Solid red light on electricity meter?

[eveares]

The other day I went to my relatives house to collect some personal items of mine. The house has been vacant for about 6 months and is due to go on the market later this year.

Anyway when I was up there I noticed the red light on the electric meter was solid and not flashing like normal. Nothing is really on in the house apart from the fridge and a couple of lights on timers.

Why was the light on the meter solid and is it normal? Not sure if the radio tele switch has anything to do with it?

Photo below is old, but just to show you the meter type.

Untitled

• eveares
• 6 Aug 2014
• 2

Elliott.

 

[wundaboy]

Its quite normal - a solid red light means no power was being drawn at that particular moment, or at least such a minute amount that it wasn't enough to register.

If you wait around long enough for the fridge compressor to kick in, you'll see it change from solid red to a (very slow) blink. Alternatively, plug a heater in and you'll see it blink a lot faster.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

As the above post, it is likely because there is very little load being drawn, try putting a kettle, toaster or electric shower on and see how it responds.
The key thing to watch is the measured units on the display, if these are much higher than expected, then more investigation would be required and very likely a call to the suppliers.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Its quite normal.

And counter intuitive.

If the rate of flashing is supposed to be directly proportional to rate of consumption, then you'd expect no consumption to be light off, and light on all the time to indicate a rate of consumption so high that the flashing light appears to be continually on.

 

[Aragorn84]

Perhaps to distinguish between "no load" and "a very small load where the light will flash but you'll have to sit there for 5 minutes waiting to see it"?

 

[securespark]

Its quite normal.

And counter intuitive.

If the rate of flashing is supposed to be directly proportional to rate of consumption, then you'd expect no consumption to be light off, and light on all the time to indicate a rate of consumption so high that the flashing light appears to be continually on.

Not counter-intuitive: quite clever. It works that way round so that a layperson can see there is a supply to the meter.

 

[JohnW2]

Not counter-intuitive: quite clever. It works that way round so that a layperson can see there is a supply to the meter.

I'm a bit confused about when the transition occurs. If there is a very small load, the flashes will be very far apart, such that the indicator will virtually always be 'off', increasingly so as the load gets smaller and smaller. You are saying that, as the load decreases, at some point, it changes from 'being virtually never lit' to 'being permanently lit'. Does that happen when the load actually falls to zero, or what?

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

Dunno!

All I know is that when you switch off the load from the meter, the light comes on.

Westie might enlighten us!

 

[JohnW2]

Dunno!... All I know is that when you switch off the load from the meter, the light comes on.

Fair enough, but I suspect what I suggested is the most likely - that it only comes on continuously if there really is zero load current. I think I have to agree with BAS that it's rather counter-intuitive - the light on for 0.001% of the time meaning a very small load, but on for 100% of the time meaning no load! In this age of multi-colour LEDs, one might perhaps expect a different colour (green) to indicate 'no load'.

Westie might enlighten us!

Who knows, but I think meters are probably a little downstream of westie's main area of expertise!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

Smart Meters will solve everybody's problems

 

[westie101]

All I can guess is that it may be intended to show there is a supply available at the meter output terminals

The idea of green being used is not really a good idea as that is the sign of safe, which a live supply is certainly not.

 

[danburns]

Apparently it's so you can see if the meter is being bypassed - if you walk in and see there's a solid red light and it's obvious there's electricity being used then you know there's something not right...

Same with 'private' card meters. Ours in our storage unit used to go solid red if not used for a little while. Turn the lights on and it goes back to a very slow flash.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

In this age of multi-colour LEDs, one might perhaps expect a different colour (green) to indicate 'no load'.

Or maybe 2 LEDs - one for "yes it's live" and another for an indication of loading.

Or maybe something like this to indicate loading:

but with the segments all the same colour, or people will be phoning their supplier in a panic when it goes into the red...

 

[JohnW2]

Or maybe 2 LEDs - one for "yes it's live" and another for an indication of loading.

Yep, that would do it.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Apparently it's so you can see if the meter is being bypassed - if you walk in and see there's a solid red light and it's obvious there's electricity being used then you know there's something not right...

Wouldn't it be equally apparent that "something was not right" if it were obvious that electricity was being used but the light was not flashing (or on) at all?

Kind Regards, John