Clock going cook coo

02-22-2009, 08:35 PM	#1
farmerde Member   Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 68	Clock going cook coo I have a small alarm clock plugged into a receptacle in the bathroom. When my wife runs her breast pump on the same circuit (one receptacle up or down range) the clock starts acting crazy. It will gain and loose a minute in sync with the cycles of the breast pump. I checked for voltage drop, but it didn't appear to be any. However, I noticed that the voltage did seem to change at a faster rate in sync with the breast pump as opposed to a slow gradual increase/decrease of about +- 1 volt without the pump.

Warning: The topics covered on this site include activities in which there exists the potential for serious injury or death. DIYChatroom.com DOES NOT guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained on this site. Always use proper safety precaution and reference reliable outside sources before attempting any home improvement task!

02-22-2009, 08:38 PM	#2
chris75 Electrician   Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Connecticut, Litchfield Posts: 2,015	Clock going cook coo Congrats!

02-22-2009, 08:54 PM	#3
rgsgww Member   Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,543	Clock going cook coo My only guess is that your clock is very very sensitive to voltage/current changes, or harmonic distortion ( I don't think a breast pump would really do that.) Or just a simple loose connection...try just running one heavy load on the circuit and measure voltage.

02-22-2009, 09:07 PM	#4
farmerde Member   Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 68	Clock going cook coo Heavy load? Like a vaccum? I have a 12 amp vaccum, should I not see any voltage drop?

02-22-2009, 09:26 PM	#5
rgsgww Member   Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,543	Clock going cook coo Quote: Originally Posted by farmerde Heavy load? Like a vaccum? I have a 12 amp vaccum, should I not see any voltage drop? Yes, not a big drop, 2-4 volts can be normal.