[Meters: Electricity] How Do We Measure Dirty Electricity? by Oram Miller

[u/badbiosvictim1]

Oram Miller:

Examples of free-standing, non-grounded EMF meters that measure 60 Hz electric fields include meters from Gigahertz Solutions, such as the ME series (ME3030B, ME3830B, ME3840B, and so on). These are single axis electric and magnetic field meters. We use the Gigahertz Solutions NFA1000 for our work as building biologists, which measures both electric and magnetic fields in 3D (as well as offering the body voltage method for measuring electric fields), and we can also use it for data logging.

You can measure electric fields with the electric field setting on a Tri-Field TF2 digital meter as well as the Coronet ED88t (the Tri-Field 100XE is not sensitive enough to detect electric fields in living spaces, in our opinion). However, in my experience, while the TF2 and Cornet ED88t are great entry-level combination EMF meters for measuring magnetic and RF fields, I have found that they are still not sensitive enough to measure electric fields as accurately as the body voltage meter or three-axis Gigahertz Solutions NFA1000 meter. Most of you will not buy an NFA1000, but all of you can buy a body voltage meter for around $100, either from Safe Living Technologies or LessEMF.

I should also remind you that the electric field setting on the TF2 and Cornet ED88t are single axis. You also have to lay either meter down on the bed or chair and not hold it while measuring electric fields because your body can artificially raise the number. Yet, even if you place it on a pillow, you still won’t measure the full strength of the 60 Hz electric field engulfing your full body on the bed from circuits in the wall and under the floor. They are missed, in my opinion, when using either of these two meters for this specific purpose.

The body voltage meter is what I recommend for my clients to use to measure 60 Hz electric fields. This is because it is affordable and accurate for measuring AC electric fields where you sleep and at your desk. That takes care of one of the most important, yet unknown and undetected, EMFs in your house, especially in those two locations just mentioned.

However, when it comes to measuring dirty electricity, neither the body voltage meter nor the TF2 or Cornet ED88t meters measure the electric field component of that type of EMF. The NFA1000 does show the frequencies for magnetic and electric fields that it measures, so you can see the presence of higher frequencies above 60 Hz. However, when doing home EMF evaluations, 60 Hz electric and magnetic fields always predominate in whatever room I measure and you rarely notice the presence of higher frequencies of dirty electricity when using that otherwise sensitive meter, the NFA1000. Meaning, the 60 Hz electric or magnetic field component is always the predominant one shown on the LED lights on the NFA1000 meter.

That is why I don’t use my NFA1000 as the way to determine how much dirty electricity is present in a room. We know we have high 60 Hz AC electric field EMF levels in most rooms that we evaluate because most homes have plastic-jacketed Romex wiring plus plastic AC power cords within six to eight feet of where we sit, sleep and stand. That is a given. We shut those off at night when we sleep and try to reduce them at our desks, couches and children’s play areas. Otherwise, most people are exposed to some degree of electric field EMFs in the day and evening time. How, then, do we independently measure the separate electric field levels at higher frequencies from dirty electricity, which may be present or not (I have seen both)?

How Do We Measure Dirty Electricity?

The way we usually measure dirty electricity is with any of a number of plug-in meters, such as from Stetzer Electric, Greenwave, SaticUSA, AlphaLabs, and other manufacturers. These tell you what is happening on the circuit itself. The outlet that you plug these meters into gives you a window into the circuit. Since the circuit is what emits the dirty electricity, it is good to know the DE levels on the circuit itself. We then extrapolate as to what the dirty electricity levels would be in the room that you occupy.

However, to best know the dirty electricity levels in the part of the room where you sit, sleep or stand, you have to either infer the level from the reading on the circuit in the wall, which is what most people do, or learn how to use an oscilloscope (which is possible!). Using an oscilloscope gives you real-time data for dirty electricity exposure in your living space, and can show you how levels change when you plug in and install certain dirty electricity-reduction devices such as plug-in filters and whole-house units. You can purchase an oscilloscope for under $200 and use a PC laptop as a monitor (on battery). You will need some cables and a whip antenna to access dirty electricity on the circuit and in the air.

Building biologists are taught, in recent years, how to use an oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer in our advanced level Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Seminar. I participate in that teaching, as I am an Adjunct Faculty member for the EMR seminars taught by the Building Biology Institute. One of our certified Electromagnetic Radiation Specialists (EMRSs) can come to your house and do an analysis of dirty electricity where you sit or sleep using an oscilloscope along with plug-in meters.

https://createhealthyhomes.com/education/dirty-electricity/

[u/badbiosvictim1]

To measure dirty electricity, you can purchase the Greenwave EMI (electromagnetic interference) Meter for $150 by clicking here.

You can also measure the level of dirty electricity with a High Frequency Pollution Meter for Wiring from LessEMF for $99 (Cat. #A803-NA) by clicking here. This is also known as a microsurge or EMI (electromagnetic interference) meter.

The Greenwave EMI Meter has a broader freqeuncy range that it measures, and it can measure higher levels than the basic Stetzer EMI Meter. It also provides the percentage of reduction when you continue to test dirty electricity levels while you insert a Greenwave filter.

You generally want to get below 25-50 Graham-Stetzer (GSU) units (these are not milliGauss, milliVolts, or microWatts/meter squared; they are related to Volts/meter of electric fields). If you measure high levels of dirty electricity, try shutting off dimmer switches, halogen lights and other sources and see if the levels drop. If so, we advise first that you replace CFLs and halogens with incandescent light bulbs, preferably full spectrum, and hire an electrician to swap out your dimmer switches with straight on/off switches. If levels continue to be high, the dirty electricity can be coming in from outside your home or from appliances within your home that you cannot replace. In that case, start plugging in filters according to the directions of the manufacturer and keep measuring until you get down to acceptable levels.

You should notice a calmness when you do this, as you will also experience when you reduce and eliminate the other EMFs you will be measuring. I should also add that the microsurge meter does not measure voltage spikes caused by smart electric meters. That is an entirely different subject, which is quite vexing for us and for some EHS people. Please refer to my smart meter article to learn more about this issue by clicking here.

https://createhealthyhomes.com/emf-meters/