What's the Deal with Electrical Ground?

The concept of electrical ground can be confusing for many people. Electrical ground is not magic or particularly "special". We dive in to take a closer look and discover the practical reality of the situation.
Reference: DC Electrical Circuit Analysis, Chapters 2 and 3.
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[@mitchellrosen1890]

Excellent, as usual. Thank you!

[@delusionwalker8852]

I finally get it. THANK YOU.

[@commandertim575]

Interesting video, thank you. Speaking of ground. I recently found that the power lines between me and my neighbor's property is measuring over 1000 volts per meter (EMF meter) near the roof of my second story. In measuring the downstairs wall closest to the powerline from left to right (parallel to powerlines), I am getting between the 300's to 400's volts per meter except in an area where I have a galvanized fence that runs perpendicular to the outside wall. This area inside the house where the wall is adjacent to the fence is reading zero 0. This galvanized steel fence is held in place with 6 steel posts that go down about 16 - 20 inches in the ground/earth. It seems that the fence may be drawing/grounding the current and that is why the reading is zero in that one spot. Does this seem likely to be the explanation of why this is the only area on this wall that reads zero? If this is the case, I am thinking of building a similar fence under the power lines to possibly reduce the amount of voltage in my house. Any info is appreciated, thank you.

[@ElectronicswithProfessorFiore]

How close are these power lines and are they typical residential lines or very long distance (i.e., high voltage) lines? Not knowing the actual layout, I imagine that a metal fence could be providing electromagnetic shielding (like a Faraday cage).

[@commandertim575]

Thank you very much for your response. The lines are long distance high voltage lines. They run between my neighbor and I, over the property line. The property line is about 40-50 feet away from my southern house wall. The lines are high above the air and I don't know the distance. In one area of the subdivision. I measured 1450 volts per meter where the lines dip a little lower towards the ground. I was holding the meter about 7 feet off the ground. The higher I hold up the meter the higher the reading is of course. I have read many negative things about living near powerlines. If I can put up a fence underneath and draw the power away, that would be worth the expense and work. Thanks again.

[@ElectronicswithProfessorFiore]

@@commandertim575 Regarding the potential need and effectiveness of that, I would defer to an expert in that area (not my area of expertise). I will say that I am surprised that your municipality allowed a housing development just 50 feet away from long distance lines, purely on safety grounds.

[@commandertim575]

@ElectronicswithProfessorFiore Thank you. I have talked to some people regarding this matter and most would say there is nothing bad about living near powerlines. They are high up and shouldn't effect you. I talked with a holistic practitioner and she says our health is in great danger and to move away. Sufficient studies seem to be lacking except for older studies with children developing Leukemia. I think I will try putting up the fence and see if the readings drop. Thank you for your time and consideration.

[@ElectronicswithProfessorFiore]

@@commandertim575 To be clear here, my concern is less about the effect of the electrical fields on you (and I wouldn't put a lot of trust in a "holistic practitioner") and more about being so close to high voltage lines that could be damaged in a storm. Also, it should be noted that the power line frequency is ELF (extremely low frequency) and therefore is classified as non-ionizing radiation. I am not aware of any mechanism whereby non-ionizing radiation can damage DNA and cause cancer (unlike, say, x-rays, which are a form of ionizing radiation). To be fair though, I am not an epidemiologist either, just an electrical engineer. I did a quick search on cancer and EMF exposure. I found a nice link which summarizes a bunch of related items on the topic from The National Cancer Institute. Have a look: www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/electromagnetic-fields-fact-sheet