Daily Archives: 2-May-2016

Today, we use wires with excellent insulation and these moisture-induced corrosion arguments carry less weight. Back in the old days, however, telecom wiring had cloth-based insulation that would get wet – along with the copper wire. When you mix water and electric fields, you get electrochemical action (i.e. electroplating). While the early systems were configured with negative grounds (i.e. ground as the lowest potential in the system), it was soon discovered that these systems suffered from corrosion. Positive ground (i.e. ground is the highest potential in the system) voltages were found to be effective in combating this corrosion. Continue reading →