TimR wrote:

That's with a radio shack digital multimeter, and they're notorious for
some phantom voltages, especially with me checking. So i thought about
coming down the ladder and getting out the Simpson. But it's a pain to
dig it out of the basement and untangle the leads and I had other chores
after this one.

Is the Radio Shack meter digital? They have a high input impedance compared
to the older Simpsons and put almost no load on the circuit. In theory, this
is a got thing, but can lead to the 'phantom' voltages.

The cheap lightup circuit testers are handy. If the lamp loghts, the voltage
os real.

btw, an aluminum ladder on a concrete floor isn't a reliable ground.