DIY 'Ripple Signal' Ceiling Fan Noise Fix ?

[SteveAndBelle]

Or just an inline (cord) switch.

Recommended mod

Yeah, but an inline switch wont allow you to dim unless of course it's one of those sliding dimmer switch thingys ... plus as these lamps have circuitry in the base I've got a nice big area to play with (approx. 8" round and about 1" thick) so I will easily be able fit anything I like in there without having to cram it in.

I'm really not a fan of inline switches anyway. Sure they work perfectly well but I hate having to yank the cord up from behind the furniture just to turn the light on or off. Not good for anal people like me who need everything 'in its place' at all times. I class inline switches as a very cheap & cheerful solution (which is why more and more things now use them) so if I'm going to modify these lamps I'm going to want to do it 'properly'

Once I get into rewiring the house within the next few years I'm planning on wiring up a 'lamp circuit' for each room that is switched & dimmable via a dedicated switch on the standard wallplate. The switch on the top will control the normal ceiling mounted lighting but the switch on the bottom will control the 'lamp circuit' so I'll never have to run around the house switching off all the low wattage lamps we have turned on here & there. I can also incorporate another run of 'light duty' cable for feature lighting on this circuit too so I can get the 'lamp switch' to also control lighting for the artwork hanging on the walls.

So with the flick of a switch I can have full bright light from the ceiling fittings but with the flick of the other switch I can have a room full of nice dimmable ambient light (which incidentally is what we mainly use each evening anyway).

Not too sure on the legality of this these days but I have seen this type of system run in some old houses and it works brilliantly !! I've also seen it in the UK but both installs had dedicated US style power sockets (two parallel flat pins) so all the plugs on the lights will have to be changed but that's no problem.

Anyhoo, I'll stop crapping on now

Just to update the thread though ... I was surprised to discover that the day I sent that last update I got home to find an Energex calling card in the letterbox and another strange looking box on the pole across the street (a bit lower down this time). Yes, the filter had been installed already !! Amazing what a phone call can do

I rushed inside and turned the fans on but didn't have the time to really monitor the noise properly. My wife mentioned tht they seemed to now be silent however we can't sleep with the fans on these days as it's really cooled down here in brisbane and we end up waking up at about 3am freezing our butts off !

I'll see how I go over the weekend and let you all know ...

[Ausyuppy]

Steve,
Just curious how you went with all of this. Did they end up filtering your power?
Cheers
Steve

Edit: Oops I should have gone back through the post before I posted I have recently moved to Brissy and am now working for Energex doing Comms. Working in the substations day to day, I have come to enjoy the tones that you hear when the "ripple signals" also known as Audio Frequency Load Control (AFLC) startup. Now that I have heard them in the substation (They can be quite loud), I can tell the time in my bedroom now when I hear the signal coming through the fan, baby monitor and bathroom fleuro

Funnily enough I'm gonna have to call Energex Customer Service to organise something for my place!

Cheers
Steve

[trover]

While other checks on the wiring and supply voltage are worth doing, I do believe you are referring to the switching tones used by the supply authority to switch our hot water relays on and off and other things. Back in the 70s this was a 1050 Hertz signal added to the mains supply. Typically it will pulse a few times, but only for up to a minute. This is often a problem in public address systems and audio gear, with the tones coming out the speakers.
The problem is solved in an amplifier by adding a fiter is series with the 240VAC feed to the transformer. This consists a series air cored inductor in the active and neutral legs, with a capacitor on each side. the LC combination being tuned to the 1050 (pretty sure on the frequency, but my memory may be fadi..) Hz.

While it may be possible to build this into audio gear, anything like that on the house wiring, while it would probably do the trick, needs to be approved etc, and that's the hurdle. Surprising that such a device is not available, however, as this problem has been around for many years.

Now I apologise for not solving the problem, but it does appear that this might be the problem .

[trover]

Perhaps I could just say - Welcome to brisbane - dont worry the tones are normal -

[nick h]

Steve,
I tell no lie, it is Ripple signals. I had a pdf document from Hunter Pacific (fan manufacturer) detailing the problem. They claim the noise can even be picked up in things like toasters (if operating), fridges and other similar appliances with motors. The other night I picked up the noise in the Meile range hood when it was operating. Apparently the voltage of the signal should be something like 10V but can be more depending on the distance from the Ripple Signal Injection device. The frequency is usually 1050hz but you can check this if you go to the meter box and read the details on the receiver. My receiver is something like 1043Hz.
These ripple signals are frequent. They switch on other things like pumps (whose pumps im not sure but may be sewer/public utilities), street lights, two domestic tarriffs and a whole heap of other stuff. After switching them on, they also need another signal to switch them off. I tried to attach the pdf from Hunter pacific, but it constantly scans over 150kB and this forum wont let me attach it. I'll email it to you if you like. Why dont you give the supplier of that filter a call. He is a wealth on information. He even told me he has his aircon connected up to the second tarrif and he rarely finds the electricity off when he needs his aircon. Call him, I'm sure hell tell you.
Cheers

hi,any chance you can email me the pdf file?

[scooter]

Gday Nick, & welcome

That user hasn't been online since March 07, might have to try sending him an email (if his user profile is set up to receive them) to make contact.


Cheers................Sean

[craig 75]

I have fitted ceiling fans, the energy company sends ripple signals down at all times to change timers and other things, i have found that beacon lighting sells ripple filters you put in line of your fan to filter out the noise which sounds like a morse code type of hum ,
Also if you live closer to a sub station /or pole transformer this may affect you more
only downfall is cost $190.00 per filter per fan ,
I havent purchased one as i hope there may be a type that you can put on the meter board which would cover the whole circuit ,
hope more information will come from others
this is my first post ,this sight is the best