Weird feeling in arms when turning off shower?

Question

Sometimes when I'm getting out of the shower, I reach down to turn the water off, and the moment I touch the k***s I get this tingly, heavy, numbing feeling that shoots all the way up my arm. My husband says it's the vibration of the water in the pipes, but it only happens sometimes. Any ideas what it could be??

Answer 1

electricity could be touching those pipes somewhere along the line?

Answer 2

You are being electrocuted.  Most likely there is a contact between a water pipe and an electrical wire.  Or...possibly even a leak from a pipe and a wire.  When you touch the k**b to turn off the water, you are completing a circuit.  (I bet your husband hasn't experienced it because he doesn't shut it off until he is OUT of the shower or maybe because this just started happening and you were the only one who showered).  

I had a similar thing happen to me.  I was drawing bath water and was testing the water temp with my hand.  If all I touched was the water running from the fountain there was NOT a jolt.  If I touched the water in the tub there was NOT a jolt.  BUT if i touched both simultaneously, I got a jolt.  

I would bet everything that there is a hazard in your situation.

Answer 3

It sounds like your plumbing is carrying an electric current. This is very dangerous and potentially deadly. Your plumbing must not be grounded properly and you should probably call an electrician as soon as you can. He will be able to track down the problem causing your pipes to energize and he'll be able to ground your pipes so it wont happen again.

Answer 4

There is something pinching on your nerve when you are in the position to turn off the k***s. Try the same motion outside the shower. It may be that after having your arms up, washing your hair that the change in position puts pressure on the nerve. I get that in my fingers if I type with the edge of the table under my forearms. And, it would last for several hours.

Have your Doctor check it out. Meds for inflamation may help. Or perhaps a visit to the chiropractor can help.

Answer 5

You might have a nerve impingement in your shoulder that you're unaware of. And, when you go through the motion of turning off the shower valve, it just moves your shoulder to the point where the nerve gets impinged. This will cause a feeling that is almost like an electric shock  down the back of your arm, the back of your forearm, through the palm of your hand, and out to your fingers (usually the middle and ring fingers).

Try ibuprofen and ice packs on your shoulder for a few days. If that doesn't calm the problem down, go to an orthopedist and have them check it out.

A few months ago, I fell down some concrete steps and wrenched my shoulder pretty bad. I'm still in the recovery process and I get that feeling every now and then when I move my shoulder a certain way.

Answer 6

You can be sure if it is current with a simple circuit tester two ways.

1 the little neon testors do not need to be attatched to neutral or ground to display just one end needs to have a potential and hold the other end in your fingers. believe me it is not dangerous and you will not be shocked. it is possible that the resistance in the type of circuit you discribe may be such that this type of testor may not display. a better option would be to use a volt ohm meter Check for voltage first from an outlet to the k**b do both sides of the outlet one side should read a voltage(the hot one because the pipes are the neutral or ground) the other should not give a reading. I say should not because there are instances where both will give a reading. (open neutral a missed connection on a neutral wire) check from the handle to the drain for voltage also. If you have an electric water heater try these tests with the breaker for the WH off and then right after filling the washer for a load on hot see if there is a difference in the results. I would not be surprised if you find the water is your culprit bad elements and bad ground connection or as i have found many times a ground that is not connected at all!

Answer 7

Well, is is a vibration?   If there's a vibration, there should be some kind of sound accompanying it, assuming it's within the audible frequency range.

If you think it's electricity, find someone who has an AC voltmeter or "multimeter" and measure from the k**b to the "U" ground connection of a nearby outlet ("Mr Bill's mouth" if you're in the USA) - you'll need to be sure the meter is in contact with the ground lug (a banana plug usually works).   If there's more than 1/10th of a volt present, that's worth bringing in an electrician to check out - there are ways people can isolate water pipes from their natural ground if they've used plastic anywhere in the system.   It can create a hazard in older houses if someone grounded an old 2-wire outlet or appliance onto a water pipe, and then later someone comes along and installs a plastic pipe fitting between there and ground (where the pipe enters the house).

It would take a weird set of circumstances for that to happen, but I assure you, weird things DO happen in houses, particularly where do-it-yourselfers do things beyond their capabilities or their willingness to learn how to do things right.