Electrical – How to get a shock from a circuit when the breaker is off

electricalsafetywiring

While I was replacing an old outlet, I received a shock from something in the box. I think it was the metal box itself.

Before I started, I performed the following to ensure the power was out:

  • Plugged a lamp into the outlet and turned it on
  • Flipped the breaker off; verified that the light went out.

I then started to disconnect the wires when I received a shock.

After I flipped the breaker for the whole house, I replaced the outlet without any further problems.

Should I be concerned that my ground isn't really grounded?

Best Answer

Well, if there is something leaking current onto "ground" and that thing is connected to your metal box, and the metal box is not connected to the ground in your breaker panel, no, that's not great. I would take a multimeter, turn off the breaker to the house, and check the resistance between neutral and the box. If it is large, then they are not not bonded together at the panel, but yet something somewhere is connecting them in your house. Try using a 3-prong tester on some outlets in your house and see what results you get.