My computer case shocks me whenever I touch it bare footed.

[hasangola420]

Hi,
When I touch my pc like pushing to power button to power it on, it shocks me only when im barefooted but whenver im wearing any shoes or while im sitting on the chair with my feet not touching the ground, I can touch the case without getting shocked.
So, my main question is that is it bad for the pc components? and if so, how can I get rid of it?

 

[feelinfroggy777]

It is called static electricity. Something about the environment in the room is causing increased static charges. Probably a combination of the carpet in the room and humidity. Too much or two little humidity in the air increases potential for static charge.

As far as your components are concerned, your are not going to fry your parts by touching the outside of the case. But I would not go touch the motherboard or other components. Even with ESD wrist strap. So if you are going to clean or upgrade your rig, do it somewhere else to be safe. With that being said, over the years manufactures have improve their products where they are not as susceptible to damage through static charges. But it is still better safe than sorry as there is a reason many parts are shipped in ESD bags.

 

[InvalidError]

When you say 'shock', do you mean static shock (one quick zap and that's it) or a constant tingle for as long as you are touching?

If it is an on-going tingle, that would be caused by leakage current from an improperly grounded chassis. Most monitors have grounded power cords so your PC should have earthing through both its PSU cable and the monitor's, which means that the earthing issue is probably at some common point beyond that, such as a bad power bar, bad wall outlet, bad outlet wiring or bad site wiring. In this case, you may want to call an electrician to fix it.

 

[hasangola420]

When you say 'shock', do you mean static shock (one quick zap and that's it) or a constant tingle for as long as you are touching?

If it is an on-going tingle, that would be caused by leakage current from an improperly grounded chassis. Most monitors have grounded power cords so your PC should have earthing through both its PSU cable and the monitor's, which means that the earthing issue is probably at some common point beyond that, such as a bad power bar, bad wall outlet, bad outlet wiring or bad site wiring. In this case, you may want to call an electrician to fix it.

Hi,
After reading your comment I checked that if its one time static or continuous static and found that yes, it is continuous. Is it because some of the cables of PSU that are not being used are hidden behind the back cover of chassis and they are having some contact with the chassis?

 

[InvalidError]

After reading your comment I checked that if its one time static or continuous static and found that yes, it is continuous. Is it because some of the cables of PSU that are not being used are hidden behind the back cover of chassis and they are having some contact with the chassis?

No, it is because current is leaking from mains AC input to chassis (likely by the PSU's Y-class EMI suppression caps) and the chassis isn't properly grounded. I already enumerated a few examples of places where there may be breaks in the path between chassis ground and Earth ground.

Try a different power strip or plug your PC+monitor directly in the wall outlet. If you still get shocks, you mayhave bad wiring in the walls. Try a different outlet, preferably on a different wall in a different room. If you still get shocks, then it could be a site grounding issue. Either way, you'll need an electrician to find the ground fault and fix it. That's a problem with building wiring at this point, not the PC, and it is an electrocution hazard since an internal failure in the PSU could cause the case to go live at a potentially deadly 170-750V (AC peak voltage + APFC capacitor voltage) with no current limit.

 

[hasangola420]

So I took the PSU out of the chassis, connected it to a power outlet, touched the PSU while my barefoot touched the floor and I could feel the current continuously as I kept touching. I thought the PSU was faulty so, I had another one laying around and tried to test it but, again I could feel the continuous current when touching it. So, now I have called the electrician to see whats going on as I dont want my pc to get damaged.

 

[hasangola420]

After reading your comment I checked that if its one time static or continuous static and found that yes, it is continuous. Is it because some of the cables of PSU that are not being used are hidden behind the back cover of chassis and they are having some contact with the chassis?

No, it is because current is leaking from mains AC input to chassis (likely by the PSU's Y-class EMI suppression caps) and the chassis isn't properly grounded. I already enumerated a few examples of places where there may be breaks in the path between chassis ground and Earth ground.

Try a different power strip or plug your PC+monitor directly in the wall outlet. If you still get shocks, you mayhave bad wiring in the walls. Try a different outlet, preferably on a different wall in a different room. If you still get shocks, then it could be a site grounding issue. Either way, you'll need an electrician to find the ground fault and fix it. That's a problem with building wiring at this point, not the PC, and it is an electrocution hazard since an internal failure in the PSU could cause the case to go live at a potentially deadly 170-750V (AC peak voltage + APFC capacitor voltage) with no current limit.

So I took the PSU out of the chassis, connected it to a power outlet, touched the PSU while my barefoot touched the floor and I could feel the current continuously as I kept touching. I thought the PSU was faulty so, I had another one laying around and tried to test it but, again I could feel the continuous current when touching it. So, now I have called the electrician to see whats going on as I dont want my pc to get damaged.