Consultant calls for a better way to corral stray voltage

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Those following the Ontario Energy Board's efforts to tackle stray voltage say proposed amendments are a good start but don't go far enough. The Board closed its comment period on the amendments earlier this month but plans to release more for public comment in the near future.

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I have not read a whole lot about all the talk that has been going on about stray voltage. I do know that it has been and is a big problem. Now with the windmills operating in our area it has become worse. Besides problems in the barn we had light bulbs 'blowing' hours after they were installed and our neighbor had the radio making loud noises in the middle of the night.In the barn we have been having problems for years with sows not being pregnant, prolapses and weak piglets that die. Not one doctor could come up with a reason why. Early this summer it got a lot worse. That coincides with the start up of a lot of windmills in this area. Hydro One came to check for stray voltage but they said there was none. We called in an acquaintance who is an electrical engineer and has equipment worth $20,000 to test for stray voltage. He showed us on his meters just how bad it was here. We now have a filter on it and will see huge improvements over the next while. We are not alone. Many people have lost their whole farm because of stray voltage, lost production and livestock and some people have had to move out of their home and now live in a motel because of this problem. I know that Hydro One knows about it but will not do anything about it. An article in the Ontario Farm Paper of Dec. 16, 2008 addressed some of the issues but (I quote), "the Ontario Energy Board has decided to wash its hands on the remediation side of the problem." It also states that, "Hydro One has no formally certified personnel" to check for stray voltage. We as farmers have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because of this. When is it going to stop? When will those responsible be accountable? Corrie

Earth currents are the result of primary neutral current entering the earth at ground rods,well casings,farm bonded grounding systems ect.These current then make thier way back to the sub station from which they came from.The path they take may inclode your farm or residental lot . A simple test to detect earth currents is to place two rods 3 ft in the earth 250 ft apart .You will need a pice of wire 250 ft long. Connect one end of this wire to one of the rods .Connect a set of headphones to the remaining wire and rod. You can hear clearly the ac hum created by these currents in the earth .This test should be done in a south-north direction and in a east-west direction to determine the path of the current by a stronger signal. A

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