Business was slow, so a large Electrical Contracting Firm , lets call them “ ABC” decided to take on some residential work; a new work area for them. ABC specialized in street lighting, traffic signals and commercial buildings electric construction

     The contract was for whole house rewiring which included new electric meter service, ceiling florescent lighting; along with numerous dimmer switch installations for room lighting.

     ABC guaranteed their work and had an outstanding reputation and intended to keep that way by satisfying their customers. So, thy went back, and back numerous times to replace florescent fixture transformers and also replace dimmer switches. They could not fix the problem because they did not understand what was causing the difficulties.

     Of course, after months went by, the home owner did what they needed to do to get this touchy situation resolved; they filed a law suit.

     During the time that the law suit was preceding the home owner called The Edison Company and complained about the faulty electricity and circuits they were provided to the home. Edison came out and could not determine the exact problem. But, they did move the pole mounted transformer, about 80-feet further away from the subject residence.

     By the time I was brought onboard as Defense Expert Consultant; then Testifying Expert Witness for ABC, the problem went away. Yes, the florescent lights and the dimmer switches worked perfectly now!

Why, – Is All Now Working Perfectly?

     I remember this very well: one Saturday I was reading several deposition transcripts regarding this case where it was described that Edison had moved the pole transformer to another location and the problems all went away.

     I asked my wife, Barbara, if she would wish to go on a little trip to another city tomorrow, Sunday. She agreed because we always enjoy traveling together and could have a nice lunch, also. I told her that I had yet contacted a site inspection and I need to go to the location and check out the neighborhood.

     I predicted, to Barbara, exactly what we would see; radio antennas very near the location of the home and that also, we would check with neighbors who undoubted are having electrical problems, as well.

     We traveled to the site and upon driving up the steep street I was getting worried until there was a break in the trees and I saw a huge water tank with several radio antennas mounted around the top. There is the problem right in front of us, I told Barbara. Then I went to several neighbors who lived next to the water tank and they told me that their lights dimmed up and down; also, when they turned off light switches, their lights go dim only and not off. Another neighbor said, “ You know that there is no water in the tank ”

This Expert's Electrical Evaluation

      In my teenage and early adult years I was an "Amateur Radio Operator," built equipment and talked all over the world. Also; I worked as a radio & telephone technician for the United States Forest Service and other electronic companies, as well .

      There is a phenomenon which can cause radio waves to stand on ground circuits (standing waves we call this in radio work; the empty water tank was acting as a resonate amplifier chamber and creating the electrical line fluctuations. The original aerial lengths of wire from the pole transformer and extending to and into the subject residence was acting as a tuned antenna which picked up the radio signals emanating from the water tank antennas and causing fluctuations on the electrical circuits .

     When Edison moved the pole transformer this disrupted the radio waves which were resonating on the electrical wiring and the corresponding grounding circuits. The changing of these circuit relationships canceled out the radio waves resulting in no more florescent transformer and/or dimmer switch defects and problems .