[Greenbuilding] EMF's

[Stephen Collette]

Hello Corwyn, thank you for your valuable questions. I appreciate the  
focussed interest and I hope I can answer them clearly enough for you.


Stephen Collette B.B.E.C
Principal

Your Healthy House
Indoor Environmental Inspections & Building Consulting
www.yourhealthyhouse.ca
stephen at yourhealthyhouse.ca
705.652.5159


On 21-May-07, at 7:09 PM, Corwyn wrote:

>
> On May 21, 2007, at 13:51, Stephen Collette wrote:
>> Wiring errors that can slip by undetected such as ground to neutral
>> touching, can yield a functioning circuit but will generate EMF's.
>
> How does this generate EMFs?
>
When there is voltage present on the wire, it generates electric  
fields, when there is current flow on the wire it generates magnetic  
fields. Errors such as a ground to negative, which won't impact the  
function of the circuit will create a field on a wire that shouldn't  
be present.
>> First ensure all appliances used in the bedroom are
>> actually grounded. This includes lights, clocks and everything, to
>> help reduce your exposure, or switch out for battery clocks and
>> nightlights.
>
> How do you ground a light?  Some of my lamps have no metal which  
> isn't carrying current, what am I supposed to ground?  What does  
> grounding do anyway?
>
> Why not use a wind up clock?
> You are right of course on both accounts Corwyn. You cannot ground  
> something plastic. I should have been more clear in my explanation.  
> Two wire or ungrounded cords are generating electric and magnetic  
> fields. These fields are a high potential. High potential fields  
> are always looking for ground to balance out. We are typically the  
> closest 5-6 foot something bio electric thing that electrically is  
> pretty close to ground. So we take in these fields and they impact  
> our bodies. Having a grounded cord on any appliance will create a  
> much closer ground to those wires, the third (ground) wire itself  
> will help reduce the electric and magnetic fields being generated.

Again a wind up or battery clock is absolutely the best idea over  
anything electrical.
>> Secondly, have all electrical appliances as far away
>> from you as possible, and ideally, not in the room.
>
> You think there is much shielding afforded by walls?
> Shielding is not something walls offer unless you have put some  
> sort of shielding mat in the wall system to reduce effects EMF's or  
> high frequency from cells, wi-fi, etc. However if the effort has  
> been made to reduce the wiring errors in the outlets/switches,  
> fixtures, etc and the wiring in the walls is up to code (grounded)  
> then it will be relatively safe. Not having any runs near the bed  
> is the best option as well if you are installing new.

>> Third, you can add a subpanel for the bedroom and have it on a  
>> demand switch. These
>> switches work on a remote key fob. When you are in bed, hit the
>> button and it kills the whole circuit (or as many circuits as you
>> want to put on it). If you have to get up in the night, turn on your
>> light like normal and the circuit is energized again. These work
>> pretty successful but are certainly a more expensive option.
>
> How does turning on the light re-energize the circuit?  Why not put  
> the demand switch back at the panel?  How much EMF given off by the  
> remote key fob?
Here is a link to the demand switch which explains things much more  
clearly than I can.
http://www.buildingbiology.net/deswcanelelf.html
>
>> Also don't forget to think about what is around, behind, below and
>> above your bed in regards to electrical appliances beyond the walls
>> of the bedroom. I've seen people with the freezer in the basement
>> below their bed, and think they have done everything in regards to
>> EMF's.
>
Thanks for your questions.

> Thank You Kindly,
>
> Corwyn
>
>
> -- 
> Corwyn
> Kermit didn't know the half of it...
> http://www.greenfret.com/
> corwyn at greenfret.com
>