**SHOCKING** Event Pressure washing yesterday (literally!)

Bob Keenan

Bob Keenan

New member
Ok, so yesterday, I downstreamed soffit and fascia of a small ranch brick house and deck. Then moved on to pressure washing some black off the top of the brick chimney. I have my 16' aluminum ladder, with a stabilizer resting on the shingles, and the ladder is setting on the wood deck, next to chimney.

I've got a 5' wand with a turbo nozzle at the end, and im standing at the gutter line at top of ladder, and the bricks are coming clean, when I feel an ant or something stinging me on my leg under my pants, about mid- calf. I swat my pants, trying to kill it, and go back to pulling the trigger, when it starts stinging me again.... then, I think it's a sharp piece of metal or something from the ladder stabbing my leg....so, hand comes off the plastic gun, and holds the wand in the middle of the metal, other hand grabbing the ladder, and I feel........current passing through me.

Holy schnikees......

I jump off the ladder on to the deck to get away from metal..... First thought is to re-check to see if the ladder is contacting anything electrical.....which it's not... Ladder stabilizer with rubber feet is on the shingles, ladder not even touching the gutter. There is no way the ladder is in contact with any electrical source.... I test grab the wand to see what's up, and, nothing.

I have my helper grab it to see if it's just me.... He doesn't feel anything.... Then I tell him " hold the wand and grab the ladder at the same time."....... And, he gets the jolt!WTF?!!! How the hell is this happening??? I call Paul Kassander in Milwaukee, and he answers, and I tell him what happened.... I have a 12V hot water skid I bought from him in dec. he seems to think that even if there was some sort of short in the wiring in the skid, I should not be feeling the kind if jolt I was feeling... From 12v....

So, to test, i take the ladder and wand around the house to the front yard, and try to shock myself there to see if it my equipment or not.... Actually, I had my helper try it... In the middle of the front lawn.... "ok, now try it Adam, grab the ladder and wand at the same time."..... And, nothing, no shock.... Could not duplicate it.... Luckily for Adam.... Ok, I actually tried it too.... After him.....

Anyway, still can not figure out what the hell was happening!!!!! Paul also guessed that perhaps it was the wet, wood deck that was energized with 120v from the house, with a nail through a wire under the deck or something.... I looked as best I could under it for such a wire, but could not see anything.....

I told the homeowner about it, and that she should have an electrician look at it to see if they could find anything... Called to follow up with her today, but she had not done so yet...So, anyone here have any theories?
 
Bob, thank goodness your ok. We have had folks die from this. I guess if you have 110 unit might have been worse.
Bob Keenan said:
Ok, so yesterday, I downstreamed soffit and fascia of a small ranch brick house and deck. Then moved on to pressure washing some black off the top of the brick chimney. I have my 16' aluminum ladder, with a stabilizer resting on the shingles, and the ladder is setting on the wood deck, next to chimney.

I've got a 5' wand with a turbo nozzle at the end, and im standing at the gutter line at top of ladder, and the bricks are coming clean, when I feel an ant or something stinging me on my leg under my pants, about mid- calf. I swat my pants, trying to kill it, and go back to pulling the trigger, when it starts stinging me again.... then, I think it's a sharp piece of metal or something from the ladder stabbing my leg....so, hand comes off the plastic gun, and holds the wand in the middle of the metal, other hand grabbing the ladder, and I feel........current passing through me.

Holy schnikees......

I jump off the ladder on to the deck to get away from metal..... First thought is to re-check to see if the ladder is contacting anything electrical.....which it's not... Ladder stabilizer with rubber feet is on the shingles, ladder not even touching the gutter. There is no way the ladder is in contact with any electrical source.... I test grab the wand to see what's up, and, nothing.

I have my helper grab it to see if it's just me.... He doesn't feel anything.... Then I tell him " hold the wand and grab the ladder at the same time."....... And, he gets the jolt!WTF?!!! How the hell is this happening??? I call Paul Kassander in Milwaukee, and he answers, and I tell him what happened.... I have a 12V hot water skid I bought from him in dec. he seems to think that even if there was some sort of short in the wiring in the skid, I should not be feeling the kind if jolt I was feeling... From 12v....

So, to test, i take the ladder and wand around the house to the front yard, and try to shock myself there to see if it my equipment or not.... Actually, I had my helper try it... In the middle of the front lawn.... "ok, now try it Adam, grab the ladder and wand at the same time."..... And, nothing, no shock.... Could not duplicate it.... Luckily for Adam.... Ok, I actually tried it too.... After him.....

Anyway, still can not figure out what the hell was happening!!!!! Paul also guessed that perhaps it was the wet, wood deck that was energized with 120v from the house, with a nail through a wire under the deck or something.... I looked as best I could under it for such a wire, but could not see anything.....

I told the homeowner about it, and that she should have an electrician look at it to see if they could find anything... Called to follow up with her today, but she had not done so yet...So, anyone here have any theories?
Click to expand...
 
When you held wand and ladder you completed a circuit between the source of the current and the ground.
The ladder must have been touching another part of the circuit - my guess is either a stabilizer foot that was wet or worn - or a ladder foot that was wet or worn.

You'll want to be sure your skid isn't the source of the current - obviously.

If the current came from the home, I would be curious to understand what path it took through your equipment to the ground.

Metal part of the wand - water in the hose - then where? Nearest hose fitting on wet grass?

Bob Keenan said:
Ok, so yesterday, I downstreamed soffit and fascia of a small ranch brick house and deck. Then moved on to pressure washing some black off the top of the brick chimney. I have my 16' aluminum ladder, with a stabilizer resting on the shingles, and the ladder is setting on the wood deck, next to chimney.

I've got a 5' wand with a turbo nozzle at the end, and im standing at the gutter line at top of ladder, and the bricks are coming clean, when I feel an ant or something stinging me on my leg under my pants, about mid- calf. I swat my pants, trying to kill it, and go back to pulling the trigger, when it starts stinging me again.... then, I think it's a sharp piece of metal or something from the ladder stabbing my leg....so, hand comes off the plastic gun, and holds the wand in the middle of the metal, other hand grabbing the ladder, and I feel........current passing through me.

Holy schnikees......

I jump off the ladder on to the deck to get away from metal..... First thought is to re-check to see if the ladder is contacting anything electrical.....which it's not... Ladder stabilizer with rubber feet is on the shingles, ladder not even touching the gutter. There is no way the ladder is in contact with any electrical source.... I test grab the wand to see what's up, and, nothing.

I have my helper grab it to see if it's just me.... He doesn't feel anything.... Then I tell him " hold the wand and grab the ladder at the same time."....... And, he gets the jolt!WTF?!!! How the hell is this happening??? I call Paul Kassander in Milwaukee, and he answers, and I tell him what happened.... I have a 12V hot water skid I bought from him in dec. he seems to think that even if there was some sort of short in the wiring in the skid, I should not be feeling the kind if jolt I was feeling... From 12v....

So, to test, i take the ladder and wand around the house to the front yard, and try to shock myself there to see if it my equipment or not.... Actually, I had my helper try it... In the middle of the front lawn.... "ok, now try it Adam, grab the ladder and wand at the same time."..... And, nothing, no shock.... Could not duplicate it.... Luckily for Adam.... Ok, I actually tried it too.... After him.....

Anyway, still can not figure out what the hell was happening!!!!! Paul also guessed that perhaps it was the wet, wood deck that was energized with 120v from the house, with a nail through a wire under the deck or something.... I looked as best I could under it for such a wire, but could not see anything.....

I told the homeowner about it, and that she should have an electrician look at it to see if they could find anything... Called to follow up with her today, but she had not done so yet...So, anyone here have any theories?
Click to expand...
 
I had the same thing happen to me.I was also using a machine with a 12v burner.My uncle is an electrician,he said the house has a bad ground or not grounded correctly.
 
has happened to me twice in the past year
 
Mark,
You got zapped a couple of times? Can you describe what happened?
(Assumming it wasn't exact circumstances?)
I have a mobile home up in northern Wisconsin, with aluminum siding, and I would get zapped every once in a while, working on the outside.
Went on for a couple of years - on and off - until once I had occasion to remove a couple of panels. Found a worn wire touching the inside of the panel. Turns out I was only getting zapped when I was grounded, and I must have never been grounded real well, because I never did get the hint.
 
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