Hughes Autoformer error msg - high voltage ?

[Mikendebbie]

I keep my RV here at the house under a shed and it is always plugged into 50 amp shore power using my Hughes Autoformer. I had the shed and the 50 amp line built a year ago. Walked out back this morning and noticed the Autoformer was RED and showing error E1 and E2. Got my phone to look at the app and it is a line voltage error. My house is evidently being fed 132-133 volt power from my provider (Oncor), and the Autoformer shut down power to the RV for protection. Everything in the house is working fine - but I don't understand what is going on. How does this ever get corrected? How does the incoming line voltage from the power company go up (or down) like that? Do I need to call my power provider and tell them?

I flipped the master breaker switch and the switch to the RV and nothing changed. What do you do when this happens at home or in a campground?

[RipNC]

First, that looks like a Watchdog EMS and not the Autoformer. Have you checked the shorepower with a multimeter to verify the Watchdog report? If the voltage is normally 120 "ish" then it may have just been a transient spike. If normal voltage is that high you might look an actual Hughes Autoformer (not exactly cheap). Even if it was just a spike you may still want an Autoformer.

[Mikendebbie]

You are correct - it is a watchdog.
I just went out there to get my multimeter (I have not found it yet - it is somewhere in the basement storage bins) to check the voltage and it is now reporting voltage in the normal/acceptable range (see pic below)

However - if I had confirmed that 132V was correct - and assume I was at a campground...what do you do next? Just wait it out?

If we were at a campground and this happened - I assume the RV would go dark until the voltage was corrected - right?

[BB_TX]

Use a voltmeter to periodically check your house line voltage and your shed line voltage. If you consistently get something above 130 vac on either or both hots then I would call the power company. Could be a problem with their transformer. A little plug in voltmeter would be handy plugged in where you could easily walk by and glance at it.

If you consistently read between 114-126 vac on both hots, then that is normal and I would guess there was a spike on the line for some reason that tripped your system. If a one time deal I would not worry about it as there are many things that can cause that. But if the spike happens more than once or if it is consistently high I would call the power company.


Edit: Your second post popped up while I was typing. 129 and 130 is higher than normal. I would call the power company and have them come out and test it.

[RipNC]

Yes, at 132v the power is cut and the WD will constantly check voltage until it stays within range for 90 seconds, then it resets power on. The option at a CG for constant high voltage (I'd suspect that to be very rare) would be to invest in an autoformer which can increase (a more normal occurance would be low voltage <104v) or decrease voltage accordingly. Hughes makes one with the EMS built it (you could sell your plug in EMS).

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by Mikendebbie

...
If we were at a campground and this happened - I assume the RV would go dark until the voltage was corrected - right?

I have the hard wired Progressive EMS but essentially the same protection. I haven't experienced high voltage but my understanding is that shutting off power to the rig is exactly what it would do...anytime it senses anything in the power supply that could be damaging. Inconvenient for sure, but better than an expensive repair.

I suppose if the issue were prolonged you could always fire up a genny until it's corrected.

[rohrmann]

If you do actually have high voltage, definitely call the power company, as they may not be aware of a piece of faulty voltage control equipment such as a regulator or capacitor bank on the line in the field. This can also happen in a substation, but is usually monitored unlike equipment not in a substation. Transformers voltage only fluctuates due to incoming voltage or from customer loads.

[Mikendebbie]

I had high voltage for two mornings in a row when I started this thread - 132-134V. As each day wore on the voltage dropped to 120-124 or so. I have no idea what time the spike started but it was there at ~6:00 am when I took the dogs out. Third morning and since voltage has been normal. I bought a plug in monitor off Amazon as BB-TX suggested. Voltage in the house has been normal 120-121 since the spike.

I called provider Oncor and I think they sent a guy out to check my transformer. He called me and said “the floogle and the doodle doubled up on the meegle mister and caused the pendogger to bark. It happens from time to time.” But the next thing he told me I understood…”The switchyard/substation just north of Granger is scheduled to be re-built next year and most of these issues will be resolved.” So I only have to make it another 18 months of unexplained power blips and outages that we have been living with since 2006 - then we will have sweet and steady 120 VAC for to live the high life.

[BB_TX]

[jdarwin]

We recently had the same problem at an RV park in Azle, TX. Voltage was dropping below 103 volts. It was affecting the whole park. We figured out it was an ONCOR problem. They came out and upgraded the system. Our Hughes did its job.

[pitman44]

Originally Posted by jdarwin

We recently had the same problem at an RV park in Azle, TX. Voltage was dropping below 103 volts. It was affecting the whole park. We figured out it was an ONCOR problem. They came out and upgraded the system. Our Hughes did its job.

We've been having a low voltage issue, primarily on one leg, in the park we've been in this summer. We have an Autoformer and a Progressive Industries hard wired EMS. Even with the Autoformer and the 10% boost when it sees voltage below 108 there have been times when the EMS shut the power off on that leg. And it doesn't shut it off until the voltage is below 104. Serious low voltage here on this loop on a busy hot weekend. I pull the plug when that happens and fire up the genny for the rest of the day.

[rohrmann]

If the whole park is having the same problem, this is definitely a utility problem. We were at Silver City, south of Carson City last year and was having our EMS shut off power several times. Later that afternoon, park people came around telling us NVEnergy was going to shut us down to replace a transformer that had a bad secondary terminal. The park had been complaining about this issue for a long time but NVEnergy kept telling them it was the park's problem. Finally someone from the utility opened up the transformer and found the problem. We ran our Honda's all night so still had A/C. but a lot of people did not have generators so suffered in the heat.