EMFBase
Glossary

Net current (wiring error)

When the current flowing out on a circuit does not return on the same cable, the imbalance radiates a magnetic field across the whole building.

measurement

Last verified 12 August 2026.

Category
measurement

Definition

In correctly wired circuits, line and neutral currents are equal and opposite within centimetres of each other, so their external magnetic fields cancel almost completely. Shared neutrals, crossed neutrals between circuits, and current returning through plumbing break that cancellation, producing elevated magnetic fields throughout a structure that do not fall off with distance from any identifiable appliance. It is an electrical fault, not an EMF problem, and it is corrected by an electrician.

Sources

  1. niehs-emf Electric and Magnetic Fields — National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. government, link checked 2026-08-12.
  2. sbm-2024 Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024) — Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN), 2024. ngo, link checked 2026-08-12.

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