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trifield.com

Dirty electricity originates from various sources, exists in multiple forms, and is known by several different names (e.g., Line Noise, Dirty Electricity, etc.), but all refer to the same phenomenon: electrical noise in frequencies other than the intended 120V 60Hz wave found on the AC power line.  The power coming out of an AC outlet is a 60Hz pure sine waveform (50Hz in some parts of the world). The electronics you plug into the wall are specifically designed to convert that power into a usable form, such as a 5V DC signal to charge your phone, a 20V DC signal for your laptop, or to leave it as 60Hz AC to directly drive a motor (like an HVAC unit) or a heating element (such as in an oven). As more devices are connected to a circuit, they introduce noise—typically related to power conversion—into the existing 60Hz AC waveform. This noise is a major source of dirty electricity. A clean AC signal from a power line produces a pure sine wave without artifacts, which looks like this: A dirty sine wave, however, might appear like this:   How does this happen? The most common source of dirty electricity in homes is Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS). When you plug in a cellphone charger, it takes the 120V 60Hz power from the wall and converts it to 5V DC. SMPS achieve this by constantly switching the input/output power relationship to rectify and step down the voltage. This means they do not draw power in a steady fashion but instead in tiny bursts. If you examine the output of an SMPS with an oscilloscope, the "clean 5V DC" may reveal noise introduced by the power supply itself: On the "wall" side of the power supply, this constant switching between minimal current draw and bursts of high current results in SMPS noise modulating on to the 60Hz 120V signal:   The more devices drawing power in this manner, the more "fuzzy" the 120V 60Hz waveform becomes, eventually resembling the "Dirty Sine Wave" image above. While SMPS are the most common sources of dirty electricity,