Wayne Whitney wrote:

On 2009-09-11, Pete C. wrote:

What are the benefits of living in a densely populated area?

Greater ease of finding people with similar interests,

The Internet takes care of that nicely without suffering the misery of
being stuck in a densely populated area.

greater cultural resources,

Not for any culture I wish to interact with.

less driving and more walking.

I live far from a densely populated area and I drive a pretty minimal
amount.


How does your neighbor's home wiring impact you?

I gave two examples: starting a fire or energizing my metallic water
pipes.

And both were failed examples of unsubstantiated paranoia.


Or if you have a metallic water distribution system, your
neighbor's electrical wiring can create an electricution hazard for
you when working on your water pipes.

Extraordinarily unlikely, since your water supply pipes are supposed
to be specifically grounded, and are further grounded if they are
metal pipes buried in the ground.

Actually it can and does happen every year.

Not the way you seem to think. Find me a citation for a case where a
person eas electrocuted by *their* water plumbing due to an electrical
fault in a *neighbor's* house.

At each electrical
service entrance the metallic water piping is used as a grounding
electrode and connected to the service neutral.

Metallic water piping has not been in common use as a ground for many
years, separate 8' ground rods and more recently two separate 8' ground
rods are used. The metallic plumbing is however normally bonded to the
electrical ground.

So at any electrical
service entrance, while most of current returns to the transformer on
the service neutral as intended, a good portion of it returns through
the metallic water piping system and other people's neutral service
conductors.

Absolutely false. Ground currents on a properly operating residential
electrical system may run a few tens of milliamps, while the neutral
current is tens of amps. A 1/1000th of the total return current does not
even come close to a "good portion".


Now if someone loses their own neutral service conductor, they may
never notice it as all the current can still return to the transformer
through the metallic water piping system. Then if you are working on
your water piping and disconnect the piping between the water service
lateral and the connection to the grounding electrode conductor, you
have a voltage between the two pieces of pipe. If you bridge that
gap, you can get shocked or electrocuted.

This is where you are not understanding the condition. If you bridge the
gap where a water meter is removed *in* the house with the bad neutral
connection on it's electrical service you can get electrocuted. This is
not the case if a neighbor has the bad neutral connection. This is also
why water meters are installed with bonding straps connecting the pipes
on either side.


Basically you're trying to push codes on others based on your own
unfounded insecurities. You worry about your home, and leave the
worrying about my home to me.

As long as your actions can affect me, in a functioning society we
need minimum standards of behavior.

And again, they don't. Only your unfounded paranoia is affecting you.


It's been a pleasant discussion.

Cheers, Wayne