I would have to agree with the others and say it looks like an HVAC fan running. I would start with that and if you are actually not running it then securing it at the breaker for a day or two for testing shouldn’t be an issue and this would confirm its the fan.
Interesting how everyone is going down that path. I will do more testing to see if you are correct.
As I stated recently, my wife and I are living in the pool house right now. The main house is under renovation. Power IS still on, so there is a chance that you are correct, but I think it is unlikely for a few reasons.
I shut down the power to the pool house one weekend and the problem continued to occur. Then I started a binary search on the main house circuit breakers and was not able to isolate the device more than to one half of the breaker box. I never found it to be the AC unit though.
The clincher?
During the renovation, I tried to rewire a thermostat. As a result, the thermostat is no longer connected properly. Instead of wasting more of my time, we called a guy. He still hasn’t showed up. So, that thermostat is dead. The breakers ARE on, though, so there may be a chance that the fan is turning on without the thermostat’s awareness? Maybe?
The third AC unit was crackling and sizzling when I did my breaker test/search. So, I turned it off completely for now.
What this says is that the only AC unit that is fully operational is the pool house. And my wife and I would know if that fan turned on, I think. When I did a test via the Nest app while my wife was in the living room, she remarked right away that she wasn’t sure why the fan turned on. Her response was that there is no chance that specific unit could be turning the fan on without her being aware. I tend to agree. The space is too small for something like that to go unnoticed.
So, the only answer that fits your theories is the AC unit that has a dead thermostat as it still has a breaker that is in the on position.
Another puzzling thing, though, is why the change in frequency? Why did it jump up to 1000 times in February and then drop down after I started flipping circuit breakers on March 3rd?
Keep in mind that turning off the breakers down one side, let’s say left side, does not shut down one leg of power . Breakers on both sides pull power from both sides. Turning off all the breakers on the left will not shut off all power from the left leg.
You lost me there Sam. Please explain.
If I flip a breaker for a room labeled Kitchen, everything in the kitchen turns off. How is this not the case?
Thanks.
I’m just saying that if you turn all the breakers off on the left side of the panel, that does not turn off all the power from the left hand main wire. Just because a breaker lies on the left hand side of the panel down not mean the left wire supplies it. Every other slot on either side of the panel is actually supplied by the opposite side. So slots 1, 3 , 5 , 7 on left are supplied by left wire but even numbers are supplied by right. Works same on other side the same way but opposite. Meaning if evens are right side and odd left then opposite side would be evens are left and odds right.
Hope that makes sense
Got it. Thanks.
Otherwise, 220v dual breakers couldn’t work. That said, it’s remarkable how many people are confused by how breaker panels are set up. I even had an electrician argue with me at one point about this specific topic. He was sure that left side went to left wire and hauled out his meter to prove it. When I asked him how 220v could work, he told me that I didn’t know what I was talking about.
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My HVAC system is split in my breaker panel, air conditioner condenser outside is on its 220v breaker and the furnace/air handler is on a separate 110v breaker and if your system is like mine then just turning off the a/c breaker won’t turn of the air handler. My thermostat is powered by the logic control board in the furnace as well as the air conditioner condenser which turns on when the thermostat calls for cooling. I can also turn off the heating and cooling from my thermostat but still have it run the air handler.
Mine doesn’t have any 120 components
I have 30 amp for heat pump
30 for air handler
60 heat strips
60 heat strips
The boards in the heat pump and air handler talk to each other based on my thermostat settings. Whether mine is running heat or cool, it’s basically the same and the same components energized (heat pump and fan) but the reversing valve is also energized in cooling mode.
I run the fan without heat during the day when I’m home alone
I was just trying to make the point that just because you said you turned off the air conditioner breaker doesn’t mean you turned off your entire HVAC system.
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I will do a test when I am home again.
To your point, I am not sure whether I turned off both halves of the system. I probably did not since the condenser (outside?) is probably controlled by a breaker that is within sight of the unit and the handler (in basement) is near the handler in a panel within sight of the unit.
So, if this is the case, I don’t think I have heard anything that would explain why the frequency of use went from 1,000 times in February to almost non-existent March. Or why it changed after I played around with the breakers?
If the air handler was still on and calling for a specific temp and it was either colder outside or as you said a temp sensor was faulted then one of those scenarios could call for it to run more.
That sounds like almost detection in my experience. Go from getting notifications and all kinds of history to nothing or very litte.
I just deleted 10 devices for this reason and others.
You can turn off power at the breaker box or the in-sight panel. The panel in sight is used for servicing a unit. If you turn it off at the breaker box there is no need to disconnect at the service panel.
Sense recommended I delete the Oven and see what happens. That’s been a week+ and nothing has come back. I guess that’s a good thing.
They also told me to delete my pool pump and see if it will come back with more reliable results. It is a rare day that the sense would identify a device that runs every day on a schedule for 12+ hours.
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