1st off and don't take this wrong, do you understand how 3-way
switches work? Most folks don't and you mention below that they
always performed rather oddly. Insofar as the transformer, that
should merely be 110v in across the primary (*switchleg* and 110
system neutral to power it) and then the secondary providing power to
the low voltage lighting which is all effectively switched by your
110v 3 way switch system..

On Sun, 13 Aug 2006 04:13:11 +0100, Water-Lou
wrote:


Ghost Voltage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HELP! I just can't figure this out. I installed low voltage lighting
under my kitchen cabinets with 3-way switches. They always performed
rather oddly. I would turn them on and they would light after a brief
delay. I don't know why, maybe something with the transformer.
Well, the transformer finally failed and I bought a replacement. I
checked my wiring to try and find out why I was getting a delay and
found something quite bizarre. I isolated the 3-wire and ran voltage on
the black leg only. Well, my digital meter shows 57 volts on the red
leg. Yes, the red leg is attached to nothing. I suspected the hot legs
were touching each other and bleeding voltage through the insulation. I
rang them out and there is no bleed from red to black or vice-versa.
There is no short to ground. The ghost voltage also appears when I
energize the opposite leg. Is this some kind of EMF? Is it safe to
assume that the transformer remains energized at a low voltage even
when turned off? It can't be anything with using 3-way switching with a
transformer because I get the ghost voltage without the transformer
being connected. The 3 wire runs behind the stove. Maybe the heat from
the stove is melting the insulation enough to cause bleed, but the red
and black legs ring out ok. Does this make sense to anyone? Please
enlighten me, I am defeated.