stray voltage

[Trbl639]

The Digital Beast ain't foolproff for sure, but it is a dang good tool!!!
It's lied to us a few times on UG services......but only a couple of times everything at the pot and meter can was good..........the UG was going bad!!!

I've used the adapter with the Beast to find a bad neutral connection on secondary, 3 spans from the meter can/house!!!

[Tsplice]

I've been a TS full time,for around 15 years and I'm still learning just how
"humbleing"this stuff can be.It seems to throw you a curve,every time
you think you have the answer.I use a simple little "2" speed compact heater
1500-2000 watts,to check for loose conection's and open neutral's.So far
it hasn't let me down.As for stray voltages;the majority of our complaint's
come from dairy farms.We found that by eliminateing the mainline neutral
from the secoundary service,ie;delta-delta 3 phase feeding the milkbarn,
stray voltage dropped to less than 2.5 mv.Which,according to the "experts"
cows can't feel!Who new?

[mmm2m8r]

I've been a TS full time,for around 15 years and I'm still learning just how
"humbleing"this stuff can be.It seems to throw you a curve,every time
you think you have the answer.I use a simple little "2" speed compact heater
1500-2000 watts,to check for loose conection's and open neutral's.So far
it hasn't let me down.As for stray voltages;the majority of our complaint's
come from dairy farms.We found that by eliminateing the mainline neutral
from the secoundary service,ie;delta-delta 3 phase feeding the milkbarn,
stray voltage dropped to less than 2.5 mv.Which,according to the "experts"
cows can't feel!Who new?

I've recently taken a trouble truck position. What a nice change it is. I use the hair dryer a lot to find neutral shifts. If a shift of about a volt occurs and the connections have been changed at both ends, do you stop at this point or do you call for recording volt meters or refer them to an electrician?

[grizzlybuck]

I've seen too many occasions where it seems a shift of voltage of up to 3-4 volts is normal. I and a co-worker once spent 9 hours on a "flickering light" call (idiot company enacted a policy that if the beast showed a 3 volt shift, you were to change all connections)

Upon arrival, we had a 10v difference with just a voltmeter, we found a bad neutral connection at the service pole (lot-line) changed connection and still had a 4v diff, changed old #4TP service and had 4v diff. Changed connections at two other lot-line poles where there were double deadends on the secondaries and ended up tightening connections on the Transformer legs, after all this (climbed 4 poles and changed out two other obsolete services) we still had a 4v difference, turned the transformer in to be replaced . We had a 60 amp difference between the legs at the transformer, so that probably accounted for part of the voltage difference. After this episode, the idiots in supervision saw the light and told us to do our best and if we could not find anything to order an RVM

Now though our meter department (who install the RVM's) are complaining about too many requests, so another episode of, as the stomach turns.

[CPOPE]

I've seen too many occasions where it seems a shift of voltage of up to 3-4 volts is normal. I and a co-worker once spent 9 hours on a "flickering light" call (idiot company enacted a policy that if the beast showed a 3 volt shift, you were to change all connections)

Upon arrival, we had a 10v difference with just a voltmeter, we found a bad neutral connection at the service pole (lot-line) changed connection and still had a 4v diff, changed old #4TP service and had 4v diff. Changed connections at two other lot-line poles where there were double deadends on the secondaries and ended up tightening connections on the Transformer legs, after all this (climbed 4 poles and changed out two other obsolete services) we still had a 4v difference, turned the transformer in to be replaced . We had a 60 amp difference between the legs at the transformer, so that probably accounted for part of the voltage difference. After this episode, the idiots in supervision saw the light and told us to do our best and if we could not find anything to order an RVM

Now though our meter department (who install the RVM's) are complaining about too many requests, so another episode of, as the stomach turns.

upsize the neutral and balance the load screw the rvm's

[CPOPE]

Sometimes identified as “neutral to earth voltage” or “neutral to ground voltage,” “stray voltage” or “exposure voltage” is defined as the difference in potential between animal or human contact points, such as a cow’s body and hooves or a child’s hands and feet. This definition obscures the two-fold nature of the problem – that of identifying a source for the voltage and a path for the current. The voltage source is often hidden by a multitude of contributing factors, some endemic to the particular farm or household. Although the path taken by the current is the one of least resistance, it is not constant because of the changes in path resistances.

The problems related to exposure voltage do not end with simply investigating the voltages on the neutral or the equipment connected to the neutral. The sources of exposure voltages may include inadvertently energized metallic objects, structures, or earth in public areas. A case in point is a recent investigation into a complaint from a residential customer who said his children were getting shocked while playing in the backyard. Approximately 18 volts were measured from the faucet to ground. After an exhaustive investigation involving three different utilities for more than three months, the source was found to be a high resistance fault on a buried street light circuit.

In a “customer-choice” market, utility companies are mindful of the potential trouble exposure voltage can cause for business and residential customers alike. Courts have awarded settlements to several farmers who identified exposure voltage as the culprit for poor animal performance.

Millions of viewers were indoctrinated to the potential hazards of exposure voltage when the television show “Picket Fences” (October 23, 1992) depicted people dying in their bathtubs and cow udders exploding as a result of exposure voltage.

The media has always teased audiences with sensational statements such as this from USA Today: “…stray currents of up to three volts caused Cook’s cows to go wild and bend the bars of the milking parlor.” (USA Today, October 7, 1992). What was previously known as “tingle voltage” is now branded as “killer voltage” by the media.

Electric utilities must be sensitive to the concerns these images raise for their customers and are prepared to respond rapidly with trained field personnel who can provide effective and timely resolution to customer concerns.

[CPOPE]

"ABC 4 Investigation: Is electricity killing Utah cows?" Article Link:
http://www.abc4.com/content/features...e-e1d35c8fded5

DELTA, Utah (ABC 4 News) - “I grew up on a dairy farm. John worked on one from the time he was eleven or twelve years old. This is indeed what we know, what we love, it's where our passion is,” says Maria Nye.

An unseen force is threatening Maria Nye’s passion. She says her cows, as a herd, are not as healthy and happy as they should be. They are stressed, and that that is leading to immune problems and even premature death. Maria thinks she knows why.

“That is the power plant and we believe that the problems we are having with immune difficulties with the cows are based on stray voltage, stray current from the power plant,” says Nye.

The power plant is IPP. The Intermountain Power Project just a few miles down the road. It is a coal-fired power plant that sends millions of volts of DC electricity to Southern California.

The Nyes, along with several other dairy farms in the Delta area, have filed suit against the Intermountain Power Project, claiming that stray DC current from the plant is effecting their cows and their livelihood.

Maria really knows her cows and she notices how they act when they go to the water trough.

“A cow who is thirsty and wanting to drink, will stick her nose in a bucket of water and suck it all down you watch our cows when they go to the trough, they'll lap at the water, like touch it...touch...touch (Nye demonstrates). Okay...I think I can do this and then they’ll stick their noses in,” says Nye, adding, “A cow is twenty times more sensitive to electricity than the average person.”

Nye continues to explain how cows normally drink, pointing to a female cow who is attempting otherwise.

“Cows would usually go to the water trough and stick their nose right in and suck the water up and, that's not what she's doing,” explains Nye.

Nye says cows need to drink 30 to 40 gallons of water so they can produce milk, especially in Utah's dry climate. When their cows starting acting strange, Nye and other Delta dairy farmers had an expert come out and test for stray current. Don Zipse is an electrical engineer from Delaware who has studied stray current since 1970.

“The cows are not drinking water because there is electricity in the water,” says Zipse.

But the Intermountain Power Project argues if there is stray current on the dairy farm, it’s not coming from them.

“Based upon substantial scientific research and tests, Intermountain Power Agency management believes that our southern transmission high voltage line that goes from Millard County to Southern California does not emit stray voltage. Pure and simple, that's it," says Reed Searle, the general manager of the power agency.

Searle says IPP has done a lot of testing.

“I wish I could explain the amount of testing we have done but it is extensive,” says Searle.

He doesn't deny there could be a problem, but explains that the voltage is not coming from his plant.

“If the dairy farms in Millard County do have voltage on their farms (then) that comes from some other place or some other location or source other than ours,” says Searle.

Searle's words offer little comfort for dairy farmers like Maria Nye, who just want to see their cows, once again, healthy and happy.

“What we are really hoping for is a solution. Yes we've lost a lot of money over the years, but what we'd really like is for it to stop,” says Nye. “It would be great to have happy cows.”