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just a thought,
The only times I've ever run across someone getting shocked by the plumbing, there was a bad cal-rod in the water heater.
Is the W.H. electric or gas?
something to check.

Lamplighter, it's gas.

Well upon more investigation I went to the neighbors house and found 3.5 amps on leg A, 1 amp on leg B. According to my math this should put 2.5 amps on the neutral. Well there was only 1 amp showing up on the neutral. Trouble is, there was zero on the GEC. I can't figure where the missing 1.5 is going. My only thought is this: If the neighbor has a neutral to ground connection inside the house, and a poor neutral connection at the drop, maybe there is current leaving out the front where the water pipe enters the house. Remember, the water services are in the street while the electric is in the alley. This would put the missing current out the front to the water main and back into the old lady's house where it would travel from the front, thru her kitchen plumbing, then out thru her GEC which is bonded to the plumbing in back. I have to wait for the neighbor to be home so I can get them to switch enough loads on to load up the neutral, at which point I will amp out the water pipe.

Hal, I have seen places around here with original K&T, (TW plastic wire insulation, in colors even) installed straight up to the mid 60's. With original permits on the building/in the panel for proof. Many, if any grounds, were to the nearest cold water. It would seem a few guys back then stuck to thier antiquated wire system until they retired. (Like old dogs and new tricks.) Another real shocker, is that you'll have occassion to see 3-wire circuits in some of the early to mid 60's houses in K&T as well - SCARY! Something to watch for when doing panel changes here.... (I usually reduce the ciruit load in re-models by re-doing the plugs, and put all of them on the same phase, and two wire circuits. If i can....)

These houses are 2 wire cloth covered romex.

BigB
As Don has mentioned, it would seem there is some kind of fault in the house that you are dealing with.
you mentioned 2-wire, is there an equipment ground conductor with the 2-wire?

When you started to turn the circuits on, did you do it one by one or by using the main?

Do you have access to a gauss meter?

PCBelarge,
Thanks for your interest. I went through the house and turned on everything I could find. Then I ran a 50' extension cord in from the main to provide me with a ground for testing. I could get no current from the plumbing.

The wiring has no grounding conductor.

One way I will prove if it is coming from within the house or coming in on the water pipe, I will move the water bond from the back of the house to the front instead, where the water main enters the house. This will give any incoming current a low resistance path around to the main neutral instead of thru the house plumbing.

Then if the issue still occurs, I will know it is internal.

I still need to check out that neighboring house, did you read my post about the neutral current there that didn't add up?

[This message has been edited by BigB (edited 11-02-2005).]

The shocking incidents also only occur two to three times a month,and last only a short time. Makes it tough to figure out.