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Wireman · Grounding & shocks troubleshooting · 2023 NEC ·

Grounding & shocks

Shocks, tingles, missing grounds, stray voltage.

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Getting shocked or a tingleA shock from an appliance, fixture, faucet or shower. Find the missing ground or the current on it.Up to 2 steps Bootleg ground foundA jumper from neutral to ground fools a plug-in tester. Confirm it, remove it and fix the outlet the right way.Up to 3 steps Neutral and ground bonded at a subpanelFind out where the bond belongs, remove the extra one and keep neutrals and grounds separate.Up to 4 steps Current on the ground wire or water pipeUse a clamp meter to find whether it’s coming from inside the building or from the utility side.Up to 4 steps Ground rod or electrode problemsBad clamps, short rods, one rod or two, and what the 25 Ω rule really means.Up to 4 steps Stray voltage in pools, showers or barnsTingles in water or at livestock waterers: measure it, find out whether it comes from the property or the utility, and fix the bonding.Up to 3 steps Ground-fault alarm on an ungrounded or HRG systemRead the ground detector lamps, confirm the faulted phase and find the feeder before a second fault.Up to 6 steps