Today, when I was testing my exit signs and emergency lighting, for a full 90 min test, all of a sudden the power went out at 5:12 PM. It stayed out till 7:05 PM, because my emergency lighting weren't working, and I didn't knew that there was a power outage coming. Luckly I had my LED flashlights on, and luckly my Lithonia EU2-LED emergency light was still on, but dim (because of the 90 min test) after I plugged it in but still the AC light didn't come on, because the power is still out. When dinner is ready, the power came on.

So yeah whats your weirdest power outage or brownout that you had experienced?  

I remember a day, during my childhood, where all of the lamps at my mother home glowed dim orange, and the computer didn't worked at all, as well as the streetlighting. This lasted until the night where there was a power outage, which ended up with the lamps working normally. Most of the lamp that my mother had, were incandescents.

This isn't really a brownout but the mains voltage was clearly lowered

As you know I live in an apt. and nothing is the best, so every time the HVAC kicks on, it pulls such a heavy load of amps that the voltage lowers from 125 to 60-75 volts and some of my F18, 20, and 96 light fixtures flicker because many of them have a min voltage of 60V. My HPS lamp (if it's running) will stay on for a couple mins before the ballast realizes that the voltage has lowered

Not knowing how many amps it pulls scares me, I mean the voltage drops about 50%

This voltage makes the oven and toaster warm not hot

We too had an outage same as Dor described many years ago. Either a Phase on the HV or a Neutral on the LV (400kVA transformer for the entire group of houses) went open - Lighting first flickered and then became very dim (maybe 40V instead of 230V) and slowly was further dimming. At some point it cut out completely

Don't know if it qualifies as weird or not, but the power went out here at 0630 in the morning the other day. We were woken by the insistent bleeping from the UPS alarm..! Fortunately, this keeps all the computer and IT kit running for 45 minutes or so, longer if we shut down the server drives, so as the outage only lasted for just under the 45 minutes run time, no damage done. No explanation why it went off, though.

Well I have to say this is weird
Back in September of 2017 I had a 2Hr long brownout.
I have never experienced a brownout before, just full off blackouts.
I had a 100W incandescent lamp in my desk lamp (Don't worry the fixture is rated for a 100W lamp and the lamp was on but only about 1/2 brightness as the voltage was only about 65VAC vs. the normal 120VAC.


Last night was a winter blizzard and I had another brownout but I was asleep so when the UPS took over powering my network and computer stuff (I heard the relay click, which woke me up along with the darkness) I just powered off the computer and went back to bed

I attached a picture of the UPS Log page showing that it took over supplying power to my computer stuff

The power event on 02/24/2018 was when United Illuminating (My electric Supplier) put in a new digital "Smart" meter (That only took 6 seconds how he did it so quick I don't know)
Also one event on November 7th says 50Hz for the output why I don't know

I had a brownout at the paintball field on Saturday March 3rd it lasted all day (9am-6pm) and still going when I left. It returned to full power when I came in on Sunday at 9am.

I never had a brownout before. But a few weeks ago we had a thunderstorm and suddenly there was a bright blue flash that almost looked like a spark was in the room and then a loud thunderclap. I noticed that night that my neighbor's LED yard light across the street didn't come on for a few days. And then later that week there was a loud bang but the power didn't go off. Then the power company came and tried to change the fuse on the pole over there and there was another bang from the transformer. So they put in a new transformer and the light was working again. The only things on that transformer are that yard light and my neighbor's garage so no one knew if the power was off. But it was weird it took so long for the transformer to blow out after the lightning storm.

Also last summer the lightning hit my next door neighbor's flagpole and the cable went out for a few minutes. The power didn't go out but the neighbor on the other side said the lightning came down the fence and into their house and knocked out two TVs.

Plus 10 years ago lightning hit in my front yard and knocked out my TV and a TV from the neighbor down the street.

Had the neutral come loose at the panel back in the early 90's shortly after we moved into our new house. That ended up placing lights and appliances in series with 240 volts. Some lights got extremely bright and a few GE soft whites that were 60 watts or above burnt out instantly when switched on. It also burnt out some electronics (Two TVs, a VCR, Stereo system, Nintendo, aquarium pump/filter, and three fluorescent light ballasts in the kitchen.)

The few occasional Brownouts I experienced usually happen in the summer during hot weather. Since they happen in the late afternoon, the indications were the electronic display/clock on the oven and the microwave making a long beeeeep! and showing strange numbers and any motor loads (refrigerator, aquarium filter/pump) bogging down. They typically only last a few seconds before the power goes back to normal. Since Southern California Edison replaced all the transformers and distribution equipment in my neighborhood back in 2013, I haven't experienced one.

A large outage I remember was when the Western Interconnection failed in Summer 1996. The power in my area was only out for a few minutes but when it came back, we didn't have any TV reception initially from some Los Angeles area stations that were still effected by the outage (KABC 7 and some other stations did go back on air a short time later running on backup generators) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Western_North_America_blackouts

Wow! I would've done is to unplug everything quickly, before it goes. If the voltage goes above 120v. Or better yet, turn off the main breaker of the house, that will work too.

26 hours with no power or landline telephone service in December 2003 in Atascadero, California after the '03 San Simeon Earthquake. 

At work:
Its happened a few times at lost one phase completely, and another at half-voltage, the other at 100% (wasn't just the one building where I work, but the whole little 'downtown' area around it)


At home:
A fuse blew in the transformer that supplies my house and nine others. It was kinda weird having the lights out and everything else around on.
I overheard the Xcel Electric guys talking about that thing (the transformer) cooking good, and they'd be surprised if it lasted through the night after the replaced the fuse (It did) A couple days later they replaced the whole transformer (wish I woulda been there to see that done!)

There was one at my school today where it seems that a phase browned out. Some of the fluorescent lights (3 lamp F32T8s) were flickering madly and glowing pink, some going out completely. The exhaust fans in the greenhouses (which are 3 phase) were spinning very slowly and were loudly humming. However, the weirdest part about all this is that it screwed with the PA system. Every so often, it would suddenly go crazy, making loud sounds for a few minutes at a time that sounded very similar to flatulence. Needless to say, it was an interesting day.

We're lucky here that we don't get brown outs and very few power outages, I think that since I moved here we have only had 2 or 3 power cuts in the past 24 years.