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sw1rmd85 · May 7, 2007, 05:41 PM

This is an odd problem obviously, but whenever I take a shower, or someone in my family, we get shocked when turning off the water -- not a severe shock, but unpleasant nonetheless. The shocking occurs whenever we touch any of the metal around the tub (faucet, knobs, etc.) and when we touch the caulking in the corner of our wall (we have wire mesh in our wall). Initially I thought the current was a wire grazing the mesh or something; however, sometimes you can feel the current outside of the tub when standing on a wet floor, touching the running water and the metal of the faucet. So, now my guess is it's a wire or something hitting our water pipe. I've checked the piping and found nothing. Also, the current isn't always present. Sometimes we can touch the metal while taking a shower and the current is absent. I've tried to pay attention to see if certain lights were on or something during those times, but no luck.

Any suggestions on how I can figure out where the current if coming from other than hiring an electrician which of course of most logical but we're broke? :rolleyes:

... I'm not sure where to post this so I'm going to post it here and electrical.

strangeone · May 7, 2007, 05:52 PM

I doubt the current is flowing through the water pipes. Water pipes are used through the house as grounding point for things like the telephone. Pipes are all connected and provide a grounding to the grounds. Also, since you only feel the shock in the shower then the current is localized. If it was in the pipes you would feel the shock in all locations that connect to the pipes. The source could be numerous issues, a nail could have penetrated a wire, making a connecting between the nail, wire mesh for the plaster touching the tub. You may not desire to hear this, but you may need to remove plaster and wire mesh to locate the problem. You can then hang dry wall to cover the walls.

BigRed1500 · May 8, 2007, 09:48 AM

Pipes are sometimes used as your main electrical ground. If you feel even the slightest shock or charge in your water or around your bathroom, you should be concerned. This could indicate that you have stray current finding its way in somewhere. If you don't know enough about your electrical or plumbing systems, you should have a pro electrician in to inspect it for you. This is not something to take lightly - you don't want your kid getting fried when they're taking a shower, do you?
Do some searching on the web for what stray current can do. There have been several instances in recent years in cities such as NY and Boston where dogs have gotten electrocuted when they lifted their legs - because there was stray current flowing into light posts, hydrants, etc. Bad news...

ballengerb1 · May 8, 2007, 10:42 AM

I would suspect that a previous "electrician" used the ground wire instead of the neutral in some circuit. You will only get shocked when that circuit is being use. I ran into this same situation recently with a home owner installed dish washer. BigRed is correct, don't take this lightly. Your shock isn't knocking you to the floor because it likes a different path better than your body. You could become the path of least resistance and get killed so call a pro who likes being the detective. If you fell you have good electrical skills write back and we'll help you find the problem. In the meantime, totally stop using that shower, period.

tkrussell · May 8, 2007, 03:25 PM

All very good answers.

This is so serious that if the shower is needed, best to kill the main breaker.

Whatever the reason, I am sure it is only getting worse, mechanical problems never fix themselves.

I understand the money issue, but unless you have decent electrical skills, this is a difficult problem to solve ,and may need a pro to locate and correct.

sw1rmd85 · May 10, 2007, 11:54 AM

I do know someone who definitely could help me out; he's busy though. So, is there anyway I could at least narrow down where it's coming from? I did notice something today after messing around with the water: the electricity seems only present when the water is running. I was standing on a wet bathroom rug, running my hand through the water of both the sink and the tub's faucets and was getting shocked. I then touched the metal fixtures themselves (the faucet, knobs) and still was getting shocked. Finally I turned the water off and the shock was gone when I touched the metal. So it seems the current is from the water and not the metal in the bathroom. Could there be a stray wire or a grounding problem on the water pipe somewhere?

BigRed1500 · May 10, 2007, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by sw1rmd85

I do know someone who definitly could help me out; he's busy though. So, is there anyway i could at least narrow down where it's coming from? I did notice something today after messing around with the water: the electricity seems only present when the water is running. I was standing on a wet bathroom rug, running my hand through the water of both the sink and the tub's faucets and was getting shocked. I then touched the metal fixtures themselves (the faucet, knobs) and still was getting shocked. Finally i turned the water off and the shock was gone when I touched the metal. So it seems the current is from the water and not the metal in the bathroom. Could there be a stray wire or a grounding problem on the water pipe somewhere?

Wow - you're method of troubleshooting is pretty far out there. Are you trying to electrocute yourself? Get an electrician out there STAT - or have 911 ready on your phone for when the next person uses that shower as you've been advised not to, and they get a nice jolt.

labman · May 10, 2007, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by sw1rmd85

the electricity seems only present when the water is running. So it seems the current is from the water and not the metal in the bathroom.

Originally Posted by tkrussell

This is so serious that if the shower is needed, best to kill the main breaker.

Note, this guy really knows what he is talking about.

Try it that way. If you still have the shock, consider the possibility of water running in the pipes somehow generating static electricity. If the shock goes away, look at any pump or electric tankless heater you have. You could also keep flipping breakers on and off until you find the problem one.

Originally Posted by tkrussell

Whatever the reason, I am sure it is only getting worse, mechanical problems never fix themselves.

What I have found is that now and then they do. Only to return at the worst possible time. I never relax when a problem goes away. Just yesterday at church, the common wire on the control voltage of the handilift decided to come loose after some people used it to get down to the basement. It is always working fine when the professional inspector comes.

pelle · May 10, 2007, 02:09 PM

Call your local electric utility and ask them if they can send a rep. They usually can isloate the problem and at least turn the breaker off or isolate the circuit causing the problem.. This is a bad situation needs to be addressed sooner than latter..

sw1rmd85 · May 10, 2007, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by BigRed1500

Wow - you're method of troubleshooting is pretty far out there. Are you trying to electrocute yourself? Get an electrician out there STAT - or have 911 ready on your phone for when the next person uses that shower as you've been advised not to, and they get a nice jolt.

Lol. I wouldn't exactly consider what I was doing as trouble shooting. I was just getting ready in the morning and needed to use the sink. The rug was wet and I noticed the shock; it's not like some shock where my hair is standing up. It is more of a tiny sensation.

And it is not my call whether I call an electrician. I'm in college and have to deal with the problem because my parents won't call an electrician; my dad just went out of work for disability, so we're broke.

So I'm trying to pinpoint the problem the best I can. If I can do something, that's better than nothing. I do know someone who can do anything electrical, but like I said he's busy. Therefore, I'm trying to find out what the deal is, so I can call him and have him wire/do whatever.

Nonetheless, I'm going to try and turn off the power and turn on each breaker room by room and see when the current comes back.

Thanks for the suggestions/replies...

Stratmando · May 11, 2007, 06:29 AM

Shock while water running , Would suspect Tankless water heater.
With Meter, put one lead to ground and one to faucet, turn breakers off one by one.
That circuit is likely culprit.
Have seen a phone wire pinched on tub, producing shock.
Although getting shocked at shower may be because of the bare feet.
You may wear tennis shoes and not notice problem elsewhere.

One time I was in attic an saw 1/2 inch emt separated, Dangerous, because of old days,
You used conduit for ground, and with conduit separated, it won't trip breaker, if shorted.
One conduit would be ground and one live. I was getting shocked from pipe.
Turned out, I was getting shocked off AC duct work. All duct work was live.
Going through breakers, I noticed with Tic Tracer, when I turn off AC, Voltage on AC
Registers are not live, opening AC unit revealed Shorted Heat Strip.
Good Luck.

ballengerb1 · May 11, 2007, 07:37 AM

The only other issue we have not addressed is the grounding of your plumbing. Water pipes eventually go outisde and reach ground but a 10' driven ground rod near the panel would be a good idea. Some water meters and PVC piping cause the ground to not make a good circuit. Quit standing on a wet rug with your hands in the water TK was not kidding about this being serious. If this was static electricity you would get a quick zap and the it would be over. You are describing 110 vac off the neutral or a ground tha's improperly connected.