Sparky66wv,
The bootleg ground is a possibility. With the shared or common neutral set up that I'm sure this house has, the neutral is probably carrying current at all times. But I wouldnt expect 35-45 volts from a load that's always on (like a clock). Or it might not be a bootleg ground, just a hot electrical box from a hot or neutral in contact with the box.
How do we get from a hot box to a sink or tub at 35-45 volts? It's a funny one.
I've run across this in situations where the tub or sink has a tile surround (tile countertop or floor). The tile bed has chicken wire in it. I've seen instances where this reinforcing wire is in contact with the steel electrical box. If the box is hot, and without an EGC, Viola! the whole counter is hot! The wire mesh is also in contact with the cast-iron sink and tub.
I also saw this once in an old house where a laundry room had been added on. The previously exterior walls of stucco had been left as-is when the space was enclosed. When the new homeowner bent over and around the side of the electric dryer to plug it in, they got a real tingle when they touched the stucco wall. I checked the wall with my volt-tic and the whole damn wall was hot! A voltage check showed 124v on the dryer vent pipe!
I figured the galvanized iron dryer vent pipe was in contact with a hot conductor of the old K&T wiring in the house. Pulled the vent pipe out and saw nothing. The I went to the receptacle outlet on the adjacent (also stucco) wall. Opened it up and there is was--a piece of the metal lath was in solid contact with the box. A check of voltage on the box (using the ground pin of an extention cord plugged into a known good ground) showed line voltage.
Looking closely, I saw that the box was hot due to a frayed hot conductor. There was no equipment ground, which of course would've probably cleared the fault by tripping the CB or burning off a conductor.
If the counter and floor are ceramic tile, this could be the cause.
Let us know!
