Shocked by Ground Wire

[TractorJeff]

Putting Light Switches(night light when OFF type) in today use 2 circuits of Menards Low Budget LED hanging Lights. While doing some rearraigning in the 120V Feed Panel I brushed my wrist across the Lighting Circuit Ground Wire and got a tingle. Building has a 120V Feed (Black, White, Ground) only. Do those type of switches feed across the ground for the Night Light?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Putting Light Switches(night light when OFF type) in today use 2 circuits of Menards Low Budget LED hanging Lights. While doing some rearraigning in the 120V Feed Panel I brushed my wrist across the Lighting Circuit Ground Wire and got a tingle. Building has a 120V Feed (Black, White, Ground) only. Do those type of switches feed across the ground for the Night Light?

Does the switch have a neutral connection? If not then yes it would use the ground. This is why neutrals are now required by code in light switch j boxes.

 

[TractorJeff]

Thanks Wilie, I'll look into that after it gets above 0 degrees.

 

[Low277]

Does the switch have a neutral connection? If not then yes it would use the ground. This is why neutrals are now required by code in light switch j boxes.

X2

 

[TractorJeff]

Update!
The Garage Panel is an old 3 Wire Setup With a Ground rod which feeds to a Fused Disconnect with a Ground rod at the "Bunkhouse" through a Hodge Podge of Romex and Conduit. By the time it gets distributed in there my Sperry Outlet Tester says the Hot and the Neutral are reversed!
As both of those buildings are not heated(high of 4 degrees yesterday) I had no desire to crawl around the attics looking for the problem. The Building where the Neutral was live(flipped the Neutral and Hot for now) is an Add-On at the far end of the "Bunkhouse".
Come Spring time I will have to investigate the issue more thoroughly.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Sounds like it's time for an upgraded feeder.

Reversing neutral and ground most likely won't fix the problem because they were never really flipped in the first place. What's going on is you've lost your neutral connection somewhere and something is feeding 120 V back on the neutral.

Had a call like this last month.

Outlets showed hot and neutral reversed.

Turns out neutral in the panel was loose and the transformers for the intercom were feeding 120v back on the neutral.

 

[Jazz1]

Sounds like it's time for an upgraded feeder.

Reversing neutral and ground most likely won't fix the problem because they were never really flipped in the first place. What's going on is you've lost your neutral connection somewhere and something is feeding 120 V back on the neutral.

Had a call like this last month.

Outlets showed hot and neutral reversed.

Turns out neutral in the panel was loose and the transformers for the intercom were feeding 120v back on the neutral.

Spent seven hours chasing one of those gremlins last year. Turned out to be broken neutral in back of ceiling fan

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Spent seven hours chasing one of those gremlins last year. Turned out to be broken neutral in back of ceiling fan

yeah took me many hours too.

Customer has one of those 200a overstuff GE panels with neutral bar buried under the wire trough.

I had to open every junction box up.

 

[TractorJeff]

Yeah, It bugs me from the Safety stand point but like I mentioned earlier its a Deep Freeze (negative temps) at least till this coming weekend. If it warms up enough to at least not wear a coat I will be able to go searching/hunting for the problem.