cable box/wiring question

[opterasis]

I'm having a bit of a problem with my cable and comcast has been no help at all, and was looking from some advice from you guys. A few days ago, my comcast cable box went on the fritz. I went to comcast and switched out for a new one. I get home, and this one doesn't work either. However, when I put my fingers on the end of the coax cable, my finger goes a bit tingly and numb like theres an electrical charge going through it. Is that normal, or could it be affecting the cable box? The box just displays random characters on the LCD display, nothing that makes out a real word.

[Teabaggins]

hmm, the thumb test is a good start but if you want to find out if the signal is strong enough you will need to touch your tongue to it

[opterasis]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

hmm, the thumb test is a good start but if you want to find out if the signal is strong enough you will need to touch your tongue to it

I'll leave that particular test for when my gf gets home.

[phlydude]

find where the wiring is coming in and check every coax block for a ground wire - turn off the main power to your house and disconnect the ground wire

If that solved the problem, then hire an electrician PRONTO to find out which outlet,switch, light, outlet etc is passing the current to the ground wire

your coax should not be passing any electricity that you can feel into the box

if you find that this didn't solve the problem, move the box to as close to the entry point of the cable into your house as possible and see if you are still getting the charge - if you are, more than likely something is wrong with the wiring outside the house - call a tech out to investigate it

if the problem is solved, then you have an issue either with the outlet that the cable box is plugged into or with the cable wiring from the entry to where the TV is

[opterasis]

Originally Posted by phlydude

find where the wiring is coming in and check every coax block for a ground wire - turn off the main power to your house and disconnect the ground wire

If that solved the problem, then hire an electrician PRONTO to find out which outlet,switch, light, outlet etc is passing the current to the ground wire

Thanks, I'll do that as soon as I get home. I'm assuming the "PRONTO" is because this is a fire hazard?

[clyon]

You need to find out if it grounded... & don't use your tongue, if you can feel the charge with a dry finger it going to be 'a lot' of power running though that cable.
use a voltmeter

[phlydude]

Originally Posted by opterasis

Thanks, I'll do that as soon as I get home. I'm assuming the "PRONTO" is because this is a fire hazard?

The ground is there to take the electricity in an overload but is not meant to handle constant power - the wires are often bare in fixtures and can be a major fire hazard

You might have a copper rod driven into the ground outside your house (or maybe it is connected to your water service) - definitely a shock hazard

[opterasis]

Thanks for the advice guys. And to think, I was just going to run the cable through this and see if it fixed the situation.