I have seen a crazy amount of power quality issues on my sense for awhile now (1yr+) and have just been pushing it to the side for awhile thinking its nothing and maybe just a network issue like the disclaimer says in the app. I finally have come to think that there might be a real problem here. I thought that this would be a good time to post about this because I haven’t been home since July 30th so the time period between now and then gives a good idea of what the graphs look like with the AC off, etc. I’m attaching pictures from before I left (AC units on) and while I’ve been away (AC units off). In general when I’m at home the lights always flicker when the AC starts and when the dryer starts (electric dryer). Sometimes I notice that the fan on the fridge will also bog down a little when the AC starts. I just don’t even know where to start here, is this an issue, is it not? If it is an issue do I need an electrician or do I call my power company Eversource? Thanks.
You can likely fix this by turning your Sense off for 10 seconds (either by unplugging it or by turning off the breaker it is connected to) then back on. I had the same issue as have many others. Let us know how it works out.
@affusj , I would suggest the same as @Connor , since they were recently afflicted by similar, and the power cycle moved the spikes. But you’re seeing flicker, so there’s a good chance this might not be the same. If it remains after the power cycle, then it is probably a good idea to get an electrician to visit.
Maybe that would cut down on it but I have a feeling that since the lights flicker that there is a bigger issue here? I’ll try it when I get home later this week. Do you really think I should start with an electrician? Service calls are extremely expensive by me, probably at least $200+ just to come out. I would almost rather start with the power company but if that is a waste of time I won’t go there. Let me know what you would recommend.
@affusj, the power company is also a reasonable go to. Just be prepared for a wait. Who fixes depends on whether the issue is inside (weak neutral) or outside (too small a distribution transformer) your panel. Those dips aren’t good for your home’s electronics.
Take a look at my chart above. I was seeing the exact same extreme dips that you are. The restart solved the issue. I’d recommend trying the restart before calling an electrician or the utility just to see if some of your issue is this quirk with the Sense device.
I’ll give it a try when I get home as Im still away, hoping that fixes it but with all the flickering when the AC units start I have a feeling this won’t be the solution. Is there any way I can remotely send a restart signal to the unit?
There is not currently a way. There is a Wishlist item which you could support that requests this feature. To indicate your support of that topic, click the heart in the first post at the link below.
Hi,
I just wanted to chime in here with a few things.
- We looked into if there was a specific issue with the power quality section in Sense Labs and found that it is likely not the issue. Therefore any dips and spikes may be related to your environment. It may be worth looking into in your home and calling the power company.
- If your Sense stops recording data and you have to restart it to get data recording again, that may be a separate issue. I would suggest reaching out to support https://help.sense.com/hc/en-us
With that, you are said, while a user can’t reboot a monitor on their end through their app, we can if needed. Therefore if you are not home or having an issue with your home, you can always reach out to us, and we can investigate the issue for you. Just make sure to post the link to the community page if you posted something there so we have some context.
Well, the power company just came and found a melted wire on the pole, I’ll have to give Sense a day or two before I’ll know for sure that fixed the problem but thats what I think it was. They fixed everything very quickly. Im attaching pictures of the wire they cut off.
