Shock Therapy: A warning to plumbers working with water meters

Chris Van Bargen, of PlumberForHire.ca, was recently working on a home in Elmira, Ont., when he got the shock of his life – one that could have ended it.

I was disconnecting a water meter to change the house valve that was leaking. As I finished loosening the meter nut and draining the last water out an arching occurred and the power went off. Not being an electrician, I assumed the panel was using the water for ground.

I froze not knowing if I should reattach the meter and possibly complete the ground through myself. Then, about 10 seconds later, the copper ground that was attached to the pipe going out of the home started buzzing, hissing, and smoking and this scared me further into not wanting to touch anything. The power then came back on as I realized the ground clamp and cable probably grounded through corrosion and old paint. I quickly reattached the meter and turned the water back on at the curb stop.

Van Bargen did some research and found an Electrical Safety Authority bulletin (16-26-FL) from October 2016 that highlighted this potential danger, suggesting that it’s possibly due to a deteriorated neutral. The ESA and recommended use a set of car jumper cables attached before and after the meter to maintain the continuity of the grounding system.

I am not an electrician, but even the electrician I work with was not familiar with this situation. This needs to be taught to electricians and plumbers in apprenticeship training!

Stay Safe

If you’ve come across an unexpected jobsite hazard please let us know about it so we can share it with other readers. Contact managing editor Allan Britnell at allan@renocontractor.ca.