[Greenbuilding] EMF's

[Corwyn]

On May 23, 2007, at 07:51, Stephen Collette wrote:

> 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, thanks for you response.  However, I am still confused about 
some things.  My father is an electrical engineer, and I am a software 
engineer with an understanding of hardware, so the basics of electrical 
functions are not unknown to me.

>> 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.

The neutral and the ground are both connected to the grounding bar down 
at my fuse box.  How does connecting them (erroneously) up at the box 
create a current flow?

>>> 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.

I still don't see how a ground wire is a help (unless it is shielding 
on the cable).  When the light is off, there is a (varying) voltage on 
the hot wire, and no current flowing, thus the neutral is effectively a 
ground wire.  When the light is on, the current is flowing and a field 
is being generated and a ground wire (as arranged in most electrical 
cords) is only going act minimally as shielding.  Wrapping the ground 
all the way around the hot and neutral wire would reduce the field, of 
course.

>>
>> 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

The website isn't vary helpful.  It says "In the morning, when you 
awake and switch on the lights, the automatic switch senses a demand 
for electricity and automatically restores electricity to this circuit 
for normal operation."

Senses it how?  ESP?  A switch is just the connection of two wires.  
The only way I know to sense if two wires are connected is to put a 
voltage difference across then, and see if a current is induced.  They 
could of course be doing this with a lower voltage than house systems, 
but they don't mention that, and it wouldn't be getting rid of all EMFs 
just reducing them.  If they have discovered a new way, I would 
intrigued to find out.

Thank You Kindly,

Corwyn


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