Wall outlets reading 125.6 volts

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fret-Shredder
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rm5153 said:
I work in the electrical industry and your local power company is allowed +/- 15% on the power. Get a good power conditioner or even better get a good power supply/regulator that will give you constant power no matter what your incoming house power is reading. A variac doesn't offer you this level of protection. There is a good video online where the AC/DC guitar tech is explaining Angus Young's rig and talks extensively about the power units that they use to insure a constant power source and they can bump up or bump down to make more vintage amps run/sound better like a variac.
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15% of what number, I heard the range is 112-128V.
 
Geo said:
10 or 15% of what number, I heard the range is 112-128V.
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10 -15% of what ever number that works in their favor as the power company controls the narrative. You will never get a straight answer out of them as the target always moves. Power companies in some areas are monopolies so the customer is always screwed until you install high end testing recorders to record power over a certain duration to show them that their power is too low or too high. We do this routinely with local factories and municipal pump stations/water facilities. For the home consumer you get what you get and if you are concerned then you add gear to protect your investment in high end amps.
 
harddriver said:
It is actually normal for the line voltage to fluctuate throughout the day depending on the load demands from the grid.
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Yup.
And to get UL certification a device has to safely operate over the entire +/- range for extended periods of time.


I think tube guys are the only ones left who actually pay attention to wall voltages anymore!
 
rm5153 said:
10 -15% of what ever number that works in their favor as the power company controls the narrative. You will never get a straight answer out of them as the target always moves. Power companies in some areas are monopolies so the customer is always screwed until you install high end testing recorders to record power over a certain duration to show them that their power is too low or too high. We do this routinely with local factories and municipal pump stations/water facilities. For the home consumer you get what you get and if you are concerned then you add gear to protect your investment in high end amps.
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When I bought my power conditioner form Furman I had a long talk with an engineer over there. He told me that the electric companies have to agree to a certain range so the manufacturers can engineer their products to a safe voltage range. He was the one that told me 128v is max and that anything higher the electric company can be liable for any damages. He also was the one that suggested I take different readings over the course of a few days to prove the hypothesis. An additional 15% on 120v is 138v, that would be devastating to certain things. Some thing like a light bulb are a dynamic load and would only get brighter but most electronic you would cook at 138v.
 
Geo said:
He told me that the electric companies have to agree to a certain range so the manufacturers can engineer their products to a safe voltage range.
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And so test agencies and insurance underwriters can feel comfortable putting their stamp on things too.
 
Rick Lee said:
And be sure your Variac is reading accurately. The wall voltage in my guitar/amp room was reading 123 VAC pretty reliably. But my Variac, when set to 120 or 100 or whatever, was not reading that on my DMM. I loosened up the big knob on my Variac and re-indexed it to give an accurate reading. Though I almost never use it.
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I did this with mine and the Variac read out is spot-on to the actual output.
 
Donnie B. said:
Yup.
And to get UL certification a device has to safely operate over the entire +/- range for extended periods of time.


I think tube guys are the only ones left who actually pay attention to wall voltages anymore!
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…and tube guys make up the vast majority of members here. Guys that have and use modelers only, I’ll bet we can count them on one hand.
 
Devin said:
I have one of these - has a nice long cable and four outlets. Selectable 127, 120, and 110 voltage.

Works very well (i've measured it's output and it's bang on to whatever voltage you select)

https://www.amazon.com/APC-LE1200-A...ld=1&keywords=apc+liner&qid=1624636556&sr=8-1
I also have a variac that works great but the APC voltage regulator is the way to go for a "set and forget" deal, and the price is great
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Yeah for voltage regulation the APC voltage regulators are just fine. Maybe not as beefy as the Furman's when it comes to noise reduction and protection, and (I think) they're in 8v increments instead of 5v, but they'll regulate just fine. They're inexpensive enough that I use them instead of surge protector/power strips for my computers, TVs and other electronics.
 
5 volts +/- isn't going to kill you.
A little high but will still work fine.
Last place i lived would run 129vac sometimes.
I ran a 1978 2203 for 13 years there no problem.
 
Samhain said:
5 volts +/- isn't going to kill you.
A little high but will still work fine.
Last place i lived would run 129vac sometimes.
I ran a 1978 2203 for 13 years there no problem.
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I believe the never modern amps components are rated much better for modern day power grids where unfortunately the power is not constant. I think the earlier 60's Marshalls and Fender tube amps is where you would need to be concerned. Any given day in my home in Metro Detroit I see anywhere from 108v to 129v on my power conditioner. Unfortunately we are at the mercy of the power company and if you want to protect your investments you will need to invest in power regulator/conditioner devices so you will know that you are getting a constant and desired running voltage.
 
Thanks guy. I appreciate all the replies and advice. I will at least start utilizing my variac since our wall voltage seems to fluctuate on the high side. I've had it a long time but never used it. My father gave it to me years ago and it's sat in a closet.
 

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