Here's Help For Solving Stray Voltage Problems

Here's Help for Solving Stray Voltage Problems FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 11-1-29 Livestock producers troubled by stray voltage problems may be able to solve them with "equipotential planes" so that all points the cow touches including stanchions, waterers, milk lines and floor ù are of the same voltage. Practical applications of equipotential planes (EP's) have been developed by engineers at the University of Wisconsin and researchers at Wisconsin Power & Light. EP's, now required in all new Wisconsin livestock containment buildings, can be adapted to existing dairy barns with milking parlors, stanchions or tie stalls. So far, EP's have been put in 20 Wisconsin dairy barns. The researchers note that EP's aren't the only answer for stray voltage problems, and that cause of the problems should always be determined. Installation in an existing stanchion or tie-stall barn involves cutting a ?-in. wide, 1-in. deep groove in the feed manger, and along the hoof areas both in the front and at the back of the stall. Number 4 bare copper wires are laid in the grooves, then covered with a fast-acting grout. The wires are connected to each other and bonded to the metal fixtures, including stanchions, waterers and milk lines. Both sides of the barn are connected together and the copper wire is also tied into the service panel ground. A barn can be modified in one day. Cost to retrofit a 40-stall barn is reportedly about $1,200. You can do most of the work yourself, except for the concrete grooving which requires a special machine. For a free booklet on EP's and their installation, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul Proctor; Wisconsin Power and Light, Attn: Agricultural Department; P.O. Box 192; Madison, Wis. 53701 (ph 608 252-4892).

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