Pool water recording a voltage of .5-1.8 VAC?

[JohnT]

Update

Although I have been told by many that this problem is a neutral grounding problem on the utility side, they have also said that by creating an equal potential grid around the pool, underneath and connecting the concrete, this should correct this issue.

That is only half correct. It probably is a grounding problem on the utility side, but fixing the bonding system will only correct the voltage you see in the pool. The utility still has a problem that needs correcting.

This is clearly a case of the utility having excessive earth to neutral voltage, and the fact that they pulled your meter and knew to remove your telephone and cable grounds tells you that they know that is the problem. That is the standard process to determine whether the stray current is a utility or homeowner problem. Keep after the utility. Call a main office if it is one of the larger ones. It is their problem and they should fix it.

On the other hand, your pool not being bonded properly is unfortunately your problem. Finding out it isn't bonded with a few volts is kind of like finding out your car doesn't have brakes while turning around in an open field. The lack of bonding could allow thousands of volts to exist between your ladder and pool if a major utility accident or failure occurs, so you need to get the bonding taken care of.

 

[TomBorg]

Just recently, I called the utility to again disconnect my home from the transformer. During this incident, there was no change in the voltage of the water until I disconnected the cable and telephone ground from my homes grounding rode. As I disconnected the telephone ground the voltage decreased in half, when I disconnected the cable it went away entirely. I then had the utility reconnect my home without the cable and telephone and the voltage came back slightly. As I connected the cable it increased and when I connected the telephone ground it doubled. I then put the cable and telephone on its own ground but it had no change to the voltage readings. I do measure about 1.5 volts coming off each of my homes electrical, cable, and telephone grounds. The voltage measured off the electrical ground rod is higher when the cable and telephone is connected to the electrical ground.

This concerns me. Have you measured the current flowing to ground from your cable and telephone grounding wires?

If the problem mostly vanishes when your cable and telephone are disconnected, then the source of the problem could be a neighbor's house. (Or perhaps your cable and telephone utility boxes are right next to the neighborhood's electrical transformer, and that transformer has insufficient ground?) You might want to call the cable co and have them measure the AC current flowing to your and your neighbors' homes from the cable utility box. If the problem is coming from a neighbor's house, they'll be able to tell which one just by the amount of current on that cable. (Remind them that they'll need to bring a Clamp Meter, which probably isn't in the cable technician's usual test kit (but should be).

But there's still a bonding failure at your pool, which needs to be fixed no matter what the source of the electrical current turns out to be. The ladder test convinced me. Good work!

 

[JohnT]

This concerns me. Have you measured the current flowing to ground from your cable and telephone grounding wires?

If the problem mostly vanishes when your cable and telephone are disconnected, then the source of the problem could be a neighbor's house. (Or perhaps your cable and telephone utility boxes are right next to the neighborhood's electrical transformer, and that transformer has insufficient ground?) You might want to call the cable co and have them measure the AC current flowing to your and your neighbors' homes from the cable utility box. If the problem is coming from a neighbor's house, they'll be able to tell which one just by the amount of current on that cable. (Remind them that they'll need to bring a Clamp Meter, which probably isn't in the cable technician's usual test kit (but should be).

But there's still a bonding failure at your pool, which needs to be fixed no matter what the source of the electrical current turns out to be. The ladder test convinced me. Good work!

The reason the cable and phone connections affect it is usually because they provide a connection for the power company primary neutral to get back into the grounding system.

 

[jfromtn]

Any idea what this happened to this