Understanding Stray Voltage

[Industrial Toys]

Well, I finally made it back to my neighbor. First thing I did was take a reading form a small ground rod I stuck in the ground to the outlet U ground on the porch. Nothing. Not a good enough ground. Then from some outside steel doors on concrete leading to the basement to the porch outlet U ground. 6 volts!

There are no ground rods at the house. A local electrician installed an FPE panel some years ago (without a permit) but I guess didn't think ground rods were important.

Checked at the shed where the microfit solar panels are and there are new ground rods. Still 6 volts, earth ground to electric ground.

Whereas I think the lack of rods at the house is a code deficiency, I think the problem lies with the utility.

I have called in a guy I know, Electrical contractor and pole line contractor. They should be well positioned to sort this out.

 

[Doofy]

That is encouraging. Let us know what he finds.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I spoke with the guy. He is "Depressingly Busy". Shortage of licensed electricians and delays in interactions with the Utilities. What a dysfunctional world this has become! So, it's not likely to count on his services any time soon.

He suggests calling the utility.

 

[Doofy]

Better Safe than Sorry. I'd call the utility and if they won't help...a good Electrician.

 

[RNeumann]

This doesn’t sound like the utility at all......good luck with that. It’d be a real treat if you called them, they came out and pulled the meter until you diagnosed and fixed the issue......then finding a contractor would be a top priority!

I’m not trying to be a jerk or tell you to do things my way but I would suggest rereading some of the posts above. Not the bickering or back and forth about who has a bigger brain. The ones actually explaining how to diagnose the issue. So far your approach reads like a kid doing a maze in the back of a comic book. You need to be systematic and have an understanding of how to diagnose.

Good luck....I’m afraid you will need that to find someone who can diagnose the issue.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's EXACTLY a scenario I suggested to my friend. Them pulling the meter. Hence calling the powerline/general electrical contractor first. Like I said, STUPID BUSY! No time for a silly little job like this.

I think I did diagnose the problem fairly well. Better I am thinking, than I think almost any electrician I ever met or worked with. It's why I got back into electronics. I needed people around me who were smarter than me and could teach me a thing or two.

He (the contractor) did think it a Utility issue, based on my description of findings. He was also not impressed with a contractor installing a new panel without any ground rods!

 

[Tomtint]

A while back I started a thread on this very topic. ..I have stray voltage at my home. My AC guy was the first to pick up on it when he was kneeling on the ground outside and got zapped from the copper line at my condenser. .. big circles ensued calling the electrician, power company etc.. long story longer... everyone on my little private road is effected and it is not my service or anything on my end. ..We are about 16-1800 feet as the crow flies to a set of high tension lines, and there are a couple of fairly large transformer stations not far away. ..I was told by one of the utility linemen that the high tension uprights are probably not all looped together and grounded properly... their solution was to drive 16-18' ground rods on every electrical component on my property.. Well, ( propane tank underground) water heater, AC condensers, water spickets, Electric meter, Transformer, service box , etc.. probabydrove 20 rods around the house... I can still get voltage from every foundation tie, and if we are planting a tree outside and kneel bare skinned..and touch a metal wire on a tree root ball...we get zapped. I would like to know if I can run LED lights up and down my driveway. ...free

 

[Doofy]

Our power utility is very good about helping their members. Normally, the Line Crew will swing by and offer advice and opinions for free. If it is something that needs an engineer there may or may not be a fee involved. It is also in their best interest that things are installed properly.

A stray voltage may or maybe not have a lethal amount of amperage and could prove fatal under certain conditions.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

These type problems are seldom solved by discussion with many ideas crossing around and over each other. I have solved a couple in the past but sure would not try to explain the trouble shooting process to someone not electrically astute. Examples cited like Tomtint was obviously a good solution for his situation; however, may have no bearing on the OPs problem. I have always been a diagnostic type person, not one to keep trying things hoping to hit on a solution. Diagnostic ability is hard to translate on a forum such as this. OP definitely needs professional help, hands and eyes on. One missing link easy to fix is the lack of a ground rod at the main entrance panel. Fix that first then move on. For grounding and bonding problems I always drag out my "Soares Book on Grounding and Bonding. Not being a practicing electrician I do not trust my memory so go back and read the book again. Soares has a whole chapter on the fundamentals of the subject. Many years ago I was an electrical inspector on government construction; I was always amazed at how many electricians did not really understand the code on G & B. Carrying that book around solved a lot of heated differences of opinion. Never lost an argument. The book is available on Amazon.

So you have a ground rod? The resistance of the grounding element (rod) and its connection to the grounding conductor is required by code to be 25 ohms or less. The average residential system may not meet that value and probably was not tested even when new. That could lead to the OPs problem and then maybe not. Even a lot of electricians do not have that testing equipment. Had one where two rods where in but neither tested out. Quizzed the electrician on what he did. He lied, we pulled the rods, two feet long and they hit solid rock. He just cut the rods off and said good.

See; here I go doing what I just talked against. My dialog here probably has nothing to do with the OPs problem as it is all relates to ground faults instead of "stray voltage" even though a proper grounding system should/could shunt off and stray voltages to ground.

Ron

 

[Industrial Toys]

Well, some great guys showed up from the Utility. Everything appears fine on their end. They checked their poles and hardware. I had to show them the odd voltages, as they are not "Meter Guys". They do have five volts between the grounded guy cable and their ground wire coming down their transformer pole. Or that ground wire to the galvanized crib holding up the pole. Same thing.

A telephone call by them, suggested that the acceptable spec was ten volts!

Apparently every pole gets a ground rod now as of two years ago. Prior to that, only if there was equipment on the pole.


We will install some ground plates at the service, get an electrician to look things over and call in (the meter guy) despite being in spec.

As far as them pulling the meter. These guys could not have been more layed back. I'm sure they have seen it all, and don't get to excited.