Umm...do I need to worry?

[zlee]

Sitting here just after 1 am, peacefully reading the news on the iPad, eating popcorn and thinking of going to bed...comes a short "bzzzz" sound from the area around the stove, the lights flicker briefly...and then the buzz ends (after about a second) and the lights stop flickering.

Urm. What was that, or is this going to be one of those "wait and see if anything else happens" things?

[Phoenix]

Are you hooked up to shore power, or running off of batteries?

[xrvr]

Do you have a surge protector? jim

[slowmover]

Smell anything . . funny?

[moosetags]

Assuming that you were connected to shore power at the time, it could well have been a momentary power interruption of the source AC power. If that was the case, there is probably nothing to worry about. I would check around the Airstream this morning to see if you notice anything awry.

Brian

[tphan]

Umm...yes, you need to worry. You have bees eating your wiring!

[Gene]

Ask other campers if they had a problem at the same time.

Gene

[mutcth]

I don't like adding to/causing paranoia, but I want to ask: where is the converter on these Bambis? The OEM converters aren't known for being quality pieces, so I'm wondering if this is a harbinger of a not-too-difficult-or-expensive replacement (and upgrade).

Hoping it's just a power surge. And go to bed earlier!

Tom

[Phoenix]

The converter is below the closet, just above floor level, immediately to the left of the stove/oven.

[zlee]

I'm hooked up to shore power, a plug out of the garage that I had installed for the Bambino. No surge protector yet, though I've been meaning to get one, so perhaps today is a good day for that. No funny smells. (RV Boss is great stuff. ) Don't see anything awry this morning, things seem to be normal, whatever the heck that is. I worry more about wasps than bees! No other campers, though I may check with my landlord to see if he was still up and noticed anything. The converter is under the closet next to the stove, so it's possible, Tom...and yes, I'll be going to bed earlier tonight--I didn't sleep well last night (probably thinking about the weird noise and flickering), so I figure that'll help with that!

Goodness, when people said it was always something, they meant it, didn't they?

[Gene]

Didn't realize you were home. Did any clocks plugged into the wall stop or are blinking with the wrong time today? That would indicate a power disruption.

Gene

[Phoenix]

A remote possibility: In Phoenix, the local electric utility has been installing new meters the past few years that are read via the power lines coming into the breaker box from the street. Some residents have complained about being awakened by noises and flickering lights between midnight and 4:00 AM, which appear to be caused by the meter being read. Of course the electric company says this is impossible...

[zlee]

Hummm. Gene, the only thing like that is the microwave, and it looks normal. I think. It's kind of a weird microwave.

Phoenix, that's really interesting. I'll have to idly ask about that around town. It'll make for a good conversation.

[Gene]

Some clocks have a battery that keeps the clock going for a while, but others don't. Sometimes they tell you if the power went out.

Those new meters are very unpopular in some places. We have one that sends the info back to the company and never have had a problem. We haven't seen a meter reader in years.

Gene

[zlee]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Some clocks have a battery that keeps the clock going for a while, but others don't. Sometimes they tell you if the power went out.

Hmmm. Maybe I ought to get a plug-in clock from a charity shop just for stuff like this for a bit until I'm relatively sure everything's okay? The microwave and the CD player seem to be okay, and those are the only things that have clocks in them...

[Gene]

It is the clock that stops or has the wrong time that tells you the power has been interrupted. A split second outage may not tell you anything. A clock that is normal tells nothing except the time. It is just something that may give you a clue.

Gene

[zlee]

Well, I figured a digital one might flash at least. I really hope it's not the converter and that it's just a momentary power failure...

[masseyfarm]

It could have been that camcorder restarting the tape reel??

Dave

[zlee]

ooo, er, missus!!!

[Sodbust]

Our power in the USA runs at the 60 cycles rate,, Any imbalance will make battery chargers or inverters buzz or hum more than normal as its trying to digest a square wave an not a normal sine wave.. Just my guess.

Sodbust