OK, this scared the heck out of me.
I was getting a pot off of my pot rack, and I put a pot on a burner of the stove, touching both at the same time, and got a pretty good electric shock.
The burner was off, and the pot rack is not grounded, so I'm REAL confused as to what happened.
The range is a Kenmore. The pot rack is one that I made,
Check the grounding of your electric panel. If the panel is not properly grounded, earth, may not equal "ground" on the case of the stove. Next thing is to check the neutral/ground on the stove because they are the same wire on ranges prior to the 1996 code adoption and a loose wire on that will impose up to 120v on the case of the stove.
This has me really freaked out. I have no idea why this happened.
I was getting a pot off of my pot rack with one hand, and had a pan in my o ther hand. I went to put the pan on the range burner while holding on to t he pot on the pot rack and I got an electric shock. A real good electric s hock. Not static electricity, an electric shock.
The pot rack is attached to the stringers in the ceiling by lag bolts, and is NOT grounded. The main bar of the pot rack is a 1" X 1" X 6' steel bar, which weighs about 20 lbs. The entire structure with the pots on it proba bly weighs about 40 lbs. It's a lot of metal.
The range is a Kenmore. The burner was OFF at the time.
I don't know what to check. I really don't understand ANYTHING about this incident. If the burner was ON, and if the pot rack was grounded, then I c ould maybe see this happening, but I could sure use some advice figuring th is out.
Would that much metal act as a ground? I don't think so, but I don't know. What should I be testing?
ANY help would be VERY appreciated.
Jackson
Get meter and check.
Greg
Jackson Hawk wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
Check with a voltmeter to make sure it isn't LIVE. You might have hit a cable with one of the screws you used to install it.
For that matter, have you verified with a meter or test lamp that is really isn't grounded? If one of the mounting screws hit a cable, it could have hit any one of three or more conductors, with varying results depending on which conductor it hit, including:
- live all the time (black wire)
- grounded all the time (bare wire)
- live only when some load on that circuit is in use (white wire)
+1
That's first thing I thought of too. Normally anything attached only to joists, drywall, etc has no electrical conductivity. You could put yourself between it and a hot wire and nothing would happen.
So, either the range is normal and the pot rack is energized or the pot rack is grounded and the range has a problem. A VOM and some simple testing will determine which it is, but clearly it's a dangerous situation that needs to be corrected.
Something is clearly unusual with the pot rack. From how it's installed, it should not be grounded. As Doug pointed out, it's possible the pot rack install hit a cable and it's the pot rack that's the problem and energized. Either that or the pot rack is somehow grounded and the other problems you point out are present.
Jackson is gone...PUFF! (90% hot-wire on the rack)
I worked with a similar stuation. The woman got shocked from ONE burner on the electric cooktop, when she stirred the pot with metal stir, and touchecd the edge of the kitchen counter top which had metal edge. Other three burners, no shock.
I lifted up the range top. Three burners, the sleeve of the burner was grounded with a snap in connector. The burner which was shocking was a replacement burner, and was not grounded. I ran a wire from the sleeve of the burner (what touches the pot) to a screw I drilled under the range top. That solved the problem. Slight bit of power was leaking through the asbestos inside the burner.
Hope this is of some help.
I worked with a similar stuation. The woman got shocked from ONE burner on the electric cooktop, when she stirred the pot with metal stir, and touchecd the edge of the kitchen counter top which had metal edge. Other three burners, no shock.
I lifted up the range top. Three burners, the sleeve of the burner was grounded with a snap in connector. The burner which was shocking was a replacement burner, and was not grounded. I ran a wire from the sleeve of the burner (what touches the pot) to a screw I drilled under the range top. That solved the problem. Slight bit of power was leaking through the asbestos inside the burner.
Hope this is of some help.
I had an electric range with a ground problem. I'd lean against the kitchen sink and pat my wife on the butt while she was cooking. I wonder why she divorced me?
This would make a good TV game show.
Ding ding ding. You win the trip to Bermuda. (after you get out of the hospital)
I'm sure, no connection.
Everything fine at ohm.
Currently, no resistance.
First of all, thank all of you for your help. I really appreciate it.
I checked the stove and pot rack and the pot rack was energized with 110 volts AC.
I found the problem. One of the lags that hold the pot rack up went through a wire for the kitchen lights that happened to be going through the middle of the same joist as the lag, energizing it.
So this has been hanging there for 3 years, energized!
I got a pretty good jolt, but I'm fine, at least in this universe. In a parallel universe there may very well be a dead guy and a grieving widow who doesn't know what happened to her husband.
I guess the weirdest things happen and you can't be careful enough.
Jackson
other hand. I went to put the pan on the range burner while holding on to the pot on the pot rack and I got an electric shock. A real good electric shock. Not static electricity, an electric shock.
d is NOT grounded. The main bar of the pot rack is a 1" X 1" X 6' steel ba r, which weighs about 20 lbs. The entire structure with the pots on it pro bably weighs about 40 lbs. It's a lot of metal.
s incident. If the burner was ON, and if the pot rack was grounded, then I could maybe see this happening, but I could sure use some advice figuring this out.
w. What should I be testing?
...oddest thing on GG I have seen...earlier this morning it stated the OP d eleted the post? I responded saying we wouldn't hear from him and that my m oney was on the rack being "hot"! Now *that* post is gone? WTF
Bob,
This is the OP. I don't know what happened to the original post or to your reply. I did see it last night, but I was too shaken up to reply.
You totally got it right with the rack being hot. I NEVER thought that would be the case, but it was. Tomorrow I'll go up into the attic and fix it. Never even saw that wire before today.
Thanks for your totally right-on assessment of the problem.
Jackson
Make sure you replace that wire, or splice it properly in a box. Dont just leave it bare and exposed. It could be a fire hazzard if not fixed properly. You're probably best just rerouting the wire and leaving the lag bolt as it is.
Weird shit happens.... you proved that !!!
This is one of the major disadvantages of romex. The old metallic sheathed cable (BX) rarely had problems like this. (But it had other problems).
OP deleted the post? I responded saying we wouldn't hear from him and that my money was on the rack being "hot"! Now *that* post is gone? WTF
ur reply. I did see it last night, but I was too shaken up to reply.
ould be the case, but it was. Tomorrow I'll go up into the attic and fix i t. Never even saw that wire before today.
The odds are low that this happened: the screws usually push the cable and don't penetrate the insulation, or if it does, it would short to ground or neutral. Really freaky, and scary. ...and you're the one who had to find the problem...good job! ?.| ???????|.?
my other hand. I went to put the pan on the range burner while holding on to the pot on the pot rack and I got an electric shock. A real good electr ic shock. Not static electricity, an electric shock.
and is NOT grounded. The main bar of the pot rack is a 1" X 1" X 6' steel bar, which weighs about 20 lbs. The entire structure with the pots on it p robably weighs about 40 lbs. It's a lot of metal.
his incident. If the burner was ON, and if the pot rack was grounded, then I could maybe see this happening, but I could sure use some advice figurin g this out.
now. What should I be testing?
deleted the post? I responded saying we wouldn't hear from him and that my money was on the rack being "hot"! Now *that* post is gone? WTF
Found the post that Jackson deleted:
Yeah, I'll do it right. I'll reroute it and put the splice in a box. Thanks for your thoughts.
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