Large phantom loads from residential water supply systems [RE-wrenches]

[Ray Walters]

Hi Windy;

Like the other comments, I would suspect a ground fault of some sort
coupled with a wiring problem that is preventing the breaker from tripping.
I had a call last year for a balcony railing that was hot. Turns out the
load center had hot and nuetral backwards from the main feed. Once I
corrected that, the breaker on the faulty circuit popped immediately making
it easy to trace the ground fault. I measured almost 20 amps 120vac dumping
to ground 24 hr/ day for over 6 months.(the hot on nuetral however had
existed at that house for almost 10 years) 
The other time I've measured current to ground, it also turned out that hot
and nuetral were swapped somewhere. I disconnect AC, then use any handy
source of DC available to energize the lines. I just run around checking
polarity at a safer voltage to find the problem. It seems that using only
black cable then marking the ends after the pull through conduit is the
culprit. I bet a bunch of houses are wired wrong and people don't even know
it as long as the lights come on. 

The reason they noticed the current was strongest at the well was probably
because that was the best connection to ground.

Ray

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