shocking bath tub fixtures - literally

**jeremytl** · 08-29-2008, 04:06 PM

ok, when in the shower, you reach down and touch one of the fixtures, you get shocked. and i'm not talking about sliding your feet across the floor in winter and touching a doorknob shock, i mean your funny bone rattles in your arm kind of shock. if you are not touching the water and you just touch the fixture, you don't get it. you have to be touching both. I've been noticing it for weeks, if not longer but I currently have poison ivy and I took a "baking soda" bath. for the first time ever sitting in my bath tub i reached forward to turn off the water and i got it good. what could be causing this? my Dad thinks it is a faulty water heater element, sending a current across the pipes to the shower, tub.

**Redwood** · 08-29-2008, 04:28 PM

You need to call an electrician!
Like right now!
It is probably not a water heater element!
Properly grounded the voltage would not get past the water heater ground.

**Cass** · 08-30-2008, 05:47 AM

DO NOT!!!

DO NOT!!!

DO NOT!!!

use the shower or tub again till an electrician has found the problem.

hj · 08-30-2008, 07:19 AM

Do not use any plumbing until an electrician checks it out because it is unlikely that it only affects the bathtub. You just might not have hit the right combination to feel it elsewhere. Like the old man said, "the only time the GFCI trips is when my wife is in the bathtub and I give her the hair dryer."

**jeremytl** · 08-30-2008, 03:01 PM

My Dad happens to be an electrician in Charlotte. Yesterday evening I sent him a link to this thread and he read what we were experiencing in the bathtub. He showed up this morning with bells on and said "I know what it is". My Dad kicks a$$! Turns out, my 43 year old copper pipes had lost the proper ground over the years as the grounding rod clamp had rusted and broken open... and the electricity was trying to find a better ground through the cast iron drainpipes which are very well grounded, you might say, as they lead underground to the septic. It all made sense once he explained it to me in a way only Dad's can. We replaced the grounding rod clamp and then wired an additional ground wire from the tub drainpipe to the grounding rod. Turned power back on, cranked up water heater, let water run for 30 minutes and tested every fixture in the house with the voltmeter. Problem solved. Thanks Dad!

I think I need a shower

**Chris75** · 08-30-2008, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by jeremytl

My Dad happens to be an electrician in Charlotte. Yesterday evening I sent him a link to this thread and he read what we were experiencing in the bathtub. He showed up this morning with bells on and said "I know what it is". My Dad kicks a$$! Turns out, my 43 year old copper pipes had lost the proper ground over the years as the grounding rod clamp had rusted and broken open... and the electricity was trying to find a better ground through the cast iron drainpipes which are very well grounded, you might say, as they lead underground to the septic. It all made sense once he explained it to me in a way only Dad's can. We replaced the grounding rod clamp and then wired an additional ground wire from the tub drainpipe to the grounding rod. Turned power back on, cranked up water heater, let water run for 30 minutes and tested every fixture in the house with the voltmeter. Problem solved. Thanks Dad!

I think I need a shower

Sorry, but what your dad did was not fix the problem, he only masked it, ground rods are only for lightning, surges, and accidental contact with higher voltage lines. You need to find the real problem before someone gets killed. Check this link out for a little info.... http://ecmweb.com/grounding/electric...uth_grounding/

**jeremytl** · 08-30-2008, 03:35 PM

Chris, what would you do or where would you first look? Can you surmise what the real problem may be?

**Redwood** · 08-30-2008, 03:50 PM

It could very well be an open neutral. The neutral carries any imbalance from the 2 hots. The neutral and ground are bonded at the panel and any imbalance should go back to the transformer on the center tap via the neutral. If the neutral is open the ground becomes current carrying which is probably what you are seeing...

Note I'm a turd herder not an electrician! How did I do Sparky?

**jeremytl** · 08-30-2008, 03:57 PM

you guys are an invaluable resource - and entertainment to boot. in all seriousness - is it unsafe to shower

**leejosepho** · 08-30-2008, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by jeremytl

in all seriousness - is it unsafe to shower

Not terribly so as it was yesterday or whenever, but you do need to actually find and fix the source of the problem. At the moment, the repaired ground connection is about the same as having a bucket under a dripping faucet.

**Alectrician** · 08-30-2008, 06:03 PM

in all seriousness - is it unsafe to shower

HELL yes. Your dad the "electrician" only masked the problem by giving the voltage an easier path to "ground".

Ist step is to call utility company and have them check there end.
Next step is to isolate the circuit that is cousing the issue.

This is something that needs to be addressed now, There are many reasons and a lot of them are not easy for untrained minds to grasp.

The voltage should NEVER be running thru the plumbing.

**Chris75** · 08-30-2008, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by jeremytl

Chris, what would you do or where would you first look? Can you surmise what the real problem may be?

I really dont want to say much on the subject except hire someone thats competent to find the problem and fix it. And I cannot tell you how much it hurts when I hear people driving ground rods to fix these types of problems, they really are just uneducated in the electrical field.

**Cass** · 08-31-2008, 04:06 AM

And where is the water pipe ground...sounds like a problem with a neutral but whatever the problem a pro needs to be called in to find it before the shower / tub is used again.

Do NOT use the tub until it is fixed.

hj · 08-31-2008, 07:11 AM

If your gas pedal sticks so the car will not slow down, is the solution to get better brakes or repair the problem. Giving a good path to ground solves the symptom, but does nothing to address where the electricity is coming from in the first place. I once disconnected an electric water heater. When I separated the union on the cold side I noticed an arc and told the lady that she should have an electrician check her wiring. She asked me if that is why all the lights and radio burned out and the television set was smoking. The answer was YES.

**Chris75** · 08-31-2008, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by hj

When I separated the union on the cold side I noticed an arc and told the lady that she should have an electrician check her wiring. She asked me if that is why all the lights and radio burned out and the television set was smoking. The answer was YES.

That was a classic case of an open neutral, here is a picture of what actually happens in this case. Just FYI, you should really use an amprobe before you disconnect water mains and such, it could save your life.

This picture shows a multiwire branch circuit, but a residential service is the same idea.
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Around my parts everyone has a well, so when someone has an open neutral, its pretty obvious from the get go. Since the current will not travel through the ground to good. Unlike city water where the problem could go unnoticed for years.