[Troubleshooting] Electric shock felt from inside PC case. Could this damage components?

[Fourple]

Hi! Just built a new PC yesterday. I shut it off today and tried to look inside to have one more look at the wiring. I turned off the PC fully but forgot to flick off the switch on the PSU. I opened the panel, touched the bottom shroud, and was greeted by an electric shock that wasn't all that painful. It felt like a ripple. I read that this may be because of grounding issues. Would my exposure to that shock cause any damage to the components of my computer?

 

It's working well and I'm using it to post this. The motherboard is also completely supported by standoffs, so no contacts are touching the case. I just want to make sure if that encounter caused any hidden problems down the line. Thanks in advance for your replies!

[glenalz81]

Does your PC case have an acrylic window?

[191x7]

Are you sure it wasn't you who was electrically charged? 

 

If it wasn't you, you should check your sockets, wall plugs, extension cord etc. Get an electrician to do it if you're not familliar with using a multimeter. Or get something like https://www.google.com/search?q=socket+tester&sxsrf=ACYBGNQCdIInHWEWHIc8FRCiYnlXS75GaA:1572874536809&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjquaug1tDlAhXFxqQKHQEUC3MQ_AUIEigB&biw=1920&bih=937

[Fourple]

3 minutes ago, glenalz81 said:

Does your PC case have an acrylic window?

Tempered glass that's clear as day. But  I wanted to go in for a closer look, as my fans don't have LEDs and I wanted to see if any contacts were showing. 

[glenalz81]

Most likely just earthing a static charge from yourself, grounded via the case. Components should be fine.

[Fourple]

1 minute ago, 191x7 said:

Are you sure it wasn't you who was electrically charged? 

 

If it wasn't you, you should check your sockets, wall plugs, extension cord etc. Get an electrician to do it if you're not familliar with using a multimeter. Or get something like https://www.google.com/search?q=socket+tester&sxsrf=ACYBGNQCdIInHWEWHIc8FRCiYnlXS75GaA:1572874536809&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjquaug1tDlAhXFxqQKHQEUC3MQ_AUIEigB&biw=1920&bih=937

I think so. I may need to consult an electrician to see if there's any way to ground the sockets in my home. Do you think this would do any damage to the components, though?

[Fourple]

2 minutes ago, glenalz81 said:

Most likely just earthing a static charge from yourself, grounded via the case. Components should be fine.

Will take this into consideration. Thank you for replying to the post.

[191x7]

1 minute ago, Fourple said:

I think so. I may need to consult an electrician to see if there's any way to ground the sockets in my home. Do you think this would do any damage to the components, though?

If there's voltage on the ground wire that gets transferred to the PSU and thus the case, that is very risky to use. I would recommend not using it that way.

[Fourple]

2 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

If there's voltage on the ground wire that gets transferred to the PSU and thus the case, that is very risky to use. I would recommend not using it that way.

If this is the case, does it mean that it's been discharging electricity to everything that touches the case? Even before I touched it? Thanks!

[Fourple]

5 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

If there's voltage on the ground wire that gets transferred to the PSU and thus the case, that is very risky to use. I would recommend not using it that way.

Also, I think our sockets don't even have grounding. It's just two prongs. 

[191x7]

2 minutes ago, Fourple said:

If this is the case, does it mean that it's been discharging electricity to everything that touches the case? Even before I touched it? Thanks!

Right.

[191x7]

2 minutes ago, Fourple said:

Also, I think our sockets don't even have grounding. It's just two prongs. 

Let an electrician do the wiring, you need to have gnd for the PC.

[Fourple]

5 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Let an electrician do the wiring, you need to have gnd for the PC.

Will keep this in mind. Thanks for your answers!

[Stormseeker9]

42 minutes ago, glenalz81 said:

Most likely just earthing a static charge from yourself, grounded via the case. Components should be fine.

Agree with this; most likely what happened.

 

@Fourple

 

Any chance you were wearing socks and have carpet at home?

[Fourple]

26 minutes ago, Stormseeker9 said:

Agree with this; most likely what happened.

 

@Fourple

 

Any chance you were wearing socks and have carpet at home?

Nope! It's actually quite hot where I live so I was just  wearing shorts, a tank top, and some rubber slippers. 

[Stormseeker9]

48 minutes ago, Fourple said:

Also, I think our sockets don't even have grounding. It's just two prongs. 

where do you live?

 

In europe, we also only use 2 prongs. Depending what you are plugging into the socket (what device), depends if the device is grounded. A phone charger is not grounded, a PC power cable is (fat plugs)

[Fourple]

1 minute ago, Stormseeker9 said:

where do you live?

 

In europe, we also only use 2 prongs. Depending what you are plugging into the socket (what device), depends if the device is grounded. A phone charger is not grounded, a PC power cable is (fat plugs)

The Philippines and our house was built in the 80s, I think. The wiring hasn't been updated in ages. And no, our sockets do not look like that. They're type As, I think. Reference photo below.

 

[Stormseeker9]

1 minute ago, Fourple said:

The Philippines and our house was built in the 80s, I think. The wiring hasn't been updated in ages. And no, our sockets do not look like that. They're type As, I think. Reference photo below.

 

Ah okay, i'm not familiar with how it works in the philipines 

[Fourple]

Just now, Stormseeker9 said:

Ah okay, i'm not familiar with how it works in the philipines 

I think that we just don't have grounding in our outlets. 

[Stormseeker9]

Just now, Fourple said:

I think that we just don't have grounding in our outlets. 

I hope at least your house is grounded with a copper pole into the ground somewhere around the house. You'd be fucked otherwise

[Fourple]

21 minutes ago, Stormseeker9 said:

I hope at least your house is grounded with a copper pole into the ground somewhere around the house. You'd be fucked otherwise

Will definitely have an electrician look at it. I think we have a grounding pole on our front yard. I have no idea why it's not being utilized, though.