"BillP" wrote in message
...

Reminds me of the time I came home and my wife and two daughters were in
the
downstairs cloakroom, fascinated by the fact that they were getting a belt
from the light switch. A standard plastic rocker switch. "look Dad. Touch
the switch and it makes you jump. It's even worse if you reach over and
touch the tap on the basin at the same time". That can't be I said. The
switch is made of plastic and can't give you a shock. So I tried it.
Bugger
me a proper belt off a plastic switch. (Not a static shock) I even got a
meter out and measured between the plastic rocker switch and the tap.
240V.

A similar situation occurred in my niece's house. Switch on the light in the
hall and you got a shock through the fingers from the switch.
OK, she had painted the switch in gold paint, but checking the paint and the
switch surface all proved no conductivity. After changing the light switch,
there was no further problem.
Maybe it was just a bit of damp/dirt that let the shock through when the
switch changed over, who knows?

Dave