19
Jan
Try using a cheap 1000 ohms per volt meter or just connect a 1 megaohm resistor between the probe leads. The reasons for this can vary but it could be from a shared neutral in another circuit or it could be from a multi wire branch circuit MWBC.
Or at least that is what i was taught.
Can a ground wire shock you. Can a ground wire shock you. You are already at a high potential difference to ground eg. Hanging from a high voltage cable.
Ground is then definitely something to be avoided. A double fault has occurred and the ground wire is in fact something else. If the electrical system in your home is working correctly then touching a ground wire shouldnt give you an electric shock.
Ground wires are a backup plan or fail safe designed to limit or reduce the chance of electrical fires or shocks. Can the ground wire shock you. If there is a faulty piece of equipment attached to the ground wire it wont shock you.
Its important to remember that the voltage is relative. If there are standing earth faults anything less than 50V on normal dry skin is. Connecting a ground wire to the plumbing is a stopgap that may prevent you being electrocuted by touching an appliance but it introduces a new problem.
You can now be electrocuted by touching your plumbing. You are not going to be able to safely fix this yourself. You must call a licensed professional electrician.
No touching the ground wire will not shock you unless it is not properly bonded AND there is a faulty piece of equipment attached to it. If you are getting a shock by just touching the ground wire it would seem it is obviously not at ground potential. The fact that the neutral shows a potential to the Ground wire appears to prove this.
That avatar threw me for a minute I think I have seen it before. For an instant the easiest path to ground is through you and you get a shock. And thats how you learn the hard way that a neutral wire can shock you.
This is the main reason why a bootleg ground is illegal and dangerous. This condition is even more fun when the ground wire and all the pipes in the house are also hot. How to find a hot neutral wire.
Modern multimeters are very sensitive because they have a high impedance input. Try using a cheap 1000 ohms per volt meter or just connect a 1 megaohm resistor between the probe leads. This should make the reading go to zero.
However if you get a shock every time you touch ground then there is a problem. This saves you from a shock if the fixture gets energized and you. Other ground or phase you can get shocked.
So if you wire your fan without the ground wire it will still work properly. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 QA communities including Stack Overflow the largest most trusted online community for developers to learn share. If you touch the neutral wire and there is a load on it you may receive a shock depending on if you are grounded or not.
Electricity has to have a place to go and is trying to get back to earth. If you are not grounded then it will not flow thru you. Normally when the grounding wire is properly installed it will not shock you if you were to touch it.
Even if a fault occurs in the system and the ground is. Since there can be no voltage between electrically common points there will be no voltage applied across the person contacting the lower wire and they will not receive a shock. For the same reason the wire connecting the circuit to the grounding rodplates is usually left bare no insulation so that any metal object it brushes up against will similarly be electrically common.
If you grab your nuetral wire and electricity can flow to ground through you faster well you well get shocked. Or at least that is what i was taught. Personally i have gotten shocked on the nuetral wire anytime something was using electricity on the circuit.
In a properly wired outlet you can stick a nail in the polarized blade or the ground hole while taking a shower and not get a shock or feel anything at all. There are all sorts of places where theory seperates from practice however so Id would not be trying it. Youd get a shock from that white wire but only when youd disconnected it from the true neutral.
Can you be shocked if not grounded. As most electrical supplies are referenced to earthground potential if you yourself are grounded then all you have to do is tough a live wire. You get shocked when current flows through your body.
Often the neutral wire is very close to ground potential and you are too. So often there is not enough voltage to give you a. Now for the Shocking Truth about Neutral Wires.
Shocks from a Neutral Wire If you understand the explanation above then you should realize just how easy it is to get an electrical shock from a neutral wire in fact some of the worst shocks I have ever received while working on live circuits was from neutral wires. To keep the neutral close to ground its wired to ground a physical metal rod into the earth through some resistance. It cant be tied to ground too well though because lightning strikes nearby would go back up the neutral and be incredibly dangerous.
They still can by the way but the damage is mostly fairly low because of this. There is no formal ie. Both of the 220VAC wires are ideally floating not connected anywhere to ground.
However there are at least two causes why touching a 220VAC wire at the same time as earthground can produce a shock or worse. If you want 0V on a car battery to be earth ground you can connect the negative terminal of the battery to a huge copper rod and shove that rod into the dirt. The battery is supposed to produce 12 volts higher on the possitive terminal than the negative terminal.
Finally you may get an electrical shock while the breaker is on from a shared neutral wire. The reasons for this can vary but it could be from a shared neutral in another circuit or it could be from a multi wire branch circuit MWBC. The potential shock comes from working with the neutral wires that you thought were dead wires by turning off.