Richard
Super Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
- Messages
- 5,030
- Location
- Knoxville, TN
- Tractor
- International 1066 Full sized JCB Loader/Backhoe and a John Deere 430 to mow with
Yesterday I got to celebrate fathers day by going with the wife over to her fathers house and I got to replace not only the weatherstrip at the base of his shower door, but also his heating elements in his water heater.

We were clearing out a lot of calcium and re-filled tank again so we could "rinse" it. Upon putting it back together properly for the final time it wouldn't go so this 10 minute deal ended up taking 4 hours.
Here's where it got weird...
The insulation around the lower element was wet. Some water was also on the floor. I might add that I personally turned off the breakers so I knew the power was dead for the heater.
His new element was a bit thicker than the old so unbeknown to me, there was NO WAY it was going to screw back in (bolt in verses screw in element) Had I figured this out earlier, the entire thing would have taken 10 minutes and I wouldn't have fought this stupid thing for hours.
Ok, so I'm trying to put the bolts back in and I touch the wet insulation as well as the heating element itself (the outside as I push it in). I got a mild shock. Thinking at first it was my hand being sliced by sliding it along the metal open part, I didn't give much thought. Happened again and again.
(I was sitting on floor and towel in front of me was wet)
Long story short, it was MILDLY shocking me every time I touched it, unless I was standing (rubber shoes). Then of course, I could barely reach it and it killed my back to be stooped over.
I stopped & told my father in law to go kill the main breaker for the ENTIRE house. He did so and now the house is 100% dead.
I went back at it with 2 flashlights at my disposal and was STILL GETTING SHOCKED!

Called my brother in law (electrician) and he came over. Seems there was about 12 volts measuring here when he touched his probe from the wet insulation to the ground or maybe it was to the element...I don't really know what he was measuring, he just verified that in fact, there was some current there and we didn't know why since the main breaker was cut.
He finally speculated that perhaps the power company had an issue with their power lines and might have been sending power up a wrong leg (or something like that which is WAY above my head)
We had a lightning strike a week ago and it vaporized about 400' of the power companys neutral line. They replaced it 6 hours later. That's the only recent event that we know of.
Any speculation why you would have about 12 volts when touching a ground item when the main panel is turned off??
btw, I called the power company today to describe it to them. They were evidently interested in what I had to say & said he'd have someone check out their towers near us.
We were clearing out a lot of calcium and re-filled tank again so we could "rinse" it. Upon putting it back together properly for the final time it wouldn't go so this 10 minute deal ended up taking 4 hours.
Here's where it got weird...
The insulation around the lower element was wet. Some water was also on the floor. I might add that I personally turned off the breakers so I knew the power was dead for the heater.
His new element was a bit thicker than the old so unbeknown to me, there was NO WAY it was going to screw back in (bolt in verses screw in element) Had I figured this out earlier, the entire thing would have taken 10 minutes and I wouldn't have fought this stupid thing for hours.
Ok, so I'm trying to put the bolts back in and I touch the wet insulation as well as the heating element itself (the outside as I push it in). I got a mild shock. Thinking at first it was my hand being sliced by sliding it along the metal open part, I didn't give much thought. Happened again and again.
(I was sitting on floor and towel in front of me was wet)
Long story short, it was MILDLY shocking me every time I touched it, unless I was standing (rubber shoes). Then of course, I could barely reach it and it killed my back to be stooped over.
I stopped & told my father in law to go kill the main breaker for the ENTIRE house. He did so and now the house is 100% dead.
I went back at it with 2 flashlights at my disposal and was STILL GETTING SHOCKED!
Called my brother in law (electrician) and he came over. Seems there was about 12 volts measuring here when he touched his probe from the wet insulation to the ground or maybe it was to the element...I don't really know what he was measuring, he just verified that in fact, there was some current there and we didn't know why since the main breaker was cut.
He finally speculated that perhaps the power company had an issue with their power lines and might have been sending power up a wrong leg (or something like that which is WAY above my head)
We had a lightning strike a week ago and it vaporized about 400' of the power companys neutral line. They replaced it 6 hours later. That's the only recent event that we know of.
Any speculation why you would have about 12 volts when touching a ground item when the main panel is turned off??
btw, I called the power company today to describe it to them. They were evidently interested in what I had to say & said he'd have someone check out their towers near us.