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View Full Version : Outlet box is hot


Oneill474
May 23, 2008, 02:52 AM
I accidental drop a wrench, it hit the electric outlet box and it sparked.
It seems the outside of the outlet box is energized.

Should this box be ground to something like a water pipe
If so, where do you run the wire too??

stanfortyman
May 23, 2008, 03:29 AM
NO, it should NOT be grounded to a "water pipe"! It should be bonded to the circuit ground.

stanfortyman
May 23, 2008, 03:30 AM
Besides, if it hit just the box it would NOT have sparked. It HAD to hit something else. You need TWO paths to form a circuit, even a short circuit.

Dwall174
May 23, 2008, 11:36 AM
NO, it should NOT be grounded to a "water pipe"! It should be bonded to the circuit ground.
Not intending to hijack a post here, but Stanfortyman could you explain a little more on this grounding/bonding issue on a related post.

This Post (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/electrical-lighting/grounding-outlet-219072.html) is the one related