Stray Voltage on Doorknob!?

dinger28 · 07/12/2016, 10:06 AM

Hey all. I saw one of my acro frags succumbed to RTN overnight and went into the fish room to pull it out of the tank. When I went to turn the doorknob, I got shocked pretty bad. I opened the door and stuck my hand in the water and everything was fine in the tank. My question is, what in the world would cause the doorknob to shock me? My wife just tried to open the door (4 hours after I did) and got shocked too! This doesn't make sense. Anyone?

jayball · 07/12/2016, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinger28

Hey all. I saw one of my acro frags succumbed to RTN overnight and went into the fish room to pull it out of the tank. When I went to turn the doorknob, I got shocked pretty bad. I opened the door and stuck my hand in the water and everything was fine in the tank. My question is, what in the world would cause the doorknob to shock me? My wife just tried to open the door (4 hours after I did) and got shocked too! This doesn't make sense. Anyone?

Pictures of both sides of the door? Is it recently installed? Is it wood?

A real shock right, not static?

The only thing I can thing of if it is a wooden door is maybe if the plate for the mortice on the door frame is screwed into a wire. (should not be possible without 5 inch plus screws or improper wiring...)

Get out a multimeter and start testing to ground and isolate it.

mcgyvr · 07/12/2016, 10:20 AM

more than likely...
Its called "static electricity"..

The doorknob didn't shock you.. You transferred the shock TO the doorknob from what was built up in your body..

jayball · 07/12/2016, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

more than likely...
Its called "static electricity"..

The doorknob didn't shock you.. You transferred the shock TO the doorknob from what was built up in your body..

I mentioned that. Trying to give them the benifit of doubt first.

dinger28 · 07/12/2016, 10:37 AM

Door has been installed for a year and a half and nothing like this has ever happened before. I've been shocked by static electricity and this isn't it. The shock from the doorknob will stay with you until you let go of the door handle. :/

dinger28 · 07/12/2016, 10:38 AM

I have felt tray voltage inside tanks before and this feels like the same thing, but outside the tank.

alton · 07/12/2016, 01:52 PM

Pull the trim and see if someone ran romex around the door and it now has a nick in it? I was installing a security system onetime and when I drilled the door frame to install a contact I drilled into the romex. After removing all the trim the owner or someone else had run romex using the base boards to hide it and when they got to door, yes they went up around and back down to an outside plug. It is amazing what I have seen over the years.

dinger28 · 07/12/2016, 01:58 PM

It was actually a pre fabricated door from Lowes that my father in law and I installed to the fish room we built.

jayball · 07/12/2016, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinger28

It was actually a pre fabricated door from Lowes that my father in law and I installed to the fish room we built.

If you do not have a multimeter than pick one up. Put one end on the ground of a socket. Start touching stuff with the other probe and the meter set on voltage. There is no way you are inducing current on your doorknob. You need to figure out where your short is, you have one.

stage3-s4 · 07/12/2016, 02:16 PM

Like others have said sounds like you have a short in a wire near your door frame somewhere. I don't think that has anything to do with your tank.

mcgyvr · 07/12/2016, 02:36 PM

Its very common to replace one of the screws on each hinge with a long one to help secure the door.. As stated that may have pierced a wire in the wall and with enough humidity/moisture you could be feeling it at the door knob.. (pretty low..low chance but possible)..

As stated get a multimeter and ground the black lead at a local outlet and then probe the hinges with the red lead.. Anything over 30V or so would indicate a problem..

Don't touch the handle again without gloves/shoes if you are positive its not static..

dinger28 · 07/13/2016, 05:31 AM

I found out that the extension chord running under the door had a nick in it, therefore exposing wire which in turn sends stray voltage to the doorknob. Electrical tape has fixed everything.

Thanks all!

jason2459 · 07/13/2016, 11:23 AM

Wow, glad it was just a small shock. I would figure a way to not have an extension cord or at least not one running under a door.

dinger28 · 07/13/2016, 12:06 PM

Already drilled a hole so this will not happen again.

mcgyvr · 07/13/2016, 05:43 PM

extension cords are for temporary use only.. (no more than 2-3 days max)..

sure would have been nice if you mentioned an extension cord running under the door too..

Hope you are aware of and implement GFCI protection too..

JAustin · 07/14/2016, 07:46 PM

"Extension cords are temporary".....LOL!!!!!

yacn · 07/15/2016, 08:21 AM

LOL

You take the time to post this thread...why you got shocked by your door knob....

And have an extension cord running underneath the door and didn't think to check that first....are you kidding me!?

LXXero · 07/15/2016, 09:40 PM

i still want to know how the heck electricity got to the door knob anyway. even despite a cord under it.

Like, isn't the door wood? how would that even work? wood isn't usually very conductive...or is this also a metal door too....

WiDataTech · 07/16/2016, 07:48 AM

Wood itself is not conductive, but can possibly conduct electricity if the moisture content high enough. You could say the same thing about shirts. A dry one won't conduct anything, but a damp or wet one would.

07/12/2016, 10:06 AM	#1
dinger28 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Indian Land, SC Posts: 385	Stray Voltage on Doorknob!? Hey all. I saw one of my acro frags succumbed to RTN overnight and went into the fish room to pull it out of the tank. When I went to turn the doorknob, I got shocked pretty bad. I opened the door and stuck my hand in the water and everything was fine in the tank. My question is, what in the world would cause the doorknob to shock me? My wife just tried to open the door (4 hours after I did) and got shocked too! This doesn't make sense. Anyone?

07/12/2016, 10:20 AM	#3
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	more than likely... Its called "static electricity".. The doorknob didn't shock you.. You transferred the shock TO the doorknob from what was built up in your body.. __________________ Who me?

07/12/2016, 02:36 PM	#11
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Its very common to replace one of the screws on each hinge with a long one to help secure the door.. As stated that may have pierced a wire in the wall and with enough humidity/moisture you could be feeling it at the door knob.. (pretty low..low chance but possible).. As stated get a multimeter and ground the black lead at a local outlet and then probe the hinges with the red lead.. Anything over 30V or so would indicate a problem.. Don't touch the handle again without gloves/shoes if you are positive its not static.. __________________ Who me?

07/13/2016, 11:23 AM	#13
jason2459 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 9,671	Wow, glad it was just a small shock. I would figure a way to not have an extension cord or at least not one running under a door. __________________ rebuild and recovery log: No more red house, you'll have to click on my name and visit my homepage! You can check out my parameters at reeftronics dot net website and look for my username. Current Tank Info: 180g mixed reef w/ a beananimal overflow to a dolomite RRUGF. \| 20g long G. Smithii Mantis Tank

07/13/2016, 05:43 PM	#15
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	extension cords are for temporary use only.. (no more than 2-3 days max).. sure would have been nice if you mentioned an extension cord running under the door too.. Hope you are aware of and implement GFCI protection too.. __________________ Who me?

07/12/2016, 10:37 AM	#5
dinger28 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Indian Land, SC Posts: 385	Door has been installed for a year and a half and nothing like this has ever happened before. I've been shocked by static electricity and this isn't it. The shock from the doorknob will stay with you until you let go of the door handle. :/

07/12/2016, 10:38 AM	#6
dinger28 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Indian Land, SC Posts: 385	I have felt tray voltage inside tanks before and this feels like the same thing, but outside the tank.

07/12/2016, 01:52 PM	#7
alton Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Zuehl, Texas Posts: 4,460	Pull the trim and see if someone ran romex around the door and it now has a nick in it? I was installing a security system onetime and when I drilled the door frame to install a contact I drilled into the romex. After removing all the trim the owner or someone else had run romex using the base boards to hide it and when they got to door, yes they went up around and back down to an outside plug. It is amazing what I have seen over the years.

07/12/2016, 01:58 PM	#8
dinger28 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Indian Land, SC Posts: 385	It was actually a pre fabricated door from Lowes that my father in law and I installed to the fish room we built.

07/12/2016, 02:16 PM	#10
stage3-s4 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 151	Like others have said sounds like you have a short in a wire near your door frame somewhere. I don't think that has anything to do with your tank.

07/13/2016, 05:31 AM	#12
dinger28 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Indian Land, SC Posts: 385	I found out that the extension chord running under the door had a nick in it, therefore exposing wire which in turn sends stray voltage to the doorknob. Electrical tape has fixed everything. Thanks all!

07/13/2016, 12:06 PM	#14
dinger28 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Indian Land, SC Posts: 385	Already drilled a hole so this will not happen again.

07/14/2016, 07:46 PM	#16
JAustin Acropora Nut Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 1,628	"Extension cords are temporary".....LOL!!!!! __________________ 211g Planet Aquariums Hybrid PVC bottom 48"x34"x30" and steel stand from CustomReefCreations - Reeflo Super Dart - OM 4way - SRO XP3000 External - ATI Dimmable 8x54w - Apex.

07/15/2016, 08:21 AM	#17
yacn Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 212	LOL You take the time to post this thread...why you got shocked by your door knob.... And have an extension cord running underneath the door and didn't think to check that first....are you kidding me!?

07/15/2016, 09:40 PM	#18
LXXero Moved On Join Date: May 2016 Location: Colorado Posts: 565	i still want to know how the heck electricity got to the door knob anyway. even despite a cord under it. Like, isn't the door wood? how would that even work? wood isn't usually very conductive...or is this also a metal door too....

07/16/2016, 07:48 AM	#19
WiDataTech Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Wausau, Wi Posts: 136	Wood itself is not conductive, but can possibly conduct electricity if the moisture content high enough. You could say the same thing about shirts. A dry one won't conduct anything, but a damp or wet one would. __________________ Mark I enjoy long walks on the fairway. Current Tank Info: 28 gal cube with 2 O. clowns, 58 gal in the works.