# I need an electrician's help
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 23, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972 "2018-11-23T13:29:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@BeenJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeenJammin)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972/21 "2018-11-24T13:30:29Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> This should be easy enough to test. Just test the TV with and without the antenna connected. If I’m right, the GFCI will trip whenever the antenna is connected.
Of course - it is merely a simple process of elimination. What’s the big deal? Find what device or circuit is causing the problem by testing 1-at-a-time, then either fix or replace it. Sheesh. :smack:
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### Author:  [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972/22 "2018-11-26T20:37:15Z")
O.P. here. I’ve narrowed it down to the TV or the outdoor antenna.
With the TV connected to the DVR and VCR and remote earphone-transmitter, the GFIC does not pop as long as the antenna is disconnected. If I touch the antenna cable to either the TV or the DVR, the GFCI pops.
If I take the TV out of the picture, I am able to connect the antenna to the DVR and/or VCR without incident.
I suspect the TV has a low-level leak that the DVR and VCR ignore. When I hold one end of a voltmeter between my thumb and forefinger and touch the other end of the voltmeter to the antenna lead of the TV, I get a reading of 22 volts which just doesn’t sound right, does it? When I touch the antenna coax, I get a reading of 1.8v which is probably coming from the booster.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972/23 "2018-11-26T20:48:58Z")
Does he need to ground the shield of the antenna coax?
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972/24 "2018-11-26T21:23:58Z")
> [@bizerta](#):
>
> O.P. here. I’ve narrowed it down to the TV or the outdoor antenna.
>
> With the TV connected to the DVR and VCR and remote earphone-transmitter, the GFIC does not pop as long as the antenna is disconnected. If I touch the antenna cable to either the TV or the DVR, the GFCI pops.
>
> If I take the TV out of the picture, I am able to connect the antenna to the DVR and/or VCR without incident.
>
> I suspect the TV has a low-level leak that the DVR and VCR ignore. When I hold one end of a voltmeter between my thumb and forefinger and touch the other end of the voltmeter to the antenna lead of the TV, I get a reading of 22 volts which just doesn’t sound right, does it? When I touch the antenna coax, I get a reading of 1.8v which is probably coming from the booster.
You don’t happen to have a surge suppressor on the TV, do you?
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### Author:  [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972/25 "2018-11-27T03:45:33Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> Does he need to ground the shield of the antenna coax?
The antenna being grounded, at least partially, is likely the ground fault path that’s allowing the current imbalance which tripps the gfi.
If their getting 20v(AC or DC I wonder) from finger tips to antenna jack I’m interested to know what voltage from the antenna jack to a solid ground is.
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### Author:  [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2018, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972/26 "2018-11-28T13:51:54Z")
> [@K2500](#):
>
> The antenna being grounded, at least partially, is likely the ground fault path that’s allowing the current imbalance which tripps the gfi.
>
> If their getting 20v(AC or DC I wonder) from finger tips to antenna jack I’m interested to know what voltage from the antenna jack to a solid ground is.
I wonder if the TV has a grounded plug, or just two-prong? Could it be a bad ground on the antenna, which is feeding back through the coax to the TV and then to the neutral line? That is, the GCFI is not tripping because the current through the line leg is greater than the neutral leg, but the current trough the neutral leg is greater than the line? Check the grounding of the antenna, booster, and anything else attached to the antenna.
As for the 20V from the finger tips to the antenna jack, I suspect the DVM the OP is using has a extremely high input impedance and ihe s just picking up RF from antenna-OP dipole.
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### Author:  [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-electricians-help/824972/27 "2018-11-28T15:02:50Z")
Op says two prong plug on the TV. I suppose the booster, wiring or another TV connected to the same system could close a circuit and case a problem. I haven’t studied RF receivers since I took my ham test several years ago but the electrician in me can’t see how the TV side jack would be showing any voltage under normal circumstance. Not that it can’t happen, I just don’t know enough about the inside of tvs to know how it might.
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