Surge protectors causing current in external ports

[xmark123]

As the title says, surge protectors cause current to flow in USB ports, the ethernet port, etc. When I tried to insert a disc in my external disc drive I touched the metal part in the middle (the spinning part) and got shocked. So I tried connecting my computer directly to the outlet and the problem was fixed. I bought another surge protector and the problem persists. WTF? The very irony though.. Can anyone explain why this is happening? Thank you in advance.

 

[MarkW]

I don't think your wall plugs are properly grounded. You should not be experiencing any shocks. Call an electrician to check the wiring in the wall.

 

[xmark123]

I mentioned in the opening post (OP?) that the problem disappeared when I connected the PC directly to the outlet. Current only flows through the ports when either of the surge protectors are connected.

 

[boosted1g]

A surge protector works by transferring any surge to ground.

If there is no ground the surge protector will have problems, while the PC will be fine without ground UNTIL there is a problem and it cant dump the spike to ground.

You can get an outlet test for rather cheap $5-10 and it can tell you if you don't have ground or neutral or if something is crossed.
http://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-RT100-Receptacle-Tester/dp/B005GYBFA4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1439997172&sr=8-3&keywords=outlet+tester

 

[westom]

A surge protector works by transferring any surge to ground.

An effective surge protector works by connecting a surge current to earth ground. That is completely and electrically different from the human safety ground in a wall receptacle. Human safety ground means no electricity should be felt in any part.

Shocks would be due to a defective safety ground. That receptacle tester can only report some safety ground defects - cannot report something as good. Apparently a surge protector, that does not claim to protect from destructive surges (ie no earth ground), has also compromised a human safety ground.