EMF meter shows high EMF H field in the wall

[John Connor]

Okay, I have no idea what this can be. I just bought an EMF meter that measures H fields and E fields and I have been measuring all kinds of things including the transformer that sits in the backyard. Well, I noticed that most electrical outlets register on the E field scale and not the H field scale which makes sense. But this area on the wall is parallel to a switch so it leaves me to believe it's wired to that junction. But there is a high H field instead of an E field which leads me to believe that there's an electrical appliance in the wall or some good forsaken badly wired pigtail, I don't know.

I'll do a video in a few and post here. Any ideas what this could be?

Oh! Being the paranoid person I am...LOL I put my cheap frequency counter there to see if I could measure any RF, but nothing showed up. I'll have to find batteries for my better Radio Shack model which measures lower frequencies and see if I get 60 Hz.

Video: https://youtu.be/1Mv14GpHXQk
(Correction: I said frequency counter when I meant EMF meter.)
https://youtu.be/1Mv14GpHXQk

 

[crashtech]

Doorbell transformer?

 

[John Connor]

Doorbell transformer?

Seems like it could be that, but I wired that up in the utility room and runs from there. Maybe, just maybe an old door bell transformer. The door bell is about 5 feet from this location. However, I don't get 60 Hz on the frequency counter and I know for sure transformers show up on this frequency counter.

Video added.

 

[Mr Evil]

Could be a bit of steel in the wall that has become magnetized.

 

[crashtech]

Make a hole and look inside!

 

[Xnaut]

Make a hole and look inside!

Yeah, I agree with CT, make a hole just big enough for your smartphone to fit in and then take a picture where you think the sensor is detecting it from.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

If you have a speaker with a big ass magnet, try it and see how bad thge pull is on it.
Might be a main support beam in the house?

 

[John Connor]

I ran my stud meter there and it seems to be against the stud.

I may take a peak. I have a mini (size of a quarter CCD camera) that I used with my Icom IC-R3, but I have since sold that so I'll have to feed the wireless signal to my portable TV I guess. Trouble is getting light in there without making a large hole I have to repair. But if it turns out to be an old transformer I may have to remove it. When I bought the house I went into the attic and there was a small roof ventilation fan and wasn't even running anymore, yet the power was still connected. I disconnected the power. Talk about a fire hazard! I'm surprised the home inspector didn't see that.

Why would it matter if it's a main support beam in the house? Are you saying that it could be metal? I do have a metal I-beam in the garage ceiling. Edit- Yeah, after rereading what you said, I think I have a good magnet to try.

 

[Rubycon]

I ran my stud meter there and it seems to be against the stud.

I may take a peak. I have a mini (size of a quarter CCD camera) that I used with my Icom IC-R3, but I have since sold that so I'll have to feed the wireless signal to my portable TV I guess. Trouble is getting light in there without making a large hole I have to repair. But if it turns out to be an old transformer I may have to remove it. When I bought the house I went into the attic and there was a small roof ventilation fan and wasn't even running anymore, yet the power was still connected. I disconnected the power. Talk about a fire hazard! I'm surprised the home inspector didn't see that.

Why would it matter if it's a main support beam in the house? Are you saying that it could be metal? I do have a metal I-beam in the garage ceiling. Edit- Yeah, after rereading what you said, I think I have a good magnet to try.

µT is microtesla not millitesla!

 

[John Connor]

I know. What I meant is that it goes to 1 which would be then a militesla, wouldn't?

 

[Rubycon]

I know. What I meant is that it goes to 1 which would be then a militesla, wouldn't?

1000µT = 1mT

1mT is pretty strong to just find in your wall unless someone has installed something unusual. But it looks like what you're picking up is far weaker.

Inspection cams are pretty cheap these days, you could bore a small sub centimeter hole and peek around inside.

 

[John Connor]

I'm going to take a peak soon. I have a small CCD camera that I can use.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Do not take any chances -- burn the house down! Do not let them into your house as they may steel your precious bodily fluids! :sneaky:


Brian

 

[John Connor]

After I just installed ionization/optical smoke detectors and placed fire extinguishers all over?!

 

[Born2bwire]

Your house mains create magnetic fields.

You say it's up against a stud, is that truly a stud or is it a conduit or copper water pipe? Small grounding issues can give your AC mains a return path along pipes in your house which will create a loop that you can pick up. Or even not a loop, a simple common mode current will create magnetic fields. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

 

[John Connor]

This wall is in the upstairs living room. I doubt there is a pip there. I'm betting an old transformer could in fact be there. Instead of the CCD camera I may try to buy an inspection camera, but I wanted to buy a i5 6600k so will see.

How be damned! http://www.ebay.com/itm/5m-6-LED-Wa...mera-Mirror-/281531217977?hash=item418c917839

Your house mains create magnetic fields.

If you watch the video you will see that the light switch generates an electric E field, but this is an H field. So it appears by my observations using this meter to be some kind of appliance. I found that my Dell monitor for my desktop puts out a crap load of H field EMF. Yet the other monitors I have don't. I have a mid 90's made TV and that too puts off a lot of H field. About 4 feet from the TV! Yet the LED flat screen TV doesn't show anything.

 

[Rubycon]

This wall is in the upstairs living room. I doubt there is a pip there. I'm betting an old transformer could in fact be there. Instead of the CCD camera I may try to buy an inspection camera, but I wanted to buy a i5 6600k so will see.

How be damned! http://www.ebay.com/itm/5m-6-LED-Wa...mera-Mirror-/281531217977?hash=item418c917839




If you watch the video you will see that the light switch generates an electric E field, but this is an H field. So it appears by my observations using this meter to be some kind of appliance. I found that my Dell monitor for my desktop puts out a crap load of H field EMF. Yet the other monitors I have don't. I have a mid 90's made TV and that too puts off a lot of H field. About 4 feet from the TV! Yet the LED flat screen TV doesn't show anything.

CCFL backlit displays use inverters that produce a lot of noise. LEDs are much cleaner. PWM supplies will still produce noise but since the voltage is much lower its amplitude is also lower.

Laser power supplies that were used in battery powered HeNe lasers, for example, produced quite a lot of EMF especially if a wire had breakdown and corona was produced. They also made good people shockers too!

 

[John Connor]

Speaking of lasers... I always wanted to make a burning pen laser out of my old DVD/RW drive. Be a great bug killer! LOL

 

[Born2bwire]

If you watch the video you will see that the light switch generates an electric E field, but this is an H field. So it appears by my observations using this meter to be some kind of appliance. I found that my Dell monitor for my desktop puts out a crap load of H field EMF. Yet the other monitors I have don't. I have a mid 90's made TV and that too puts off a lot of H field. About 4 feet from the TV! Yet the LED flat screen TV doesn't show anything.

Currents generate both electric and magnetic fields. The fact that you measure an E field in one location and an H field in another location does not mean that they are not created by the same mains current. A simple ground loop that is running down a pipe or conduit would do the trick.

CRTs have a flyback transformer.

 

[John Connor]

I ran conduit to the outside through the wall for an outside electrical outlet. I'll measure the conduit and see if there is an E field, H field or both.

Inspection camera is on the way from ebay. LOL

Edit- The conduit doesn't show an E field or H field. The romex next to it does show an E field. Must be because the conduit is grounded. Most electrical wiring in this old house isn't grounded, yet some is. Plus I have crappy AU wiring in most of the house. Freaking sucks!

 

[herm0016]

that's a fun find on ebay... let us know how it works!

 

[crashtech]

AU wiring? It must be worth a fortune!

 

[John Connor]

LMAO! Yeah, I'm a king of this pad you know! Had to gold plate everything down to the freaking wiring. LMAO!

AL!! Thought I may have had that wrong.

 

[crashtech]

I thought you meant aluminum, but then again you might have meant Australian, which would still be rather expensive.

 

[John Connor]

Well, the first two letters in Australia are AU because the sun sets in Australia and the sun is gold.

Heard that somewhere and there was more, but can't remember.