Washing Machine is shocking me
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Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,680
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From: Montreal Canada
Washing Machine is shocking me
I was trying to wiggle a shim under there to level the thing while it was on spin when it tickled me with a little jolt of electricity.
I suspect the outlet isn't grounded. I asked my father-in law to help me rewire a few weeks ago, but when I was putting the face plates on I noticed a lot of the green screws on the receptacles were not connected to anything.
I want to know if I can ground the green screw on the receptacle to the back of the metal box? Or do I need to run a whole new circuit to the breaker panel?
I suspect the outlet isn't grounded. I asked my father-in law to help me rewire a few weeks ago, but when I was putting the face plates on I noticed a lot of the green screws on the receptacles were not connected to anything.
I want to know if I can ground the green screw on the receptacle to the back of the metal box? Or do I need to run a whole new circuit to the breaker panel?
New User
Joined: Jan 2008
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Yes,you can add a wire from the green screw to the box.
Normally the ground wire is long enough that is gets fastened down to the box then continues on to the green screw on the receptacle instead of thinking just the mounting of the receptacle to the box is good enough.
Normally the ground wire is long enough that is gets fastened down to the box then continues on to the green screw on the receptacle instead of thinking just the mounting of the receptacle to the box is good enough.
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Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Montreal Canada
There is no ground wire. My house was built in 1959 and much of the house hasn't been re-wired. My father in law did some re-wiring when we re-modeled the kitchen, but other rooms he just swapped out the old 2-hole receptacles with new three holed ones and grounded it on the metal box. Can I do the same for the washer, put in a new receptacle and ground it on the metal box instead of running a new wire all the way to the breaker panel?
Logistics Pro
Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Georgia
Originally Posted by Snowbunny
I would take this as a sign to never do laundry again!!! 
Seriously I would replace those old wires with grounded ones. You could make it safer by getting a roll of ground wire and running it from the ground strip in your box to your ungrounded outlets but I would prefer replacing the obsolete wiring in the system especially if its the cloth covered stuff. You should really let your local codes decide the remedy. If you want to ground that washer hard fast and ugly right now till you can run proper grounds attach a 12 gauge wire on the washer with one of the case screws and run it to the nearest metal water pipe that has a continuos run to earth. I would also get to the bottom of why the washer is shocking you. Even without a proper ground it should not have current in the case.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,476
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From: Frequently frozen MN
I agree with fix the problem soon -- for safety's sake. Even if you quit doing the laundry you might touch the machine --if you happen to use it to store empty beer cans 
As for why you're getting shocked -- most likely it's because you're somehow connecting the hot line from your outlet to the ground side of your washer. Not hard to have that happen in your setup. I would recommend that you get all of your outlets straightened out somehow. Your setup sounds very dangerous.
good luck,
ford2go
As for why you're getting shocked -- most likely it's because you're somehow connecting the hot line from your outlet to the ground side of your washer. Not hard to have that happen in your setup. I would recommend that you get all of your outlets straightened out somehow. Your setup sounds very dangerous.
good luck,
ford2go
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Connecting electrical wiring to water pipes is a no-no. If you wind up with a "floating neutral" you can turn your faucets into death traps. For 120 circuits, there are three wires involved, a black, white, and bare copper. The bare copper is grounded to a ground rod at the transformer pole. The black is hot, and the white is neutral or ac ground. The neutral and ground are tied together somewhere in the system, usually at the transformer pole. If this connection gets broken, you wind up with a floating neutral, a very dangerous situation. If the black and white get reversed somewhere in the wiring, you have a dangerous situation. I would get some input from an electrician before electrocuting the entire household. jd
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Rhode Island
Originally Posted by jimdandy
Connecting electrical wiring to water pipes is a no-no. If you wind up with a "floating neutral" you can turn your faucets into death traps. For 120 circuits, there are three wires involved, a black, white, and bare copper. The bare copper is grounded to a ground rod at the transformer pole. The black is hot, and the white is neutral or ac ground. The neutral and ground are tied together somewhere in the system, usually at the transformer pole. If this connection gets broken, you wind up with a floating neutral, a very dangerous situation. If the black and white get reversed somewhere in the wiring, you have a dangerous situation. I would get some input from an electrician before electrocuting the entire household. jd
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 19,762
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From: St Louis
Jimdandy is correct.
Simply tying a ground wire to any cold water line, under NEC for those under its jurisdiction, is strictly verboten.
See NEC Sec 250-130(c) for permissible connection points.
Yes, both your water lines are connected to the ground electrode system (also a requirement), but it is not permissible to use them to extend the grounding system.
It is simplest to follow my suggestion with is fully allowed under NEC.
Steve
Simply tying a ground wire to any cold water line, under NEC for those under its jurisdiction, is strictly verboten.
See NEC Sec 250-130(c) for permissible connection points.
Yes, both your water lines are connected to the ground electrode system (also a requirement), but it is not permissible to use them to extend the grounding system.
It is simplest to follow my suggestion with is fully allowed under NEC.
Steve
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From: Where's my map???
Originally Posted by Lead Head
Not sure about you, but in my house, which was built in 1990, and is to spec, the groudning strap is connected to both the copper water lines, and a spike outisde the house.