More CFL Issues

More CFL Issues
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weaseled386 @ 20th Sep 12:03PM:
More CFL Issues

Even though I install the Uverse backbone for a living, I've been a Brighthouse fan for many years. The speed has been great, and I've had few issues with my other services. The last 10 days have made me rethink my opinion of them...

I'll start off by describing my service before anyone questions my expectations. I have the Ultimate/Extreme Value Package. This is a 15/2 (non powerboost) business class connection with 1 static IP. My internet is considered business class, but my TV/Phone are standard residential. For this level of service I pay a total of $20 on top of whatever the monthly price is: $10 for Turbo and $10 for static IP / business SLA.

Around 9/12 my signal started bouncing. I noticed it by big delays in web surfing, having my World of Warcraft session timing out and my girlfriend noticed it while doing her online school stuff. I phoned in and a tech said she'd put a monitor on my line to help catch the issue; she also set a dispatch for the following Monday. I called in Sunday night to see if the monitor was clean. If so I was going to cancel the dispatch and accept that even the best of lines hiccup occasionally. The tech who answered the phone could NOT find a monitor anywhere in the system(s).

The tech arrives bright and early Monday morning and looks at serveral things. He notices -- while looking in the node -- that my line took a major hit, and when it returned the signal level was slightly lower than before. With that said, the new levels were acceptable. He said he'd put a 7 day monitor on my line and escalate it.

Today (9/20) my line lags out three times in the 10am hour. I call into tech support and ask them to check the monitor, and was told there still is NOT one on my line. Since the cable router shows a 73 day up-time they claim the line to be rock solid.

I start raising hell... if either of the two techs prior to him would have done what they said the issue would have been recorded in a log... somewhere. One thing I hate is being lied to. Luckily I yelled long enough that the tech said he noticed my line timing out while running a ping test. At that point they've scheduled a Sunday dispatch between 1pm-3pm. If this issue isn't fixed I will order Uverse. Before anyone decides to argue the issues Uverse has I'm well aware of them. Distace also isn't an issue, because I personally installed the VRAD that's 973 cable feet from my home!
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anon @ 22nd Sep 05:01PM:
Re: More CFL Issues

When is Uverse going to be in the entire Cocoa, area I am in a new subdivision and its still not available but apparently down the road a bit its available...I cant stand BHN and everytime I've ever talked to a sales rep/customer service person I ahve gotten nothing but attitude.
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Surfinusa @ 22nd Sep 05:05PM:
Re: More CFL Issues

Try the Uverse forum someone might be able to help.
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BillyZoom @ 5th Oct 10:19AM:
Re: More CFL Issues

HA!... Well so much for paying for the "Business Class" to get the "Extra" treatment in service...

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
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yozho @ 11th Oct 02:09AM:
Re: More CFL Issues

So, Weasel, what happened?
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weaseled386 @ 17th Oct 09:56AM:
Re: More CFL Issues

Two days after posting this thread BHN came to the house to check signal quality: where my drop splits from the main feeder cable, at the demarc on the side of the house and at every point inside my house. Signal levels were ideal EVERYWHERE! The tech then touched the center pin and it shocked him. We put a multimeter on the lead and found something inside my house is putting 52VAC on the cable.

He called for backup and another tech -- in a bucket truck -- quickly arrived. The three of us tried to pinpoint exactly what was putting the voltage on the line by unplugging certain parts of my house from my splitters, and unplugging each piece of my home theater system one-by-one. After unplugging my PS3 the voltage went away. Only to return minutes later! By this time the three of us have hours invested in the troubleshooting, and it was late in the evening. Since the trouble seemed to have "moved" we called it an evening.

I received a call from BHN Customer Service the next day, and an appointment was setup to have one of their contractors come replace EVERY cable in my house. After doing so the voltage on the line is still present. However, on a positive note, I haven't noticed a dropped signal in a couple weeks.

I don't understand how the cable plant works, but I have identified an AC outlet in my house as having a ground fault. This specific AC outlet is the one that powers my entire home theater system! My outlet tester says it is not grounded... Could lack of ground on that outlet be feeding back some how? Here is what's plugged into it: DVR, 5 port HDMI selector switch, tuner/amplifier, PS3, Xbox360, Wii, always on webcam and an ethernet switch.

In my opinion BHN has done anything and everything they could to isolate the issue. It took a couple weeks for them to identify this as a chronic issue, but they did jump feet first -- at no cost to me -- into it.
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cableguy @ 17th Oct 12:50PM:
Re: More CFL Issues

You might want to try a coax voltage blocker..
»www.summitsource.com/channel-mas···001.html

Also, You could have the power company check your house ground outside by the meter box. Sometimes the clamps get a little corrosion underneath and can cause ground loops. DONT PULL OFF THE CLAMP YOURSELF OR YOU RISK BLOWING UP EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOUSE.
--
GIT R DONE
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rebus9 @ 17th Oct 08:02PM:
Re: More CFL Issues

said by cableguy :

DONT PULL OFF THE CLAMP YOURSELF OR YOU RISK BLOWING UP EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOUSE.

The voltage potential across the grounding conductor should be zero. If it's carrying any current, then a very dangerous condition exists and a fire or electrocution are in your future.

Under normal circumstances, removing the grounding conductor from the rod outside temporarily to install a new clamp or clean the connection should be a harmless operation.

From the service entrance, inward, the only time a voltage potential should exist on the grounding conductor is in the case of a ground fault. (short circuit, defective appliance, etc.)

A ground fault is not the absense of a proper ground at your outlet. A ground fault is when current leaks out of a circuit or something plugged in to that circuit, and finds a path to ground other than through the neutral (grounded**) conductor. If you ever see voltage on a grounding conductor, it means something is very wrong.

**Note the difference between grounding and grounded conductors. People often use those terms interchangeably, but the difference is significant. The grounded conductor is commonly known as the neutral, and is bonded to ground at the transformer, and then again at the service entrance. The grounding conductor is the bare (or green insulated) conductor which acts as the "safety net" to carry escaping current to ground in the event of a short circuit or equipment malfunction-- as opposed to the current traveling through your body or nearby building materials; thus the risk of fire or electrocution.
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