. Otherwise you get sucked into every story, like the one about regulated power. The best and only tool you need is your ears and what's between them.

Hey there.  Here's the easiest / cheapest / safest tool for you:

https://amzn.to/3cAZd2H

It's designed to measure long-term power consumption, but you can use it to monitor the voltage in real time.  Put it before your voltage regulator, so you can see what the incoming V is.

It's safest because it doesn't require you to keep probes in your outlet.

Best,

E

Why do you need regulated power? Venezuela? Zimbabwe?

Yeah, that’s why so many voltage regulators are installed sold in the US. In at least one location I lived in a regulator kept my home voltage from spiking to nearly 130V. Within tolerances, but not my personal comfort.

Have you listened to compare with/without the regulator? Because that is the only basis on which to buy anything

It truly amazes me anyone listens to your knee-jerk proclamations about anything.

A voltage regulator is a very useful feature though thank goodness few in the US actually need them. No, the sound quality is not the way to judge need, in this case a voltage meter is the correct and only way to assess the situation.

If the OP is hearing the regulator adjusting it means he’s probably got fluctuations of 5V or more. That’s not necessarily bad, but understanding the range of V in his house and this specific circuit is varying is important. When this happened at my home it took the power company to intervene, which they never would have unless I had a voltage monitor installed. They agreed there was an issue and eventually resolved it.

All sorts of things could be going on, measurement is the quickest way to a cure.

Best,


E

Eric

Cool gadget, I like it...Can it store data for any period of time, that you know of? Even without memory it would be a good diag tool.. Safe...compact.. It would be nice if it could store data though..

Regards

Hey OP: 

Not for $30. ;-)

Best,

E

As noted in my original post, the purpose of the voltage regulator is for the transformer as the NAD T785 was purchased overseas and requires 220V.  The AR-1000 voltage regulator is not an expensive piece of equipment  (roughly $60).  Only because I can hear a "click" sound, did I suspect irregularities.  I'd also like to better understand what is occurring that causes a click, from an electrical point of view.

I'm open to suggestions if there is a better product on the market, but I wasn't looking to invest several hundreds on high end power normalizing gear.

msafrick

I'd also like to better understand what is occurring that causes a click, from an electrical point of view.

The regulator works to maintain a steady output voltage even as the input voltage may rise or fall. There are various ways to do that, but yours probably uses a mechanical relay to switch between transformer windings. That's the click you hear.

@ msafrick

Is this the unit you have?
https://www.amazon.com/SEVENSTAR-AR-1000-Regulator-Transformer/dp/B007YK1V8Y

$60 don’t buy much.

The unit is rated for 1000 watts. 1000/120 = 8.3 amps. 80% of 8.3 = 6.64 amps.6.4 amps @120V mains input voltage. But is it?


Product description

Maximum capacity is 1000-Watt including the power surge.

Note: Transformer purchase guide: Remember to leave at least a 100-percent slack for the voltage converter transformer. Televisions, heating appliances, laser printers and power tools spike when you turn them on. For these products you need to buy a voltage converter transformer that is at least 3-4 times the items capacity.

So don’t load the unit more than 500 watts max.

Is this the NAD T785 you have?
https://nadelectronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Data_Sheet_-_T_785_AV_Surround_Sound_Receiver....


Just a guess the AR-1000 voltage regulator worked ok at first but it has the clicking sound now. Is that correct? Just a guess the NAD T785 has been overloading the AR/1000 and the unit is going bad. Just a guess though.....


A word of caution:
Looking at the photo of the AR-1000 voltage regulator and the AC power adapter plug for US, for 120v power receptacle outlets, the adapter only has two blades no third round pin for a safety equipment ground connection.
If true the metal enclosure of the AR-1000 voltage regulator is not grounded nor is the metal chassis of the NAD T785.


msafrick said

I can hear a clicking sound in the voltage regulator. This is a sound that I’ve previously heard when lights flickered (before moving to new circuit). I therefore suspect that something irregular is occurring or there is some sort of power fluctuation

when lights flickered

Lights flickered? What lights? House lights? Please explain in detail.
.

@jea48 

For the AR-1000 and the NAD T785, you have identified the correct pieces of equipment.  Concerning the capacity, perhaps I should have purchased more, however the clicking that I hear occurs when the NAD is in standby mode too and appears to be at random.  This is what lead me to believe there was something going on with the power line to the house (or maybe that's normal).

Before I added the dedicated 20A circuit, I was using a different socket (different circuit) in a house built in 1925.  I was already aware that this circuit provides power to many other sockets and lighting in the house and believe it to be at maximum capacity.  So there were occasions (old circuit) when the lights would flicker simultaneously with the clicking of the AR-1000.  I suspect someone else in the house turned something on, or did something to cause the lights to flicker.

At the risk of adding any confusion, I previously used a 2000 watt unit when I was also powering my Plasma TV that I also purchased over seas.  That unit broke and I no longer use the TV so I replaced with the AR-1000.  I mention this because the times I would hear that unit click was when music was loud and/or the TV was on.  So there I could draw a correlation between power used and the click.

Lastly, there is a 3rd pin for each of the inputs in the front and the plug for the wall socket, so I'm fairly certain it's grounded.  No humming or anything else has caused me to think I have a grounding problem.

Is anyone aware of a better product?  One that doesn't click.

Thanks for taking an interest and for the help. Please let me know if I can provide more details that would be helpful.

Hi OP,


Sounds like your current unit has 2 separate features, and you may only need one:

- Voltage Regulator (causes the clicking)
- Step-up transformer ( outputs 2x the incoming V )

You can get a step-up transformer without the voltage regulation.  Easy-peasy, but I would look at the voltage coming in first to ensure it's within the range you are comfortable with.  Voltage regulators can be fusssy.  For instance, if your voltage ranges from 115 to 125, you may have 3-4 clicks in between though the voltage is within spec. 

OTOH, you may have brownouts or high voltage.  Measure first, pick after. :)

E