DIYbanter - View Single Post - Induced voltage in circuir that is shut off????

(Doug Miller) writes:

In article LvYYd.215960$0u.189579@fed1read04, "SQLit" wrote:

"blueman" wrote in message
...
I was working last night on an electrical circuit that was shut off at
the breaker.

Nevertheless, the voltage from neutral to ground and from hot to
ground both measured about 30V. This was enough to cause my voltage
probe to buzz and to even cause a compact flourescent to light
dimly. The current across the circuit however measure just 0.7 mA.

Am I correct in assuming that this is probably just induced voltage
from neighboring wires that run alongside it or is there potentially
something more serious and sinister going on?

Thanks!

You fail to tell where you were working. If it was in your home then you
definitely have some wiring problems. Neutral grounded at than the service
comes to mind.

Nonsense. He's probably using a digital multimeter, which is exquisitely
sensitive to very low amperage induced currents. If he uses an analog
multimeter, the "problem" will very likely disappear. There is no reason to
suspect wiring problems of any sort unless these readings are seen with an
analog meter as well.

Yes, I am using a digital voltmeter and when I "short" the conductors
to ground the total currrent is just 0.75mA which was what made me
think induced current. However, this being electrical, I wanted to
check to make sure I wasn't missing something.