Volt drop, why do we bother?

[La Poste]

Looking at the regs it says we have a supply of 230 Volts and so we do our calculations based on this so that if we had to install lights on the end of a long cable we would use a cable with a larger CSA and hence more cost.

The fact of the matter is we have a supply of 240 Volts so why do we bother?
What is the point of installing these larger cables when there is no need for them, no need at all?

Thanks for reading.

 

[telectrix]

at the end of the day, all design calculations are erroneous, because they are based on a virtual voltage, not a real one. why do we bother?

 

[La Poste]

at the end of the day, all design calculations are erroneous, because they are based on a virtual voltage, not a real one. why do we bother?

Is that that all or virtually all design calculations? :sultan:

 

[habitual]

at the end of the day, all design calculations are erroneous, because they are based on a virtual voltage, not a real one. why do we bother?

I have always had a problem with this, just like you are saying, however there has to be a national standard, and a starting point for design, it was decided some 10 years ago to go with a standard voltage of 230 V, since then all designs have been based on this voltage. The problem we have is the supply companies make more money supplying higher voltages and are reluctant to conform.

 

[La Poste]

The problem we have is the supply companies make more money supplying higher voltages and are reluctant to conform.

Why is that, why do they earn more?

How come?

 

[ipf]

at the end of the day, all design calculations are erroneous, because they are based on a virtual voltage, not a real one. why do we bother?

That's my wage down the pan then. Ah well, there's always plumbing......then again that's virtually brainless anyway.

 

[Knobhead]

Taking this to the industrial side, I’ve watched the intake voltage go 11450 to 10850 for a nominal 11000V. We had on load tap changers, but they were slow to respond.

230V is a nominal voltage for calculations. There has to be a base line to work from.
If the Belgian’s get there way we’ll be down to 220V / 380V!

 

[La Poste]

Ok I started looking at my parents house yesterday to get it all up and ready for the board change I am going to do for my assessment.

There was no bonding of any kind so I went a bit over the top and bonded the water and gas (well actually LPG) and also cross bonded the boiler and also cross bonded everything behind the kitchen sink, I have yet to cross bond the bathroom, with no RCD's installed yet I thought it a good idea to cross bond.

So anyways I thought I would do a loop test and also a voltage test, loop test is 0.21 Ohms TN-S and the voltage at the main switch terminals hovers around the 240 Volts mark.

So I switched on all the heavy loads, shower, heating rings and oven and measured 60 Amps being pulled and then I measured the voltage again at the main switch and lo an behold it was 231 Volts so there you go I can now see the wisdom of the 230 Volts figure

 

[pauljpickering8]

I Went to a job once where a guy had ran a new DB about 80 metres but used 2.5mm T/E for the supply cable lol,

Off the DB was 2 lights and a few sockets, everytime somebody plugged something in that took any sort of load the lights would go out and whatever was plugged in wouldnt work, was quite funny actually!

Said Cowboy had charged 1000 quid for this fantastic Industrial Install.

 

[myristate]

Voltage around here and in this entire area is around 231V I have not seen it around 240V in a good 8years

 

[adamh]

surely they would make more money from a lower voltage due to higher currents

 

[telectrix]

nope, they charge for kWH, (volts x amps)

 

[La Poste]

Well surely they will get the same amount of money, I mean if they drop the voltage then we will consume more current and hence the bills will be the same price.

Maybe if they drop the voltage at the TX they will then haveto upgrade some of the supply cables to compensate for volt drop in those supply cables leading to a voltage at the consumer end of way below 230 Volts I'm not sure.

 

[MarkieSparkie]

The DNOs will resist all European attempts to implement anything that implies physical change and extensive infrastructure cost.
The second round of harmonization change (Cenelec HD472-S2) is still pending, with a declared nominal supply voltage of 230V +-10%, it was due on 1/1/2008. The DNOs have already kicked this second round of harmonisation into the long grass for 4+ years, and that’s just another 'virtual voltage' paper exercise again.