PF4 User Manual v1.01 - November 2012.pub
Contents
1. The reading should not increase If it does remedial work is needed Read our House Wiring and EMF booklet If the background magnetic fields are higher than normal say above 0 05 uT throughout the property when the power is off and the field outside increases towards the road then unless you have a high voltage powerline nearby there is likely to be a fault in the local underground electricity distribution network supplying electricity to houses from the local substation 2 Turn on the power Plug in and switch on a significant load e g a kettle or fan heater in the lounge The reading in the centre of the room should not increase by more than 0 02 microtesla 3 repeat 2 with the appliance plugged in to a socket in each room in turn Measure the magnetic field level especially on beds holding the meter just above the pillow 4 You may have lights with two way switching such as those found at the top or bottom of stairs in the lounge or for the main bedroom light Turn on the light first with one switch and then with the other The magnetic field levels in the room should not increase If during the test in 2 to 4 any of the above show significantly increased magnetic fields your wiring is almost certainly faulty High magnetic fields can be found close to electric appliances especially those having a motor and or heater e g a hairdryer The electromagnetic field levels from electric appliances close to a pillow shoul2. first made by us in the early 1990s It is an instrument that accurately measures the overall level of the electric and magnetic fields at frequencies created by power lines substations and underground cables as well as house wiring and electrical appliances The meter can be switched to display either the electric field or the magnetic field It also has a sounder which produces a pitch which rises as the field levels rise The meter does not measure DC fields e g the earth s magnetic field Exposure to electromagnetic fields has been associated with adverse health effects including cancers depression dementia amp miscarriages Our meter reads magnetic flux fields in microtesla uT The table below shoes some comparisons with other units nanotesla and milligauss Generally believed to be safe We recommend below 0 10 uT in your sleeping areas UK average is 0 04 uT Pregnant women should avoid exposures over 0 15 uT Fields close to some electrical appliances including electric cookers washing machines and microwave ovens can exceed this level Disruption of the production of melatonin has been found for night exposures above 0 25 uT and sometimes even lower Melatonin is a very important hormone regulating the body s self repair mechanisms and mood control Less that 2 of UK homes are thought to have background EMFs above this level A doubling in incidence of childhood cancers has been repeatedly shown at lev
3. it on one axis until you find the maximum reading and then do the same for the other axes The highest steady reading most accurately reflects the actual field strength To measure Electric Fields set the readings switch to Electric Ensure you are holding the meter as directed as this can significantly affect the readings The electric field sensor is inside the top edge of the instrument Move the meter to the desired area and hold it still for several seconds so it can settle Electric field readings should be taken at least 25 cm from walls or other large surfaces The meter is calibrated to read electric fields accurately when it is being held The electric field readings will be inaccurate when the meter is put down on a surface and not held in your hand Page 5 More about magnetic fields Checking your property We recommend that you check the magnetic fields with 1 everything switched off preferably at the consumer unit fuse box You can now determine the background level from external sources Unless this is due to a stray current it is unlikely that you will be able to reduce this Measure it at a peak time usually 5 00 7 00 pm in residential areas Usually stray current comes into the house on your water or gas pipes and returns out through the electricity earth Check for this by measuring the field near to these pipes where they enter the house line up the side of the meter alongside the pipe
4. needs no special maintenance from the user Unscrewing the case will void the guarantee This instrument is sensitive to heat and impact Exposing the instrument to high temperatures or dropping the instrument may cause it to stop functioning properly It may not display properly below freezing 0 C Page 2 Guarantee The EMFields ELF meter comes with a 2 year return to base Manufacturer s Guarantee Please contact us for arrangement details It is guaranteed to be free of manufacturing defects but not against wear or damage from use Disposal The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment WEEE Directive requires that old and unwanted electronic equipment must be disposed of using appropriate recycling and not placed with your normal domestic waste When you no longer require your ELF meter you can return it to us for recycling Your postage will be refunded Most UK local waste recycling centres also provide free collection points for electronic waste Disclaimer While EMFields considers that the information and opinions given here are sound you must rely upon your own skill and judgement when interpreting or making use of the information contained in this manual Contact EMFIELDS 2 Tower Road Sutton Ely Cambs CB6 2QA Tel 01353 778814 Email info emfields org http www emfields or Version 1 Issued 20121123 Page 11 Technical Specifications Single axis magnetic field meter using an 80 mm diamet
5. Page 12 lt back page gt EMFields ELF meter EMFiew s ELF Meter valts per metre Electric fields 0 1999 Vim Magnetic fields 0 19 99 uT ricrotesas Extremely Low Frequency Electric amp Magnetic Field Meter Model PF4 Frequency Response 10 Hz 2000 Hz 306 Power Frequency Meter PF4 User Manual Table of Contents Safety lINSErUCHIONS isecieeds tua cedideeteeed tirisan HIM THO GUCUOM siririna EA Operation ANd USE cic eeeceeee eee eeee eee eaeat seen eens More about Electric fieldS ccccccee cee eeeseeeeeee eens 2 3 4 More about Magnetic fields ccccceee cesses eee enees 6 7 Exposure guidance levels secsec sereen rrenen 8 9 Troubleshooting ccceeeeee eee eee eeee eens eee ened Technical Specifications cecccceee scene ects errereen 10 Guarantee disposal and disclaimer cceeeene ees 11 Safety Instructions Please read through these instructions carefully before operating the instrument It contains important information regarding usage safety and maintenance The instrument is not waterproof and should not come into direct contact with water nor should it be used outdoors in the rain If it is raining and you want to take measurements outside please cover the instrument in a plastic bag that does not have holes in it Clean the case using a damp cloth and do not use detergents This instrument is not intended to be serviced by the user and it
6. d be measured very carefully and the appliance moved if necessary Electric blankets whether under or over blankets should not be left switched on when you are in bed It is also worthwhile measuring the fields from storage radiators and meter cupboards note that magnetic fields go through walls Page 6 More about electric fields Whilst identifying sources of high electric fields can be difficult there are some general rules of thumb you can follow to narrow down the possibilities Inside a building electric fields will be due to the building wiring as electric fields generated outside are normally stopped by the building s wall materials Electric field readings near radiators particularly upstairs may show as being unusually high This is usually not a problem with your plumbing radiators It is instead because your body is acting as a conductor between the 230v wiring under the floor for the downstairs lights and the earthed radiator To measure the fields as they are naturally stand on something insulated such as a plastic sheet box or stool Electric field measurements when on the bed area should be obtained holding the meter while lying on the bed The electric field level often rises towards the ceiling mainly due to the fields from light fittings and lighting circuit wiring Some common wiring styles used for lighting circuits produce high fields near the ceiling and light switches Electric fields can be reduce
7. d by re wiring using screened cable If this is not practicable a demand switch can be fitted This disconnects the circuit wiring from the mains electricity when nothing is switched on It can particularly help to reduce electric fields during the night It becomes ineffective as soon as something is switched on In most domestic sitting and sleeping areas it is usually possible to keep electric fields below 15 volts per metre V m ideally below 5 V m and in houses with wiring in good condition it is unusual to find levels above 50 V m more than 50 cm away from electrical switches sockets lights and appliances Our article House Wiring and EMFs freely downloadable from our website www emfields org contains much practical information Page 7
8. els above 0 4 uT and by some research above 0 3 uT In our opinion 0 4 uT is too high for long term health safety in the home and it should be considered to be the maximum reasonable background level in the workplace Page 3 Operation Troubleshooting 1 Ensure that it has an appropriate battery fitted The battery com Possible Solutions partment is at the back of the ELF meter 1x 9V PP3 1604 Alkaline or Rechargeable battery The ELF meter isn t showing e Check power switch is in the on position any reading Check the battery is correctly inserted 2 Move the power switch into the On position The LCD display e The battery may be flat Try changing it should display a reading and the sounder should be ticking buzzing T Low battery is marked e The battery is low and needs replacing 3 Ifa pointer rage in the top left corner of the LCD next to the text The nsrument isois s Some sources of EMES aie not constant ond Low Battery then the battery needs replacing or recharging varying readings when heldin will naturally rise and fall even if the instrument stays in the same place 4 Hold the meter away from your body using your thumb centrally ane ocara placed on the bottom front of the meter and at least two fingers behind the bottom back as can be seen in the picture below e Moving the instrument can give erroneously high and variable readings e Changing the distance to a wall or source wil
9. er sensor coil in the centre of the instrument Single direction electric field meter with sensor plate behind the top side of the case The meter is designed be held by the user and is calibrated to measure the electric field that your body would experience at that point It will significantly under read if just placed on a surface Typical detector frequency response 10 Hz 2 000 Hz cycles per second UK mains is 50 Hz The 3 dB points are about 10 Hz amp 2 kHz 6dB per octave roll off Typical magnetic field response Magnetic Field 0 19 99 microtesla uT equals 0 199 9 mG Resolution 0 01 uT Accuracy 2 0 01 uT typical 5 0 02 UT max Typical electric field response Electric Field 0 1999 volts per metre V m Resolution 1 volt per metre Accuracy 5 overall 3 digits at 50 60 Hz Power Draw 7 mA at 9 volts Power Source 1x 9 V PP3 alkaline or rechargeable battery Battery Life Typically 75 hours on a new alkaline battery Low battery detection is indicated on the LCD screen Size 190mm x 104mm x 33mm LxWxD Weight 258g excluding battery 305 g with battery Page 10 Introduction The EMFields Extremely Low Frequency meter Model PF4 is a simple to use professional quality instrument designed to enable you to take quick and accurate measurements of power frequency electric and magnetic fields in your environment It is the latest version of an established and well tested design
10. l significantly alter the electric field reading e Make sure you leave time for the reading to settle after moving the meter e For electric fields make sure you are holding The instrument is not picking the instrument correctly up signals very well or does not seem sensitive enough e For magnetic fields make sure you have fol lowed the instructions about rotating the instru ment about its axis e You may be in an environment with low EMFs Typical background levels in UK homes are 0 04 uT for magnetic fields and 10 15 V m for electric fields Depending on the circumstances some houses have even lower fields than this Inthe case of powerline magnetic fields the line may be temporarily closed down for repairs It may still give off an electric field reading The Electric Fields are high but e The two fields are not linked and one may be high whilst the other is low the Magnetic Fields are low have screened earthed my e Screening often creates large earthed areas walls and now I am getting which will attract electric fields towards them higher electric field readings and prevent the fields from going beyond Wherever possible you want the screening to be in between the source of fields and yourself However if you screen a wall upstairs it can attract the electric field from the wiring in the ceiling of the floor below This causes electric fields at floor level which travel up through your body and back towards
11. the earthed wall thus raising exposure Page 4 Page 9 Exposure guidance levels There are a number of general public maximum exposure standards for power frequency EMFs Most of them are based on the high ICNIRP guidance levels that are not set to prevent long term adverse health effects including cancer but only to prevent acute instant effects like electric shock and direct neurological effects Magnetic Electric Institute for bau biology and oncology SBM 2008 These set the strictest guidance OK up to 0 02 uT over 1 V m Slight concern 0 02 0 10 uT 1 5 V m Concern 0 10 0 50 uT 5 50 V m Extreme concern over 0 50 uT over 50 V m Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe 2011 Res 1815 The assembly acknowledged the potential harmful effects of chronic long term low level EMF exposure far below ICNIRP guidance and called on European countries to reduce exposure to as low as reasonably achievable on the ALARA principle Powerwatch Based on peer reviewed science reports you can freely download details from the Powerwatch library at www powerwatch org uk The incidence of child leukaemia doubles by 0 3 to 0 4 uT and the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen stops working normally at 1 uT OK up to 0 1 uT over 10 V m Slightly too high 0 1 0 25 uT 10 30 V m Reduce if possible 0 25 0 50 uT 30 50 V m Too high for the long term over 0 50 uT over 50 V m European Union countries based on I CNI RP 1998 General public guidance OK
12. up to 100 uT up to 5000 V m Netherlands Sweden Italy some regions Denmark amp Norway These countries give a variety of advice but are mostly based on a maximum exposure in homes nurseries and schools of less that 0 4 uT UK Health Protection Agency 2011 Extraordinarily the HPA has recently issued guidance levels set above the already high ICNIRP 1998 guidance The HPA say that it acceptable for long term exposure of 360 uT and 9000 V m Page 8 Magnetic fields come from our use of electricity Every time electrical power is used a current flows and that current produces a magnetic field You get them from powerlines overhead and underground and electricity substations You also get them from any electrical equipment you use Items with transformers or motors generate the highest magnetic fields especially close to the equipment appliance Magnetic fields are very difficult to shield and it is much better to reduce the amount that is being generated Electric fields are present all the time there is electricity on a wire or cable All sorts of nearby things affect the electric field people chairs items of furniture so it is impossible to estimate the levels and you need to measure them at the places people spend much time e g on beds favourite chairs etc To measure Magnetic Fields set the readings switch to Magnetic Holding the meter in the same place where you wish to know the exposure level slowly rotate
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