Replies

1. 
   DanH | Jan 10, 2009 04:30pm | #1

   Is there any plastic water pipe in the house?

   Is the water meter inside or outside?

   Have you measured the voltage between electrical ground and the water pipes?

   Try measuring the voltage (at the breaker panel) between both legs and neutral, with normal loads turned on. Is the voltage the same to both legs?

   God is REAL, unless explicitly declared INTEGER
2. 
   BillHartmann | Jan 10, 2009 05:59pm | #2

   Did you know if the house orginally had grounded wiring. At that age it should have, but some areas might have been a little late getting it.

   It used to common a allowed to add ground by running a wire to the nearest cold water pipe. That is no longer allowed.

   Again practices will vary, but at that age the cold water pipe should be bonded to the service and probably a ground rod also.

   Currently the code requires that if the water supply line is metalic and at least 10 ft long and under ground that it be used as a ground electrode. And if it is not metallic, but metallic inside then it needs to be bonded to the service. The connection in either case needs to be within 5 ft of where it enters the house or rarely it is done on the pipe outside.

   And also what is now typically 2 ground rods. They are suppose to be burried so that you won't see them. But often the head does show.

   The wire for the ground electrodes might come out of the meter box and/or out of the panel. Trace it and see if you have the connections to the water line and ground rods.

   If you do have those electrodes and you still measure the voltage then there is current flowing through the ground.

   It be from your house because of a bad neutral. Or if you have any outbuildings or things like a well or septic pump it might be from those.

   But it could from the power company or even neighbors.

   .
   William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
1. 
   larryb | Jan 11, 2009 12:44am | #5

        Orginal wiring,3 wire.  Plastic supply, copper throughout house.

       No visible connection from panel to copper pipe.  No volts from copper to  panel ground,or outlet ground.   I need to check ground rod from panel, outside  house.

        Still shocks when Main breaker is off...

       Thank you all. I want to have my ducks in a row when sparky calls PoCo.

       Larry b

3. 
   renosteinke | Jan 10, 2009 08:35pm | #3

   If you have this issue, when even the main service is disconnected, the problem does not originate in your house.

   It's time to talk to the PoCo. If nothing else, one of your neighbors has a bad neutral ... and his current is flowing through the pipes, and returning via your neutral.

   This is a MAJOR safety issue, and needs professional attention. Call the PoCo.

1. 
   BillHartmann | Jan 10, 2009 10:21pm | #4

   "If you have this issue, when even the main service is disconnected, the problem does not originate in your house."These can get very tricky.Some one here had a problem year or two where the voltage was directly proportial to the loads that they where drawing.He was in a rural area and the only load on the transformer. Turns out that the POCO had a bad neutral, IIRC one pole of from his PRIMARY side and the primary current was being returned through is neutral and ground electrodes.And a guy that I used to know on an other forum was had problems where the clients where getting a shock stepping from the wet pool decking to the ground.He check and all the house and pool grounding/bonding was good.Contacted the POCO and they found some problems and fixed it. That reduced the problem, but did not eliminate it.There was also a major transmission line running behind the property belonging to a different POCO. He suspected problems with that, but could not get any co-operation from them. So he ended up burying some copper wire and bonded to the pool to make the whole area an equal potential plane..
   William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe