STray voltage

[brother]

I hear this phrase once in while, 'stray voltage, phantom volatage' and it seems some people have a 'different' meaning of it. I always understood it as being 'voltage' between 2 points that should not be, (ie the neutral and ground wire should have 0 volts or neutral and earth ground, or the ground wire and earth ground from grounded systems). What do you think happen in this article, and what is your understanding of stray voltage.??

http://www.mikeholt.com/newsletters.php?action=display&letterID=787

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Brother
The dog case is a case of a fault condition, not stray voltage or phantom voltage.

Phantom voltage is an induction between two or more conductors.

Stray voltage is generally on the utility side, and is between the neutral and equipment ground conductors.


This is as simple as I can keep this...

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

It usually has no power cababilities as it is just induction and if you put a wiggy on it you have nothing. I would not say you would not get shocked from it.

 

[e57]

Stray voltage is what keeps cows from milking... Not entirely different from step voltage... :roll: I do not believe in phantoms or ghosts - voltage is voltage IMO. It is also pretty rare to get zero volts between a neutral and ground more than a few past the main service bonding jumper.

My unofficial definitions:

• Stray voltage - differences in potential between supposedly grounded items and the earth itself in the areas away from the electrode system and bonding jumper.
• Step voltage (Not the type related to transformers) - differences in potential bewteen two points in earth. Related to "touch" voltage which is simular to "Stray" voltage above but due to a high voltage faults.
• To many - "Low voltage" is anything below 600V...
• Ghost and phantom voltage is what people who own wiggy's call anything they can not understand in the reading of a DMM.

 

[brian john]

. I always understood it as being 'voltage' between 2 points that should not be, (ie the neutral and ground wire should have 0 volts or neutral and earth ground, or the ground wire and earth ground from grounded systems).
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With a load on the system and the system is properly installed, there will be a voltage between neutral and ground, once you leave the neutral to ground bond.