[David9723]

Has anyone ever had a outlet that would kill whatever you have plugged into it?

What's going on is it will kill electric blankets they will work for a day or two then just stop as if there is no power going to the electric blanket.

The electric blanket will not work anymore even if you try a different outlet.

I have iPdas and over devices plugged in and they all work fine.

We have been through 3 electric blankets they all die when plugged into this outlet. These electric blankets are dual control blankets the other side has never died but it is in a another outlet.

Suggestions?

 

[jmon]

That is weird. It just kills the electric blanket and all other devices are fine. Based on that, I would assume it would be something to do with the electric blanket. But three in a row is weird.


You could turn off the breaker, pull outlet and check the wiring. Make sure no back stabs, loose wires, or wire terminal connections are loose. If all is good, you could try replacing the outlet, they do go bad. They are cheap. Just a suggestion.

 

[Bud9051]

The 120 volt outlets in a home are half of the 240 v incoming power. If there is a neutral issue that split may no longer be 50/50 resulting in one side going high (killing your blanket) and the other side going low, where ever that is run.

If this is the case it is a serious safety concern in addition to killing whatever is plugged in.

I suggest calling the power company for their help and/or picking up a voltage meter to measure some outlets. But this shouldn't wait, needs to be done now.

Bud

Note the pros will be along.

 

[Yodaman]

Get a voltage meter and test for 120 volts across the hot and neutral. Should read 120, plus/minus a few points is ok. Also check for voltage from neutral to ground. If not zero, that is a problem up stream in the wiring.



Receptacles wear out from usage, I would plan to change it.

 

[FrodoOne]

You Wrote

Has anyone ever had a outlet that would kill whatever you have plugged into it?

What's going on is it will kill electric blankets they will work for a day or two then just stop as if there is no power going to the electric blanket.

The electric blanket will not work anymore even if you try a different outlet.

I have iPdas and over devices plugged in and they all work fine.

We have been through 3 electric blankets they all die when plugged into this outlet. These electric blankets are dual control blankets the other side has never died but it is in a another outlet.

Suggestions?

No. You do not have IPADs plugged in.
You have a "Power Supply" for IPADs plugged in and the IPADs are connected to it - at the extra Low voltage which they require (Certainly NOT 120 V AC)
That power supply is (probably) DESIGNED to operate from any AC voltage between 100 V and 250 V AC.

It is very likely that you have an electrical installation which has developed a dangerous fault condition.

The minimum first step that you should take is to measure the AC Voltage at the outlet concerned with a low impedance (analog) volt meter.

 

[hkstroud]

Show picture of outlet.

 

[Ultrarunner2017]

This is not a POCO issue; unless it affects your entire home.
Use a meter to measure the voltage, but you may need to plug in a load in order to get an accurate reading. An open or bad neutral will have strange effects, including what you are experiencing.
Be very careful!

 

[zhawkeye]

...just a thought...if the controller regulates the temperature and there's less voltage for the elements, it'll require more current to get the elements to the required temperature...may cause them to burn out permaturely.
Does the controller still power up, or is it dead?

 

[daveb1]

Is this one outlet possibly a re-purposed 240V air-conditioner circuit that was wired incorrectly at the breaker for 120V?

Voltage readings are required for any further trouble shooting.

 

[CodeMatters]

No reason to suspect utility problem, therefore no reason to call them
(unless further info points in that direction).

Like others have said, test the voltage. My guess though would simply
be early mortality of electric blankets. They're not exactly known for
lasting forever at the best of times.


EDIT: If you don't have a meter, just plug in a lamp with an
incandescent bulb. It won't be terribly accurate but should give
some idea, based on brightness, of voltage supply including
fluctuations.

 

[Ultrarunner2017]

...just a thought...if the controller regulates the temperature and there's less voltage for the elements, it'll require more current to get the elements to the required temperature...may cause them to burn out permaturely.
Does the controller still power up, or is it dead?

This applies mainly to inductive loads. A purely (or nearly so) resistive load, such as the blanket should not draw more current when under-voltage conditions exist.


Thinking about an open neutral;
If the receptacle (outlet) is wired to a multi-wire branch circuit, which is one where two branches on opposite legs (or poles) share a common neutral, a break in the neutral in a junction box could be causing this problem.
I just wanted to point this out, so you don't think to look only in the main panel for problems.

 

[zhawkeye]

...ummm...you missed my point...

 

[Shadow99]

...ummm...you missed my point...

..ummm... you missed his point..... it's a resistive load, the current won't increase with lower voltage. I=V/R. So the current will decrease

 

[zhawkeye]

I stated that IF the controller regulates temperature, and there is less voltage available for the heating elements, it would require more current to get to the required temperature. In this case, it's a wattage calculation...W=VI...if V goes down, I has to go up...
But this will depend on IF the controller is setup for this function...

 

[joed]

Temperature regulators don't control the current flow. They normally just turn the heater on and off as the temperature lowers and rises.

 

[zhawkeye]

Everyone is focusing on excessive voltage at the outlet, and that's a valid point...there was no reason for me to weigh in on that...
I attempted to deduce a way that low voltage MAY cause an issue. Without a schematic of the controller, there's no way to determine what the engineer was thinking, what the circuit uses for feedback or how it controls it...
The main thing is to first determine what the voltage is at the outlet...and it wouldn't be a bad test to check it under a load...

 

[Oso954]

it would require more current to get to the required temperature. In this case, it's a wattage calculation...W=VI...if V goes down, I has to go up...

You are wrong and using the wrong formula to try to prove your point. Electric heating elements are resistors. When you have a resistor of a given value (ohms) and you lower the voltage, the watts and current drop.

See ohms law. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law

Or simply analyze I=V/R
If R is a constant, when you lower V, the I is also lower.

 

[David9723]

118 volts on the outlet, i have a 3 Wire Receptacle Tester and it shows both outlets as ok and grounded.

I really don't know why it would only affect a electric blanket and not the other devices connected to it. Granted the ipad and phone use a USB powerd hub.

The new electric blanket failed in two days the other lasted a week and the old one 2 years. One was different brand. Once they fall they will not power on.

I will pull the outlet and have a look.

 

[dmxtothemax]

Most likely scenario is that you have a dodgy neutral somewhere,
This is allowing the usual 120v to rise as high as 240v under worst case scenario,
no wonder it's blowing appliances
You would be best off getting an electrician in to check everything in your system first,
Then it's up to POCO to check there system.

 

[Bud9051]

Can you post a picture of the inside of your electrical panel?
Not sure if asked and answered but do your receptacles use "stab back" connections?

Bud