# PC TV Electric Problem



## danmitch1 (Nov 30, 2004)

Hi guys,
I just moved to a new appartment .I setup my pc the same way i did at my old place and everything was ok for about a week  .
What i have is a videotron regular digital cable box in my living room with a tv hooked up by s-video .I now take a coaxial and hook that to the videotron box and run it to my bedroom setup .The setup in my bedroom is a 32" 1080p sharp aquos hooked to my dell xps via dvi hdmi and the coaxial cable from the living room connects to the tvs cable input.

So this all worked and then one night i noticed the power was off in the bedroom .Something blew the breaker .I checked if anything extra was plugged in and nothing had been changed .After i turned on the breaker switch the power was ok .

I then turned on my bedroom tv and the picture was "snowy" .My pc was not on the wire wasnt crimped.. so i thought that maybe the coaxial cable somehow got messed up. I tried to unscrew the coaxial cable from the back of the aquos (tv off) and got a pretty good electrical shock !! i was freaked out cause i never got a shock from a tv cable in my life .So i turned off the power and then removed the cable to try another when i touched the new cable to the tv it sparked !! 

I called videotron and they told me they never heard of that and it couldnt be their equipment that caused it ,Now i checked every breaker and plug in the appartment and made sure that nothing was interfering with my power and it all seemed fine .the only thing hooked to the plug for the bedroom tv breaker is 2 lights in the kitchen and another unused plug .So what i did was unpluged the hdmi cable from the tv and held the contact in one hand (PC OFF ) and then took the coaxial cable and touched it with my other hand and got a shock !? I dont understand this .After this i checked the aquos in the living room and the signal threw coaxial input is damaged (Im guessing perminantly snowy)  

So if i want to use my tv now i need to use another connection type(which is good cause obviously coaxial is crap anyway) But im thinking of calling the store cause its still under warrenty but does my warrenty cover this ? Is it dell or sharp that is messed or is my appartment power messed up ? This setup worked fine , the only thing different from my old appartment setup is i didnt have the time to hook my tv tuner card this time but i dont see that being why i didnt have trouble before because all that was is i had the coaxial from the living room split one cable to the tv and one to the pc (if i wanted to use the pvr option threw windows media center which was cool but i didnt use often)

I searched around the net and asked some people, no one has ever heard of this, 
any help would be great .
Thanks,

Dan.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

You have an electrical wiring/grounding issue somewhere! I'd be calling an electrician if you don't feel you can track it down!


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## danmitch1 (Nov 30, 2004)

Shizznit! Ive been getting that from a few people now. where would one start ?
The power breaker box looks like new as if its been replaced .
I guess since i narrowed down the breaker i could shut that off and open the wall socket that the pc is attached to .Maybe then ill see if its grounded or not but i gave my voltage meter thing a ma jig to my sister since i never had to use it... murphys law..


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Get the voltmeter back.


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## danmitch1 (Nov 30, 2004)

Do you think its a ground issue ? Im thinking of turning off all the power and opening all the power outlets to see if they are wired properly :S 
I Sorta dont wannt deal with my "janitor" and or pay for the electrician . really Odd problem , and im used to watching tv before bed (in bed) I dont wanna hook anything else to this tv 
(which im currently using on my pc with the same setup minus the tv coaxial , and its working fine) till i fix it .I dont wanna fry any more components.


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

you might aquire this little gaget

lowe's or a hardware or an electrical supply store will sell something similar
makes checking wall outlets easy - even for those NOT electrically inclined


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## K7M (Feb 27, 2000)

Get a tester as daniel suggested. test the outlet the cable box is plugged into and the one the tv is plugged into. sounds like the hot & neutral are swapped on one of the receptacles. The tv probably has on spade on the plug wider than the other one, the same with the cable box. They use the wider blade to polarize the connection and get ground off the neutral, if they are swapped the hot goes to the chassis of the device plugged into it making for a dangerous situation.


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## danmitch1 (Nov 30, 2004)

Ok , so if i get one of these devices and find the wires are swaped then its as simple as reversing the wires (+ - to - + ) ?
Thanks so far guys !


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

*MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

the wires don't have a [+] plus or a [-] minus

they will be:
green = ground
black = line or 'hot'
white = neutral

the three plugs in the wall-plug will be:
short slot = line
long slot = neutal
round plug = ground

*MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

*USE A METER AND CHECK FOR POWER IN ALL COMBINATIONS OF THE WALL PLUGS!!!!!*

GO HERE AND LOOK AT THE PICURES
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/hsehld.html#c2


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

Is this an apartment you *own* meaning you have the legal right to mess with the electrical system for your unit?


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

dan,
ps
if the breaker box has been replaced, you may need to get an electrician to verify the wires there are 'color' correctly attached -[did the 'janitor' do it?], otherwise, no matter WHAT you do at the wall-plug, it still really WON'T be 'kosher'

if you aren't TOTALLY comfortable in looking and doing what is being suggested, you really do need to call an electrician for some of the basics here, as someone with experience in a particular field will 'just notice' things that someone without that experience will miss

i'm not trying to cast aspersions upon anyone's abilities, it's just difficult to 'teach-in-a-couple-of-posts' what takes a person a number of years to learn

'messing' with electricity, you CAN cause your home to burn , as well as some great personal harm

that said, feel free to ask whatever questions you may have, someone here will be able to help


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

danmitch1 said:


> Hi guys,
> I just moved to a new appartment .I setup my pc the same way i did at my old place and everything was ok for about a week  ....





JohnWill said:


> You have an electrical wiring/grounding issue somewhere! I'd be calling an electrician if you don't feel you can track it down!


what johnwill said descibes the rectification of the problem explicitly

but, hey, wait a minute, we all may be going 'overboard' here on 'helpful info' - especially me 

if everything 'was working' - maybe there was a 'surge' on the line - and NOT necessarily the ac feed - but one there COULD have caused some other component in the 'chain' to fail - a cascading effect - do you use a ups?
- or - 
your connection with your modem could also have been a causitive item - do you use surge protectors?
- or - 
any one of the components themselves - maybe even a 'time related' item - [something was 'messed-up'] and 'finally' couldn't take any more????

really opens up a nasty can of worms.......

i don't know what all your 'equipment' cost you - but i think i would begin by investing in a ups / some surge protectors, then - unplugging EVERYTHING - checking the wiring - then beginning to plug ONE item at a time back in - AND CHECKING - then plugging another item in - AND CHECKING - and so on - AND CHECKING......

going to be a detailed process of elimination to see what did what............or luck.........


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## danmitch1 (Nov 30, 2004)

I have a frend at work who used to live in these appartments 18 years ago , he told me he had a brand new television set and it didnt work when he moved in.So he took an extension cord and jamed it in so the large spade fit into the small one on the wall lol worked.. Now im not gonna do this but im assuming (which we all know what assuming does but) i have the same issue .

Double Helix, no I dont "own" this apparment i leased it .For now Id like to tackle this assuming its ONLY the reversed wires in the appropriate jacks .I dont wanna deal with the janitor , Right off the bat first week i moved in she let me down with other repairs.

daniel b . thanks for your concern .its actually very responsible of you .Many people dont know or are ignorant of the dangers and just passing what you think is helpfull information without proper advise could end up in someones death .

The thing here is there was a surge of somesort because thats what began this problem. Every peice of equipment attached to this setup is ran to a surge protected powerbar.
I have no idea why the breaker blew that night , everything i have setup now as i type this was setup when the breaker popped . Which puzzled me and after mapping the entire appartments lights and electrical outlets to thier specific breaker on the pannel im even more puzelled because there was practically nothing on the bedrooms breaker.

Im no electrician but i grew up watching my father run electrical boxes and light panels etc Im gonna get one of those meter things and Shut off the power !!  before touching any of the wires . If that doesnt solve my problem ill call the pros  .

Im just wondering though , could a socket on a completely different breaker (from the problematic setup) cause trouble for separate breakers and sockets .should i check every socket ? might as well ? 9 in total .

Thanks again guys !!

Dan.


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

If you make any electrical changes without the permission of the owner, you could find yourself in a heap of legal trouble. Should anything go wrong and either damage your apartment or another apartment, you could be sued. 

You may not like dealing with management, but it's probably your legal obligation to do so.


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## danmitch1 (Nov 30, 2004)

Double helix ,your right but im not about to start major repairs and what i would do would be for the better .
So i got my self a volt tester and the verdict is reversed polarity.
I turned off the power and unscrewed the plug from the wall and gently pulled it out .The wires are at least 50 years old.So I gently pushed it back in and screwed it to the wall.
Not gonna mess around with wires that could break .
I checked all the plugs and not all of them are messed up ,only one plug i need for sure is .So i modified a heavy duty extension cord ,cut it ,spliced it ,reversed the wires ,attached the ground wire all using wire connectors and electrical tape and it solved the shock problem . 
Only thing is now my coaxial input got damaged on my tv and transmits a snowy image .Ill have to use another input other than coaxial on the tv which will make me have to buy another videotron illico box for the bedroom and pay the 2.50 a month .
You guys think i have a case in suing the landlord for my damaged tv ?
I dont know how id proove that though.Sucks... Im Thinking of going all out now and getting an HD box :/


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

I think it's a huge mistake to mess with any part of the property's infrastructure. Unless you're a licensed electrician, even minor, seemingly successful changes can lead to liability. 

If I had been in your position, the first call would have been to the landlord, and the second call would have been to my insurance company. Now you'll have to explain that you modified the wiring, and you want someone else to take responsibility for the result of a condition you can't prove or discuss without exposing yourself to liability.


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## paisanol69 (Sep 7, 2005)

danmitch1 said:


> Double helix ,your right but im not about to start major repairs and what i would do would be for the better .
> So i got my self a volt tester and the verdict is reversed polarity.
> I turned off the power and unscrewed the plug from the wall and gently pulled it out .The wires are at least 50 years old.So I gently pushed it back in and screwed it to the wall.
> *Not gonna mess around with wires that could break *.
> ...





DoubleHelix said:


> I think it's a huge mistake to mess with any part of the property's infrastructure. Unless you're a licensed electrician, even minor, seemingly successful changes can lead to liability.
> 
> If I had been in your position, the first call would have been to the landlord, and the second call would have been to my insurance company. *Now you'll have to explain that you modified the wiring, and you want someone else to take responsibility for the result of a condition you can't prove or discuss without exposing yourself to liability*.


...what the OP posted, you will see that your statement does not make any sense. He/She didnt modify any of the wiring in the apartment, only their OWN PERSONAL extension cord: (which was a good solution, as long as that extension cord is only used while being plugged into that one particular outlet)


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## robinofloxley (May 11, 2009)

UK electrician and ex-vid eng here.

Shocks are normal. I get mine from a booster that runs 3 TVs and a PC card in my house.
All appliances are double insulated and not grounded these days. So the voltages "float". 
Of course in the States you have always been somewhat lackadaisical over proper grounding. We men work with 230V not a wimpy 110V.
Curls the hairs on your chest.

AV shocks are not dangerous, unless possibly if you have a weak heart/pacemaker.
Some people run another ground wire and solder it to their TV coaxial connectors. But that can lead to ground loop/interference problems. 

Your "fuse box" is hopefully modern and will trip in a 100ms with a fault of 30mA. ie even if you grabbed a live outlet wire you would get a belt for a tenth of a second but it shouldnt kill you.
Beware of rewireable fuses and purely overcurrent breakers (to prevent fires) They take upto 5 seconds and many Amps to trip.

Under UK law we can do anything we want to Low Voltage cables.
eg TV coax. Dont annoy your neighbours in a shared apartment block though.
For mains and gas you need to be qualified.


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