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Minimum Voltage at incoming supply point

FlyWheel
Retired now and not up to date with reg’s since 16th. Helping advise a friend. Currently they have 100amp single phase supply and whilst the no load voltage is up at around 238 volts, as the circuit is loaded, voltage drops off substantially. Even with a load of 50 amps, ie, half the supply fuse rating, voltage is slightly below the -6% limit, at around 215 volts, further load simply pushes voltage significantly lower, and by extrapolating measured data, it would be nearer 170 volts with a load of 100 amps, is this acceptable? I plan measuring Ze and pfc this week as a guide perhaps to supply loop impedance and, which I suspect must be causing this excessive drop. I’m aware of the ESQCR reg’s although need to update myself, but are there any other regulations that apply?

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    Flywheel

    25 Years Merchant Navy. 20 as Radio Officer, 5 as Technical Officer. All on cargo, mainly container ships, either UK to Australia/New Zealand (we did carry some passengers on some voyages) or UK to Far East, with some cross trades thrown in. I had two 50th birthdays as on 15th July 1999 we were crossed the IDL between Japan and Los Angeles and had two Thursdays! The photo in my profile was taken circa 1986 on a ship that in total I was on for about 12 years. mv City of Durban/GXIC although her name changed a few times and back (City of Durban, Portland Bay, ACT8, Pegasus Bay). 

    One day I will do some work on www.ancient-mariner.co.uk  There is a right mishmash in www.ancient-mariner.co.uk/public


    Clive

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    Thank you UKPN for your input, but I do not have to justify my data and calculations, nor declare the stage of my enquiries to you, I simply asked a question about voltage tolerance, and thanks to most of the Forum answers, have, in retirement, been reminded of many factors that affect network supplies generally, so I thank them all for that, and accept that they’ll always be one fly in the ointment that wants to move off in a tangent that helps justify their existence. Oh, and 6 months down the line, from when the customer first approached the DNO, they have not even been able to declare their Ze or admit to having any record of their cable routes in the area, but I’m looking into that separately. Back in the old IEE days, I contributed under a different pen name, and it was easy then to have a rational discussion without having to justify our data to the forum.

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    An interesting career Clive, and one I nearly went into as all my family were either Merchant Navy or Thames lightermen, my dad being a Thames lighterage tug skipper too. At the time, I had an offer of an apprenticeship in high voltage switchgear (AEI), so I took the easy option, but have some regrets at not taking the alternative path, although I have had an amazingly interesting (for me) career. Still with a “call to the sea”, I did manage a yachtmaster commercial, both sail and power and sailed many interesting old sail training vessels too in my spare time. Anyway, good talking to you and I will be looking at your ancient mariner site.
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    FlyWheel:
    Yes, house has had a major upgrade, including insulation, and I agree, pool load time spreading, particularly during the “warmer” nights,  should be possible (and use any advantages of economy 7 too perhaps), but I’ll be advising them separately on that as part of general home energy plan advice (a pet subject of mine, another hobby in retirement, and included me taking the C&G level 3 “Energy Efficiency for Domestic Heating” course. venue, Potterton Boilers, followed by associated seminars at the Building Research Establishment and heat pump seminars at Mitsubishi). Perhaps I  should start a separate  “Pro’s and Con’s of Domestic Air Sourced heat pumps thread if there is not one already), the things we do in retirement! 

     




    I'll trump the card you played with this one, City and Guilds 600/4282/5
    617b670607fc1d6dbb7739dbf3039d0a-huge-20191109_214630.jpg


    I also attended a one day seminar in Hatfield at the headquarters of a air source heat pump manufacturer and came away thinking there are more cons than pros when it comes to installing them.


    Andy Betteridge 

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    I didn’t actually plan to do that City and Guilds course and get the qualification, it was sprung on me as a surprise part of the C&G Solar PV installation, maintenance and repair training package that was paid for by the European Union Social Fund Urban Regeneration- Redundant Buildings Grant that Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire County Councils received.


    I thought I was going to get one more C&G qualification and came home with another three, as you do ?


    Andy Betteridge
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    Yes, I did enjoy the part L one, but not sure I even understand the title of that one! Think I'll have to play the Joker: "Sira Institute advanced course in the safety of electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres"!
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    Did they have a large ground source heat pump installation there, if so, I think I was at the same seminar! I have posted a seperate heat pump post here, not impressed with the first comment though!

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    The EU also paid for me to do the “How not to fall off a ladder course” AKA Working at Heights and how to advise people on choosing electricity suppliers and tariffs, along with reducing their bills course.


    I am not an advocate for air source heat pumps based on what I learnt at the manufacturers seminar in Hatfield.


     Andy Betteridge 


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    No, nor me, that's why I was surprised when I read the NIBE air sourced heat pump manual mentioned in my heat pump thread, particularly their low temperature COP claims, minus 25 and COP of around 2 using R410A, is that really possible?
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    It was some years ago when I went to the seminar at The manufacturers in Hatfield  they told me they didn’t intend to release their air source heat pumps to the general trade or retail suppliers.


    They said they intended to only sell them through carefully selected approved installers as they considered them so difficult to specify and install, particularly to be retrofitted to replace other water and space heating systems in existing buildings, that if they let all and sundry have a go at installing them the products would get such bad reviews they would become unsalable.


    They also said that when air source heat pumps are retrofitted into an existing building to replace an existing central heating boiler the heating system needs redesigning with sections of pipework and radiators being increased in size along with significant expenditure on improving insulation as well as possibly replacing floors and windows.


    Andy Betteridge

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