Temporary High Power Usage

Gerry1

Gambler said: Phantom load of 300w per hour since about midday yesterday.

Nooooooo !  You’re confusing everybody (and perhaps yourself as well) by repeatedly muddling up your units.  As previously explained, 'Watts Per Hour' is a completely nonsensical term.

EITHER you mean plain Watts, an instantaneous value comparable to speed or pressure of a liquid, OR you mean Watt hours, a cumulative value comparable to distance travelled (miles) or bucketfuls used (gallons or litres).  Obviously very different things.

What you’re trying to say is that you’ve had 

• 'a phantom load of 300Wh per hour since about midday yesterday'

which boils down to

• 'a phantom load of 300W since about midday yesterday' in Plain English. 

Edited: typos

Chrysalis

Would love to hear the conclusion to this story, keep checking.

For reference my fridge uses on average this time of year about 21 watts per hour.

However I checked the daily for the recent cold days and something of interest.  On Jan 5th it didnt turn on at all, usage was pretty much zero.  On Jan 4th it was only on for about half a day.  Yesterday it was on all day since 10am.  So it went for over 24 hours without any active cooling just passive, seems a bit long but is winter.

However I know from live watt usage,. when its cooling with door shut its about 75watts.  It has been on all day today so far but only 1.45am.  I cant remember the usage when its defrosting, but its higher of course.

In summer its about an extra 100% energy on average compared to January.

A smaller fridge seems plausible for 30w coming and going?

Gambler

Gerry1 said:

Gambler said: Phantom load of 300w per hour since about midday yesterday.

Nooooooo !  You’re confusing everybody (and perhaps yourself as well) by repeatedly muddling up your units.  As previously explained, 'Watts Per Hour' is a completely nonsensical term.

EITHER your mean plain Watts, an instantaneous value comparable to speed or pressure of a liquid, OR your mean Watt hours, a cumulative value comparable to distance travelled (miles) or bucketfuls used (gallons or litres).  Obviously very different things.

What you’re trying to say is that you’ve had 

• 'a phantom load of 300Wh per hour since about midday yesterday'

which boils down to

• 'a phantom load of 300W since about midday yesterday' in Plain English. 

That would normally read less than 30 this time of the day. It's been like that for nearly 2 days now. Unplugging everything downstairs makes no difference.

Turning the ground floor sockets off in the fuse box is the only way to get rid!

mmmmikey

Gambler said:

Gerry1 said:

Gambler said: Phantom load of 300w per hour since about midday yesterday.

Nooooooo !  You’re confusing everybody (and perhaps yourself as well) by repeatedly muddling up your units.  As previously explained, 'Watts Per Hour' is a completely nonsensical term.

EITHER your mean plain Watts, an instantaneous value comparable to speed or pressure of a liquid, OR your mean Watt hours, a cumulative value comparable to distance travelled (miles) or bucketfuls used (gallons or litres).  Obviously very different things.

What you’re trying to say is that you’ve had 

• 'a phantom load of 300Wh per hour since about midday yesterday'

which boils down to

• 'a phantom load of 300W since about midday yesterday' in Plain English. 

That would normally read less than 30 this time of the day. It's been like that for nearly 2 days now. Unplugging everything downstairs makes no difference.

Turning the ground floor sockets off in the fuse box is the only way to get rid!

....so there are a few possibilities I can think of:

1. You have missed something, possibly something plugged in behind a cupboard, or maybe the circuit doesn't just cover the downstairs sockets 

2. When you are testing, you're not giving the IHD time to react before moving on to the next device. It can take up to 10 seconds for an IHD with a good connection to react - longer for one with an intermittent connection 

3. When you are testing, you're not isolating / unplugging the device, leaving the possibility that the switch you're using is faulty and you're not really switching the device off (faulty switches are not uncommon)

4. The circuit itself is faulty, or possibly just one of the sockets / outlets 

I'd suggest going round the entire property with a clipboard and making a list, room by room, of every single outlet. Then switch off each circuit at the consumer unit and test every outlet to make sure the ones you think should go off have gone off. This will help you identify any outlet you may have missed in the downstairs circuit that is using the energy. Don't forget the garage, shed, outside, etc. And check the lights too, it wouldn't be uncommon for an outside light to be wired into the same circuit as the sockets.

After doing that, retest every appliance by unplugging it, or removing the fuse for fused outlets. Make sure the IHD is reacting to the test, for example before unplugging something, switch it on and make sure the reading goes up. Then switch it off and make sure the reading goes down. Then unplug it and see what happens. This is especially important if you are taking the IHD from room to room. As you do the testing, see if any of the outlets / plugs are warm which is a good sign of an issue.

If none of that works, it's time to call an electrician to check the wiring. An electrician will have test equipment to assist in the fault finding that you're unlikely to have access to as a DIYer.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll track it down if you persevere 😊 

tim_p

Do you have any fused spurs behind any kitchen units?  You’ve said turning of the ground floor circuit in the fuse box solves the issue so there must be something else you’re currently unaware of. 

mmmmikey

....as an additional thought, I would suggest checking where your boiler and central heating system is powered from. Pumps can run continuously undetected, and modern boilers may have electric pre-heating (as well as internal valves and pumps) which are potential faulty and/or using power unexpectedly. The source of the power isn't always obvious, and the fact that you're currently seing the problem during a cold snap both make me a bit suspicious of something happening with your heating system. But I may be clutching at straws

FreeBear

Trace heaters on pipes up in the loft could be the source of that 300W draw. Your typical modern gas boiler would be much less (under 100W when running).

Gambler

mmmmikey said:

Gambler said:

Gerry1 said:

Gambler said: Phantom load of 300w per hour since about midday yesterday.

Nooooooo !  You’re confusing everybody (and perhaps yourself as well) by repeatedly muddling up your units.  As previously explained, 'Watts Per Hour' is a completely nonsensical term.

EITHER your mean plain Watts, an instantaneous value comparable to speed or pressure of a liquid, OR your mean Watt hours, a cumulative value comparable to distance travelled (miles) or bucketfuls used (gallons or litres).  Obviously very different things.

What you’re trying to say is that you’ve had 

• 'a phantom load of 300Wh per hour since about midday yesterday'

which boils down to

• 'a phantom load of 300W since about midday yesterday' in Plain English. 

That would normally read less than 30 this time of the day. It's been like that for nearly 2 days now. Unplugging everything downstairs makes no difference.

Turning the ground floor sockets off in the fuse box is the only way to get rid!

....so there are a few possibilities I can think of:

1. You have missed something, possibly something plugged in behind a cupboard, or maybe the circuit doesn't just cover the downstairs sockets 

2. When you are testing, you're not giving the IHD time to react before moving on to the next device. It can take up to 10 seconds for an IHD with a good connection to react - longer for one with an intermittent connection 

3. When you are testing, you're not isolating / unplugging the device, leaving the possibility that the switch you're using is faulty and you're not really switching the device off (faulty switches are not uncommon)

4. The circuit itself is faulty, or possibly just one of the sockets / outlets 

I'd suggest going round the entire property with a clipboard and making a list, room by room, of every single outlet. Then switch off each circuit at the consumer unit and test every outlet to make sure the ones you think should go off have gone off. This will help you identify any outlet you may have missed in the downstairs circuit that is using the energy. Don't forget the garage, shed, outside, etc. And check the lights too, it wouldn't be uncommon for an outside light to be wired into the same circuit as the sockets.

After doing that, retest every appliance by unplugging it, or removing the fuse for fused outlets. Make sure the IHD is reacting to the test, for example before unplugging something, switch it on and make sure the reading goes up. Then switch it off and make sure the reading goes down. Then unplug it and see what happens. This is especially important if you are taking the IHD from room to room. As you do the testing, see if any of the outlets / plugs are warm which is a good sign of an issue.

If none of that works, it's time to call an electrician to check the wiring. An electrician will have test equipment to assist in the fault finding that you're unlikely to have access to as a DIYer.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll track it down if you persevere 😊 

Thanks Mikey, I have no problem getting an electrician to check but I'm assuming they'd have to be here when it's happening?

It's back to normal now again!

debitcardmayhem

debitcardmayhem said:

Do you have a basement or is it a basement flat, it could be a sump pump? 

Do you have a sump pump, just wondering bearing mind the amount of rain.? 

Gambler

debitcardmayhem said:

debitcardmayhem said:

Do you have a basement or is it a basement flat, it could be a sump pump? 

Do you have a sump pump, just wondering bearing mind the amount of rain.? 

I don't believe so, its a 3 bed detached built in 2021.