Stray Voltage

[ptonsparky]

What type of meter are you using? Older analogs did not care if you were measuring AC or DC.

 

[gar]

081203-2221 EST

I do not follow all of what has been said and done. So I am asking questions relating to how I would troubleshoot this.

One person did ask if you measured the voltage from the water to the stainless bowl. You want to do this with a high impedance AC meter like a Fluke 27. Also at the same time you can switch from AC to DC and see if there is any reading. Note: the Fluke inserts a capacitor in series with the probe in AC and thus removes any DC component.

The water is conductive, but not very conductive. In a pot of water I have been cooking all day as a humidifier, probably boiled off 2 gallons today, and thus the ion concentration has increased, I read about 3 kohms with my Fluke probes about 6 inches apart. This changes rapidly because of polarization with DC.

If you read voltage from the stainless tub to the water, then get a length of copper pipe and connect it in place of the plastic where the pipe connects to the tub. This would provide a long path before the tub to shunt current from the water source to the water tub. However, I doubt that you will see much voltage from the water to the tub.

In my hot water pot I read 0 AC volts from the pan to the water. In DC mode and a high carbon steel knife as the probe the voltage is near 0, with a silver plated spoon about 0.3 V, and with other convenient implements about 0.2 V, and with just the Fluke probe about 0.1 V.

If you can first determine that there is zero or near zero potential from the water to the tub, then measure from the tub to the ground where the horse stands. Use a screwdriver to poke into the ground.

Report back what you learn.

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[M. D.]

this is a link to a whole lotta information from a whole lotta different folks on the subject it is worth a look see IMO
http://www.mrec.org/sv-info.html

Also a guy named Donald Zipse has written some of the most interesting substantiations regarding equipotential planes I have ever seen ,.. I think he is a bit outside the box so to speak .. If you google his name and stray current,.. there should be some of his stuff to read ,...a bit of a different angle .

 

[Fulthrotl]

Point taken, but do you all believe it???? Do you really think an induced voltage of 4-5V's will stray away livestock? I ask because I simply don't know, and would like to be informed. I don't see it regardless of the resistance to the animal.

you know the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't
make the electrician ground it.

the answer is yes. there's another thread going about grounding
in dairy barns... a little bit of floating voltage, and the cows
won't give milk.

honest.

 

[mdshunk]

you know the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't
make the electrician ground it.

the answer is yes. there's another thread going about grounding
in dairy barns... a little bit of floating voltage, and the cows
won't give milk.

honest.

It's not so much that they won't give milk (they will), but the milk production is lower. Why? Because milk production is substantially linked to how much water a cow drinks. No water in = no milk out. In severe cases, portions of the herd have gone dry and had to be bred again.

 

[ptonsparky]

Lack of water intake is just one symptom of stray current problems. High white cell count, foot sores, conception rate, miscarrriage and general herd health are others.

 

[gar]

081209-2031 EST

bro15381:

What is the maximum voltage from any point in the water in the watering bowl to the bowl? Use a 10 megohm input meter such as a Fluke 27.

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