On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:18:27 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Hi!

I have a quick question and wondered if somebody can explain this to
me. While working on some wiring today, I got a bit of a jolt from
the neutral wire. When I tested it with my voltmeter, it read zero (I
had the breaker off). But then, when I grabbed the neutral, I got a
tingle.

I took my voltmeter and tested it, and it peaked up around 1 to 2
volts, then dropped back to zero. Did it again a few minutes later
and the same thing.

Upon further investigation, I found that there was one neutral that
was going to the furnace (on one circuit) and then up to the sockets
on the other circuit. One circuit (the furnace one) was live while
the other was dead.

Just so I understand, is the reason why I got a tingle was because
electricity was flowing through the live circuit? If I turned off the
circuit for the furnace along with the other one, would this have
prevented me from getting a little shock? I read one posting that
said to use the clamp to check for amps. Should I have done this
along with checking out how many volts are running through it?


Thanks!

A 1 or 2 volt reading is nothing to be alarmed about and could be due
to resistance differences. A good outlet tester (about $20) will
make quick work in testing all the outlets in the circuit.