"RBM" wrote in message
...

stuff snipped

If the water feed to the house is non metallic, you need to install or
verify that you have a properly sized bonding conductor going from a 3/4"
cold water pipe to your electric service neutral/ground bar. Also be sure
you have proper grounding electrodes on the service.

Is it likely that's the cause of a problem that seems to have suddenly
occurred? How would your typical poster even know if he had a metallic or
non-metallic supply line? AFAIK, they're often underground and invisible.

This certainly strikes me as something a professional needs to examine
because there are so many different ways the pipes could have become
energized, including some that are external the house wiring.

It's a question of skill sets and experience. Adding new circuits or
replacing a breaker is child's play compared to determining what would
suddenly cause the house faucets to become (perhaps lethally) energized. A
situation like this is not really amenable to a newbie screwing around
looking for possible causes while his wife dies taking a shower. The
numerous technical answers given probably should have been phrased "When the
electrician arrives, some of the things he might look for are . . . "

Unless the OP is *very* skilled electrically speaking, and that's doubtful
from the little information he presented, he needs to consult a
professional because the worst case scenarios could be very bad. Fatally
bad.

As my grandma used to say, you have to determine what things in life are
real tragedies and which are just burned potatoes. This could be a real
tragedy if not handled correctly.

--
Bobby G.