shock from outside faucet
jerry ranson
shock. The shock is constant as long as the water is turned on. If
there is no water running there's no shock. I drove a 3 foot section of
copper pipe into the ground near the faucet and grounded the faucet to
the rod with a clamp and wire but still receive the shock when the after
is running. Any suggestions as to what is causing this, and is there
any danger involved when I use the faucet? Thanks ahead for any advice.
Ben Franklin VI
Do you have carpet grass. I have heard that sometimes walking across carpet
will generate static electricity <G>.
Your problem is likely a grounded bushing on your transformer.
At the transformer pole the case of the transformer is "grounded" connected to
earth by a ground rod. There are two phase wires that feed your house A & B.
If either shorts to the case of the transformer. A current circulates from the
ground rod to all other grounds in the area.
If you have a voltmeter (borrow one and the owner too -- if you don't).
Check your shock voltage faucet to earth near the faucet. Get a fine wire, any
conductor will do. Tear up an old defective automotive ignition coil thousands
of feet of free wire here.
Check the voltage faucet to near the pole. Check to other spots in all areas
of your property. Higher voltages get you closer to the source of the problem.
The problem you mention was common in rural areas where the REC ran underground
primary with UN-insulated neutral on the outside of the high voltage cable.
If this is your case call the REC and complain. If they give you BS -- check
with your neighbors and contact the board members of the local REC. They WILL
fix it. The only question is how soon. If you have horses they may quit
drinking and die. Their are tricks to get by until the problem is fixed. REC
will know them. If not write me.
My dumb server has lost many of my messages in the last 2 days. Email me if
you do not get this <G>.
Not only my post but the original post disappears. Wonderful world of
electronics!
Ben.
>Subject: shock from outside faucet
>From: jerry ranson jay...@prodigy.net
>Date: 8/24/00 11:17 PM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: <39A5F34F...@prodigy.net>
Avarice and happiness never saw each other. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Poor Richard's
Almanack 1756
Saying and Doing, have quarrel'd and parted. ibid
The US and the UK -- two great nations divided by a common language. Ben VI
Michael Bruss
: Whenever I use the faucet on the outside of my house I receive a light
Do you have a well? It may be that there is a short in the pump or wiring
below the water line. BTW, your ground rod is much too short. Get a
regulation ground rod from an electrical supply place if you want to go that
route, but it would be much better to find the source of the current leak
and fix it.
Mike
Greenlight
ground (to ground an outlet) and over the years the metal path to ground has
decayed (due to the addition of plastic pipe or dielectric fittings)
breaking the electrical path to ground. Then it is possible that the device
using this ground path developed a ground fault and it is looking for an
earth ground. Some ground rods (especially in sandy soil) are worthless
unless kept wet. A 3 foot section in poor soil won't be much help either.
I have also seen some very unsafe situations where amateurs used the metal
pipe as a return path to ground (for the neutral) -- not a good idea.
Plumbers have actually received lethal shocks from disconnecting water pipe
that were conducting electricity to ground when they took apart the pipe and
were on the earth at the same time.
In other words many times the cold water metal pipe system throughout the
house is not grounded well nor bonded to the service panel although it
should be). Do you have copper pipe AND galvanized metal with dielectric
fittings? DO you have sections that have been replaced with plastic pipe?
Lastly, it is possible that a hot wire is touching the water pipe somewhere.
Put a voltmeter on the pipe where people are getting shocked and compare it
with a known neutral or ground (say from a 3 prong grounded extension cord
plugged into a grounded receptacle). If it shows 115 volts to ground, then,
you must fix this immediately as that would indicate that there exists a
potential lethal shock hazard present.
"jerry ranson" <jay...@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:39A5F34F...@prodigy.net...
Bill
house and see if you still get shocked by the faucet. (Or if you can
measure the voltage somehow which might be more safe.) If you do this,
let us know what happens....
Ben Franklin VI
Date: 8/28/00 7:59:26 AM Central Daylight Time
From: F8ANKLIN
To: jay...@prodigy.net
Jerry,
Thanks for your kind reply.
I should have mentioned the possibility of a shorted water heater, well pump,
humidifier, aquarium, gas stove with electric light or clock, garbage disposal,
medicine cabinet and any other device that could give electrical leakage from a
hot phase wire to your water pipe or to earth ground.
With the low voltage electric shock you are experiencing probably with wet
hands and light touch, voltages as low as 3 V can be sensed. When if you grasp
firmly as to turn the faucet on, nothing is felt. Thus the stray voltage may
be present at all times on your faucet and appear only to be present when the
water is running.
If your voltage checks verify that the voltage is only present when the water
is running. I would suspect a well pump that turns on when the faucet is
opened.
You could describe all of your equipment (listed above and other), that would
be helpful in the diagnosis of your shocking problem.
You asked "so knowledgeable in so many areas?" A flattering question. Answer,
living 66 years with a great interest in observing thing mechanical and
electrical.
I learned less and less about more and more until I knew nothing about
everything in my area of interest: Then I learned more and more about less and
less until I knew everything about nothing in my field of interest. <G>
Write any time,
Ben
In a message dated 8/25/00 9:04:04 PM Central Daylight Time,
jay...@prodigy.net writes:
<< Greeting Ben and thanks once again for taking the time and offering such a
comprehensive response to my problem. I'll check all the issues that you
stated
and let you know how I make out. In the mean time, can you please tell me how
you
became so knowledgeable in so many areas? Knowing you is definitely a
priceless
asset.
Thanks again-Jerry
> >Whenever I use the faucet on the outside of my house I receive a light
> >shock. The shock is constant as long as the water is turned on. If
> >there is no water running there's no shock. I drove a 3 foot section of
> >copper pipe into the ground near the faucet and grounded the faucet to
> >the rod with a clamp and wire but still receive the shock when the after
> >is running. Any suggestions as to what is causing this, and is there
> >any danger involved when I use the faucet? Thanks ahead for any advice.
> >
>
Sniper
ELECTRICAL ground. This means it must be tied to the ground
lug of the electric service. Hooking it up to a rod in the
ground won't work. This not the ELECTRICAL ground! You
should check the grounding on all the water pipes before
someone gets electrocuted! If you don't know how to do this
call an electrician. This a very unsafe condition.
Richard J Kinch
>> shock. The shock is constant as long as the water is turned on. If
>> there is no water running there's no shock.
Hmmm ... I suppose you're in shoes on dry ground, too?
vanhorn...@gmail.com
hub...@ccanoemail.ca
wrote:
> My girlfriends father and I were using the hose on the side of the house to clean stuff.
>Never happened before.
" Danger - Danger - Will Robinson. "
John T.
Stormin Mormon
> My girlfriends father and I were using the hose on the side of the house to clean stuff. We both felt an unusual jolt of electricity through the spicket handle when we used it? Never happened before.
>
at the same time. First, some appliance or
device has an electrical problem, and is
leaking power to ground (and someone grounded
it to the water pipe). Second, the water pipe
isn't properly grounded to the earth.
This will take a lot of troubleshooting to find
the faulty appliance. And also to properly
connect the grounds.
Might be time to call an electrician who has some
experience with this kind of thing. Good luck,
it sounds like a real challenge to find and fix.
-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
bob_villain
trader_4
> On 4/27/2016 10:16 AM, vanhorn...@gmail.com wrote:
> > My girlfriends father and I were using the hose on the side of the house to clean stuff. We both felt an unusual jolt of electricity through the spicket handle when we used it? Never happened before.
> >
>
> From here, it sounds like two things happening
> at the same time. First, some appliance or
> device has an electrical problem, and is
> leaking power to ground (and someone grounded
> it to the water pipe). Second, the water pipe
> isn't properly grounded to the earth.
>
earth ground. You're scenario of another problem too
certainly would put more potential there. Just having
a missing earth ground would put some potential there,
how much and if it's enough to feel a shock, IDK
> This will take a lot of troubleshooting to find
> the faulty appliance. And also to properly
> connect the grounds.
>
> Might be time to call an electrician who has some
> experience with this kind of thing. Good luck,
> it sounds like a real challenge to find and fix.
>
you're here asking, it's time for a pro for this as it
could be life threatening.
mike
of a voltmeter.
Oren
>Interesting that nobody reading this thread has ever heard
>of a voltmeter.
--
"Dumb is local...As soon as you go 15 miles away from your dumbness, you see how dumb you are." -- Sherrod Small
Stormin Mormon
>>> Might be time to call an electrician who has some
>>> experience with this kind of thing. Good luck,
>>> it sounds like a real challenge to find and fix.
>>>
>>
>>
> of a voltmeter.
faking emissions tests. So there!
We know what voltmeter is. Nyah,
nyah.
--
Stormin Mormon
> On Wed, 27 Apr 2016 10:50:27 -0700, mike <ham...@netzero.net> wrote:
>
>> Interesting that nobody reading this thread has ever heard
>> of a voltmeter.
>
> Who said that, did you miss the part about calling out an electrician?
>
a HO go working on live water pipe with
a VOM. As for me, I use one a couple times
a week to measure ohms, VAC, VDC, and some
times amps or farads.
--
Stormin Mormon
> of a voltmeter.
list, that's quite a wild (and mistaken)
thing to accuse.
--
Wade Garrett
> My girlfriends father and I were using the hose on the side of the house to clean stuff. We both felt an unusual jolt of electricity through the spicket handle when we used it? Never happened before.
>
persists.
--
Liberals don't want a government, they want a Mommy.
- @KelsowFarlander
trader_4
> On 4/27/2016 4:51 PM, Oren wrote:
> > On Wed, 27 Apr 2016 10:50:27 -0700, mike <ham...@netzero.net> wrote:
> >
> >> Interesting that nobody reading this thread has ever heard
> >> of a voltmeter.
> >
> > Who said that, did you miss the part about calling out an electrician?
> >
>
> I don't want the liability of suggesting
> a HO go working on live water pipe with
> a VOM.
Which is why I said if the OP is here asking this level of question
on this kind of problem, time to call a pro. They already know they
are definitely getting shocks from the water pipe.
Stormin Mormon
out the problem and write an after report.
From the writing, the OP does not have those
skills, and the OP is at risk of shock.
Charles Bishop
> On 4/27/2016 10:16 AM, vanhorn...@gmail.com wrote:
> > My girlfriends father and I were using the hose on the side of the house to
> > clean stuff. We both felt an unusual jolt of electricity through the
> > spicket handle when we used it? Never happened before.
> >
>
> From here, it sounds like two things happening
> at the same time. First, some appliance or
> device has an electrical problem, and is
> leaking power to ground (and someone grounded
> it to the water pipe). Second, the water pipe
> isn't properly grounded to the earth.
>
> This will take a lot of troubleshooting to find
> the faulty appliance. And also to properly
> connect the grounds.
Unplug half of the appliances, check for shock. Proceed from there by
either plugging in half of those, and checking or unplugging the other
half of the appliances?
> Might be time to call an electrician who has some
> experience with this kind of thing. Good luck,
> it sounds like a real challenge to find and fix.
charles