Can You Get Shocked From a Neutral Conductor?

At some point, most of us electricians have received a shock from touching a hot conductor and something that is grounded. Some of us have also been shocked by touching 2 different hot conductors! But what about a neutral conductor? Is it possible to get shocked by the neutral? In the latest episode of Electrician U, Dustin talks about this phenomenon and clears a few things up.

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As we have discussed in previous episode of Electrician U, in order for electricity to work as we intend it to, it must travel in loops. In a 120v circuit, for example, current leaves on the hot conductor, travels THRU the load, and returns on the neutral conductor. In this way, the loop is closed and current can flow. Break either the hot or the neutral, and current will no longer flow and whatever load you have in the circuit will not operate. The same process is true for a multi hot (240v with 2 hots for example) circuit. Current will travel out on one hot, THRU the load, and back on the other hot completing the circuit and allowing the current to flow.
To receive a shock, you must be touching something that is energized AND something else that allows the loop to be completed and current to flow. So, the hot wire and the ground wire or the hot wire and a neutral or the hot wire and another hot wire. Any of those scenarios will allow current to flow and you will receive a nasty shock! So, with neutrals, the same rules apply. You must be touching the neutral conductor AND something else for it to SHOCK you! Imagine if you were touching the side of the lamp screw shell with one hand and something grounded with the other, you will receive a shock (in addition to having the lamp come ON!). But if you were to touch the side of that lamp screw shell and NOTHING ELSE, then the loop will NOT be closed and current CANNOT flow.
You could potentially receive a shock from a neutral conductor if it is not bonded to ground at the service point. But again, to get shocked by the neutral conductor, you would have to be touching it AND something else so current can flow. It is possible to get shocked by touching two neutrals. If you were to touch the neutral coming from the side of a screw shell from a light bulb and the neutral GOING TO the panel, you will most definitely (if the circuit is energized) receive a shock. But this is only because you are completing the loop! At the point of the screw shell, the neutral conductor touching it is essentially the same wire as the hot as things will be travelling thru the filament of the light bulb. So, again, you are just completing the loop and allowing current to flow.
As a good rule of thumb, when working on something that is energized, don’t touch 2 things at once! Some older electricians keep one hand in a pocket, so it forces them to not touch anything with it. Check your boots and make sure they are solid and make sure you are not standing or kneeling in water. Best option is to turn the circuit off, but if necessary to work with something energized (yes there are reasons why we NEED to have it on), take the necessary steps to protect yourself.

[AM-hfkk]

Been there done that - with the breaker off! Shared Neutral (i obviously wasn't aware of it) across at least three different circuits in a 1950's house that saw various "handyman" and homeowner modifications through the decades. Bonus points for three-prong receptacles with no ground.

I was moving a kitchen light fixture that shared a circuit with one or two receptacles in the same room, and verified all were dead. Went to wire nut the new fixture to the existing neutral, and completed the circuit for what I later found was the back bedrooms. The bedrooms' hots had their own breaker, but some psycopath didn't feel like running a separate neutral 50'.

[ValenceFlux]

I was an apprentice on a job with the DCR where I was shocked up the leg when I knelt down on the grass and reached in to splice in a light pole. The city engineer told the shop to tell the electrician it was off and to have me splice it in. After I got shocked and ended up on the ground the wireman came over to do exactly what he told me to do and got shocked as well. After he overcame the initial shock as well he got me up and had us call the shop who said it must of been backfed somewhere if the circuit was indeed verified off by the city engineer who insisted we did not need a key to the panel at a public facility. My legs never worked properly again. I've tried so hard to move on with my life but I live with the affects of the risk of this job and my life was forever altered. Always verify no matter who it makes look bad it's your life and someone else. Good topic to cover. I get a lot of flack when the inexperienced insist you can't ever get shocked from a neutral. Caught up in a circuit was another way to communicate that potential better or something like that. The wireman said a few things to me one of which was this would make a great story about electrical work someday. I heard he had a heart attack on a ladder just a few years later. Some of the people I worked with didn't survive or had such awful injuries.

[joelboutier]

Yup. Absolutely been shocked by the neutral on a multiwire branch circuit. The circuit I was working on was off but neutral was apparently shared with another circuit that was not. I separated the neutrals and while twisting them back together, I got shocked through making contact on my sidecutters. Decent load on it too! Do not underestimate the neutral. If you're in a building that was wired when sharing neutrals was still up to code, you have to use your clamp meter to test for amperage & see if there is a load still passing through the neutral.

[garretrobinson]

Awesome presentation as usual, but I wish you would have taken a moment to warn the newer guys about shared neutrals. Even if the circuit you’re working on is off, it doesn’t mean that same neutral wire isn’t being used for a separate circuit elsewhere that is still active. This is common practice in my area, especially in older buildings.

[rangerrecon]

The bottom line is that, if the neutral has potential on it in comparison to something else you're in contact with, then sure - you can get a shock (if the potential is sufficient). Generally, of course, the neutral is grounded, so coming in contact with it alone isn't an issue.

I'm a little cautious with the word "touching" as someone may think that is physically touching with the hand, as described in the video. You can get a shock by touching a hot lead and nothing else if your footwear isn't sufficiently insulated. I think that there are a lot of amateur do-it-yourselfers (e.g. non-electricians working on their own homes) that watch this channel and they aren't likely wearing footwear designed for electricians. If they touch a hot, they're going to feel it as their feet are the other "touch" point to ground, completing the circuit.

[nateristowa]

the first time i watched your videos when i first thought of becoming an electrician, i had no idea what you were talking about. 2 semesters into trade tech, and now everything your saying makes sense. its kinda fun.

[wiley]

"Your probably gonna turn on the lightbulb too" that was the best part... ;)

[stevenshelton]

I like your final comment about how you can get shocked by any two conductors. Everyone needs to remember you can even get shocked if the actual ground is a conductor and the ground wire could contain some potential from the actual ground. Love your videos and I learn a lot even though I will probably never become an electrician. Understanding is always a plus.

[dhender]

I was working on a box above a grid a few months ago. I was leaning on it, and accidentally touched the hot. It was only 120v, but it was the worst pain I've experienced from electricity. Definitely a learning experience for me.

[BryceLenz]

I got shocked when I was unbundling some neutral wires, even though I had already checked that there were no live wires in the electrical box I was working in. Took me a bit of time to figure out why I got shocked. Turned out it was a neutral wire that was part of a multi-branch circuit and my panel didn't have a double breaker used for it. I appreciated your video on multi-branch circuits. I now treat neutrals with more respect.

[LastofallJedi]

Nailed it. I enjoyed the part about grid ceilings. I've been shocked the same way. Another reason I wear long sleeve shirts. Local story, lunchtime, foreman sticks around working lighting in a grid ceiling 277 hot. Something happened, lunch ended and workers reported a person's chest missing. Cooked. So unfortunate. They cooked in the ceiling because it wasn't what they were touching with their hands, it was the other thing their body was touching. Probably not related to the neutral. Great video. Been watching and all great content. I really appreciate that your content is CEU compliant. Amazing

[durther]

Happened to me! The job was simple, replace 50 year old outlets on the bedroom circuit. Got a helluva a shock on something that should be safe and simple. Traced back to find that the thermostat transformer was tied into the same circuit. Even with the breaker off, it was powered, because 1960 code said you can run 2 breakers with a common neutral. Arrgh.

[RickHenkle]

I was shocked many times by the shared neutral problem in my youth.. At that time, it was code ok to do that.. I learned real quick to test any other neutrals connected..

[tomTom-lbcu]

Years ago when I knew absolutely nothing bout electric and I wanted to do something in a junction box under my craw space and for some reasons wasn’t turning off power because, an electrician from work told me exactly what you have said. Just use one hand and you won’t get a shock, well in the crawl space was a copper water pipe, needless to say my ONE HAND was touching the live hot wire and that bare forearm squeezing between the copper pipes touched that and that was that. I shut the power off after that, and probably had no idea why that happened at the time. Your an excellent teacher btw. Thank you always

[donteventryit]

When was a child, I grew up in a house that was originally built in the 1950's. It had a finished basement with two prong outlets. There was a lamp that we would turn on by pushing a switch on the lamp. I remember getting shocked by that lamp at random times and I didn't know why. Since I was a kid, I didn't understand what was going on. What was happening is that sometimes I was touching the metal lamp socket shell or cap while pushing the switch of the lamp. Sometimes I would do this with bare feet or with socks on. So I was completing the circuit with my feet even though the floor was tiled. I'm making this point because when we use the word "touch", people assume that means with your hands, they never consider that their feet can complete the circuit.

[twestgard]

Unless you’re floating in space, you’re touching the floor, or a scaffold, or a bucket, or something. There’s no scenario where the only thing you’re touching is the neutral.

[ecospider]

My dad was dealing with a 1970’s bathroom with a 3 way switch. He turned off the breaker and then cut 2 wires at once and there was a flash and those wire cutters now have a big chunk out of them.

The way the 3 way switch worked was they used another wire from a different circuit. That bathroom no longer has a 3 way switch.

[jonathanfalvo]

I touched the neutral from a doorbell transformer, with my right hand, my left hand was on the body of the panel. Worst shock I’ve ever had, affected my heart rhythm for a minute or two. Scared the absolute shit out of me. I now take much more precaution any time hot work is necessary.

[MikeHarris]

I've got a good ZAP on a neutral line that was live, because another switch was on feeding power through it, so i became the quicker route to ground then going back to the panel. My entire life I thought "You cant get shocked on neutral" so I always for decades touched without any issue, until the one time she got me good, lol. woke me right up!

[reallunacy]

Always remember some places you go to aren't wired correctly. I've gotten shocked touching a ceiling grid, my other hand was on my ladder not. ...in the last week.