e57
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
Been a bazillion years since I’ve posted here. Miss you guys sometimes. (Not posted much since a dad)
Nonetheless, got a little question - how much stray voltage is too much? And who you think is responsible for correcting it?
Last week disconnected a 200A feeder that goes from a main house panel board to a pool house then to a distant shed each building with its own electrodes etc and no MBJ’s in them. No other conductors building to building. Soil conditions mostly fractured serpentine rock.
During reconstruction of the equipment grounding conductor - the kid I had doing it got shocked. So he it it with proximity tester (because he questioned it) - nothing, but got shocked making the connection again and told me. So I had him pull out his meter and it was 63 volts. And I said well that’s interesting?!? I tapped them together and there was a little spark. Threw an ammeter on it - but got no current that registered after being connected… (figured enough to shock and enough to spark would at least register current?)
We broke the ground again just to check. At the building in the middle and got the same conditions and measurements. When reconnected it’s completely gone… And with the feeder fully connected there’s barely a volt between EGC/with electrodes and the separate structures neutral. Condition vanishes seemingly.
Nearest I can assume is a stray current in the earth from either or both the adjacent property and this and that property that is one which is in front of the property next door 500’ away. POCO Transformer unknown location but think it’s further away in the other direction (?)
It feels/seems like neutral current levels of voltage (if one was dumb enough to disconnect one) But 63v seems excessive? And seems to vanish with no current on the grounding conductor after connected.
Any thoughts?
Nonetheless, got a little question - how much stray voltage is too much? And who you think is responsible for correcting it?
Last week disconnected a 200A feeder that goes from a main house panel board to a pool house then to a distant shed each building with its own electrodes etc and no MBJ’s in them. No other conductors building to building. Soil conditions mostly fractured serpentine rock.
During reconstruction of the equipment grounding conductor - the kid I had doing it got shocked. So he it it with proximity tester (because he questioned it) - nothing, but got shocked making the connection again and told me. So I had him pull out his meter and it was 63 volts. And I said well that’s interesting?!? I tapped them together and there was a little spark. Threw an ammeter on it - but got no current that registered after being connected… (figured enough to shock and enough to spark would at least register current?)
We broke the ground again just to check. At the building in the middle and got the same conditions and measurements. When reconnected it’s completely gone… And with the feeder fully connected there’s barely a volt between EGC/with electrodes and the separate structures neutral. Condition vanishes seemingly.
Nearest I can assume is a stray current in the earth from either or both the adjacent property and this and that property that is one which is in front of the property next door 500’ away. POCO Transformer unknown location but think it’s further away in the other direction (?)
It feels/seems like neutral current levels of voltage (if one was dumb enough to disconnect one) But 63v seems excessive? And seems to vanish with no current on the grounding conductor after connected.
Any thoughts?