Voltage drop and power loss

[IanH]

Here is a situation that I have encountered and could use some help with.

I found my garage had a 2.5 volt drop (120v, 40 amp) from the main house. I found a cut wire (white ) that was leaking to ground. When the wire was taped the the voltage equalized to 120v at house and at garage. Could this account for a BIG increase in my power bill?

If so, any idea how much? Your help would be appreciated.

-=Ian=-

[admin]

No. It will not cause a BIG electricity bill bcz leakage current is generally very small(it is not a short circuit).

[dsnanoskar]

Voltage
drop may be neglected when the impedance of the interconnecting conductors is
small relative to the other components of the circuit. For example, an electric
space heater may very well have a resistance of ten ohms, and the wires which supply it may have a resistance of
0.2 ohms, about 2% of the total circuit resistance. This means that 2% of the
supplied voltage is actually being lost by the wire itself. Excessive voltage
drop will result in unsatisfactory operation of electrical equipment, and
represents energy wasted in the wiring system. Voltage drop can also cause
damage to electrical motors.

[Author]

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