0

I get a little shock when I use a couple of electrical tools in my garage studio. My husband tells me not to worry about it, just wear shoes. He says it is caused by a crossed neutral wire, and that it has been like this forever. Am I safe working out here with shoes on, or should I hire a professional electrician to fix it?

Improve this question
2
  • is it just electrostatic charge ? also does it happens when the tool is off ?
    – DIY75
    Commented Oct 9, 2022 at 17:51
  • Is this electrical tool a fractal/Lichtenberg wood burner, by any chance? No, we're not just going to give you a lecture, I for one also have advice.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 9, 2022 at 21:20

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
7

Oh hell no. As soon as they trot out the "it's been that way forever" (implying: "and nobody's died so far") claim... they are talking about a genuinely unsafe situation that they know is unsafe, and have an immortality complex.

They are wrong. People can get bit many times, and then one day conditions are just a little bit wrong because of humidity or something, and then blammo it kills them.

Zero tolerance toward that sort of thing. At the very least insist on GFCI protection to the whole circuit, which will "keep you honest" in terms of certain wiring flaws.

Now a crossed neutral would start a fire, but it wouldn't shock anyone.

What will shock people is bootlegging ground. When you misuse ground as neutral, it isn't ground anymore. It's neutral. Which means you have no ground protection and everything that is "grounded" is at neutral voltage, which can be 120v at times. That's why we put insulation on the neutral wire.

Insist on everything being fixed properly.

Improve this answer
1
  • neutral can be 120v if it gets disconnected (which means a single failure could kill you - you lost redundancy). Any other times?
    – Criticizing Israel not allowed
    Commented Oct 11, 2022 at 18:22
0

A little shock means something is wrong. Some day or maybe tomorrow you'll get a big shock. Since hubby knows what's wrong, have him fix it.

Improve this answer
1
  • Think this is one job hubby should leave for someone else. Not much if hubby says just to wear shoes.
    – crip659
    Commented Oct 9, 2022 at 20:03

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.