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progdonkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-01-08 10:48 PMOriginal messageQuestion for any resident electricians re: errant electricity in the home I just recently moved my electric guitar and amp rig downstairs into my basement. Ever since moving, I'd been getting intermittent minor electrical shocks and "vibrations" from the pickups, controls, and even the strings. After checking different guitars as well as my backup amp--all having the same issue, I figured it had to be something to do with static electricity or something of that sort in the carpet (the house was built in '68 and I presume the wiring is just as old), rather than being poor wiring in the one guitar, amp, etc. (Plus, I have it all running through a medium-high level power conditioner.)I found that the problem was that it was happening only when I was barefoot, and something must've been coming through the carpet (low, densely-woven), as it all seemed to disappear when I wore my sneakers.So here's my question: if it's disappearing when I'm wearing sneakers, does that mean that the carpet has some consistent electrical current going through it, and if so, is that normal in a basement with low-pile carpet or should I have the wiring checked out by an electrician? I'm under the impression that if it were a simple static electricity discharge it would occur when I was, for instance, wearing socks, but not at all when I'm barefoot.
Wash. state Desk Jet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-01-08 11:37 PMResponse to Original message1. Electricity jumps. Check plugs in the basement to see if it is three wire ,white black and copper ground. Or you can buy a tester ,plug in type that will tell you through three lights if you are grounded at the plugs. And it will tell you if there is bad or weak connections. Is your washer and dryer in the basement ,and if so is there a grounding wire across the water pipes ? Your sneakers by the way are insulators ! Anything metal is a conductor. And you,are on the receiving end ! If your washer and dryer is down there and you have a deep sink,when the washer or dryer is going turn on or touch the facet at the sink to see if you receive a shock. And if you do ,you have grounding problem or electricity is jumping at loose connections ,on and so on,junction box's and so on.The ground wire that runs across your water lines at the washer is green coated as a rule or it may be bear thick stranded copper wire connected to the hot cold pipes with clamps.Thats right, the juice jumps !And try plugging your guitar and amp. direct into the plug at the wall, by the way are your basement plugs three prong ? If your amp. requires a grounding plug ,the plug in at the wall must be a grounded plug three prong. Your plug in strip is not a substitute for the necessary grounded power supply at the wall.
progdonkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Thu Oct-02-08 11:40 AMResponse to Reply #12. okay, will do... The outlets are of the three-pronged grounded variety and the power conditioner (as well as a few other smaller ones I have) all say that the line is grounded. The room I'm set up in, though, is right next to the laundry room, which also has an additional shower which was built into it at some point, so it's entirely possible that's where the problem is originating. (I think the previous owners had one of their elderly parents living with them and used that room as their bedroom, so they built them a shower right next to it--they were also the sort of people who did a lot of DIY but clearly never really knowing exactly what they were doing. I completely replaced the flooring in the foyer, for instance, because the job they did putting in parquet was just a total mess.)I'll do the "shock test" the next time I need to do laundry, but it sounds like I'll have to call an electrician for any fixes, since it's completely beyond me (and potentially dangerous!).
