Calling electricians. Have a strange problem with the kitchen light

itno

itno

itno

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8 Oct 2008
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276
Having a strange day so far due to the kitchen light. Kitchen light is a long fluorescent tube and it appears it's making items in the kitchen live. First noticed it this morning when I went to pick up the kitchen cloth, which is damp. Got what I thought was a static electric shock but every time I picked up the cloth I got a shock. I also go shocks off the ceramic tiles around the window but not off the kitchen sink, which I presume is grounded on the water pipes.

Didn't realise it was the kitchen light but my brother thought it was and turned the light off and the shocks stop. With the light on, the tiles around the window are round 80 to 90 volts but not much current (so far anyway) so it the shocks fell like a strong static electric shock.

The weirdest shock I've got is from the screw head at the end of the kitchen worktop. The screw is, I'm presuming, to hold the end trim onto the kitchen worktop so wouldn't be long and one can presume effectively insulated. However, with the light on then there's about 80 volts going through it which I found out the hard way when my face brushed it as I was measuring voltages off objects.

Does this problem ring a bell? Is it a problem with the tube or the light fitting? I replaced the tube a couple of weeks ago as the old one wouldn't stop on. The tube I replaced hadn't been used before but had been sat around for at least a year.
 
It's gone a bit Mulder and Scully as the light seems to be inducing currents in metal objects. A knife on the kitchen worktop has a voltage but should be isolated from any electrical source as the kitchen worktop is laminate (I think).
 
How are you measuring the induced voltage.

Tiles are an insulator they dont pass current, same as wood.

and how on earth is your rcd not tripping if what your saying is true. Id be getting an electrician to check asap including the consumer unit
 
Only way I can see those things being live is if there's a lot of damp. I'd check behind the switch for a start if it's only happening when the light is on.

What are you testing with?
 
Danm54 said:
Only way I can see those things being live is if there's a lot of damp. I'd check behind the switch for a start if it's only happening when the light is on.

What are you testing with?
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would have to be an incredible amount of damp, i.e the whole room including surfaces saturated with water
 
I've put the old tube back in and the problem has gone away but the old tube is on it's last legs. The kitchen does get humid but I'm not sure if that explains why I was getting a shock off the damp cloth whilst it was in my hand. Can only presume the tube was inducing a current through me as I was stood under the light.
 
itno said:
I've put the old tube back in and the problem has gone away but the old tube is on it's last legs. The kitchen does get humid but I'm not sure if that explains why I was getting a shock off the damp cloth whilst it was in my hand. Can only presume the tube was inducing a current through me as I was stood under the light.
Click to expand...

Havent been on the wacky baccy today have you?
 
NoobCannon said:
would have to be an incredible amount of damp, i.e the whole room including surfaces saturated with water
Click to expand...

True, can't see any other way for tiles to be conductive though.
I've had a tingle from wiping water off a patress box and that was only a small amount. I've also tripped an rcd by dropping wet cement onto the back of a live switch so you don't need that much water to conduct electricity.

Would still have to be pretty damp to have so many live things in a room though!
 
Danm54 said:
True, can't see any other way for tiles to be conductive though.
I've had a tingle from wiping water off a patress box and that was only a small amount. I've also tripped an rcd by dropping wet cement onto the back of a live switch so you don't need that much water to conduct electricity.

Would still have to be pretty damp to have so many live things in a room though!
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Dropping water onto live terminals (your cement scenerao) is easily capable of tripping a rcd. The op however claims standing underneath his strip light and holding a towel managed to give him a shock.

Such a scenario I've only seen in incredibly high voltage instances, i.e underneath overhead hv lines.
 
I used a volt meter to read the voltages by putting one end on the cloth and the other to the back of the microwave which is earthed to a main socket. The cloth was producing or had 80-90v AC going through it. The screw mentioned in my OP I read using same volt meter at again 80 to 90 volts AC, the other contact was to a water pipe. This was when the light was on. Turn the light off and the voltage dropped to 0. The screw I noticed when I brushed my face against it where my only contact was to the ground which is laminate tiles and I had socks on.

I tried picking up the cloth later whilst wearing marigold gloves and I could feel the shock through the gloves. Clearly, marigold gloves are not a good insulator.

The knife when on the worktop had around 10 volts going through it when the light was on. 0 volts when the light was off. The knife and I were directly under the light.
 
Rather than replace the tube and starter get an LED stoplight installed cheaper in the long run!

As for the issue I have only has experience of this when working on pylons and over head bare cables. For it to be happening in a home you have a serious issue
 
Not sure about charging a phone but wished I'd have taken some video of it, I may have a go when the new tube turns up and put in the old tube before putting in the new tube. For comparison, the later incident when I was wearing marigolds reminded me of touching an electric cattle fence. Everything was find up until yesterday at 10.30am. Hadn't started the breakfasts so kitchen wasn't humid. Let's blame 5G.

New tube and starter should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday so will try then.

Edit: wish I could find my neon screwdriver to test for live electricity. Will keep looking for it.
 
The only time I have had a shock off something was when fitting a boiler in mates Gym/garage- His brother was helping and he jumped back saying he had a shock -I thought he was joking as although it was connected no power was on- I put the meter on it and got 50v - Rang his sparky who came out and said I think I know what it is - he went straight to the earth spike and sure enough the wire had come off - He said it was a common thing in Telford with the PME system.
So it might be something just as simple.
 
DXP55 said:
The only time I have had a shock off something was when fitting a boiler in mates Gym/garage- His brother was helping and he jumped back saying he had a shock -I thought he was joking as although it was connected no power was on- I put the meter on it and got 50v - Rang his sparky who came out and said I think I know what it is - he went straight to the earth spike and sure enough the wire had come off - He said it was a common thing in Telford with the PME system.
So it might be something just as simple.
Click to expand...
Tera Tera (earth spike) not PME (Protective multiple Earthing)
 
NoobCannon said:
The op however claims standing underneath his strip light and holding a towel managed to give him a shock.

Such a scenario I've only seen in incredibly high voltage instances, i.e underneath overhead hv lines.
Click to expand...

Note to OP,

The UKAEA wants its prototype inertial electrostatic confinement micro fusion reactor back.

It looks a bit like a fluorescent tube and was packed in error.

UKAEA apologises for any inconvenience...
 
Was kind of hoping that as it is a 4ft tube that it may be a part from a light sabre. Definitely was feeling the force yesterday.
 
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