Coaxial cable sparks

Forums: Tv, Electrical, Wiring, Coaxial Cable, Directv
Email this Topic • Print this Page

my DIRECTV boxes have burnt out twice in the past two months and burnt out the ports on my tv. The tecs they have are stupid as F@$k it has been two months and they have been here 4 times saying the cause is 4 different things. Ok now on to the issue this time i have done some trouble shooting and when the box is hooked up to the tv without the coaxial cable hooked up to the box it works. when the coaxial cable was hooked up to the box the coaxial sparked as well as the hdmi outs and in where the video was connected. Second I hooked them all up to a surge protector with the protector turned off once i plunged in the coaxial cable it sparked again even though the tv or box did not have power. The box does not have a ground tv does. I feel as if the power of the coaxial goes through the box through the hdmi to the tv to the ground. So what is the issue and how do i fix?

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Question • Score: 1 • Views: 4,456 • Replies: 11

No top replies

@DTSlayer09,

DTS do you get the spark from the center conductor or shield

0 Replies

I would get an electrician to look at your house wiring and check if you have a ground problem. Someone could get hurt or killed. You may need to contact the power company.

1 Reply

@contrex,

That's my reaction if you're sparking at the outer conductor

0 Replies

A ground wire could have come off a pole pig or something like that, or at his distribution board or something could be amiss with the grounding. What bothers me is that for sparking to occur there must be significant voltages and a shock that makes a dry adult flinch or jump could kill a wet child.

0 Replies

@DTSlayer09,

i get sparks from the shield. I have used an outlet tester and it says the outlet is correct and i am getting 123 volts out of the outlet.

1 Reply

@DTSlayer09,

Quote:

from the shield

Then sounds like "grounding" problem as Con says

0 Replies

@DTSlayer09,

DTSlayer09 wrote:

the power of the coaxial

Any signals on the coax should be extremely low voltage; something is seriously wrong if you're getting sparks from a coax cable.

1 Reply

@DrewDad,

Dad while that's usu the case it isn't necessarily so. Sometimes power is also provided through the center conductor

1 Reply

@dalehileman,

dalehileman wrote:

Dad while that's usu the case it isn't necessarily so. Sometimes power is also provided through the center conductor

Up the centre conductor and down the braid (or vice versa if you prefer; either way you need a circuit). You sometimes get a low DC voltage, 12 to 20 volts, carried up coaxial cable e.g. for a masthead amplifier, or with a satellite dish, the Low Noise Block downconverter. This will originate from a powered-up satellite or other receiver.

However...

Quote:

my DIRECTV boxes have burnt out twice in the past two months and burnt out the ports on my tv.

Quote:

once i plunged in the coaxial cable it sparked again even though the tv or box did not have power.

It is possible for the outer braid of coax to carry AC because of "ground loop" conditions - this may mean there are problems with equipment or wiring inside or outside the house. Sparking and burned out ports does not sound like the regular operation of any TV equipment.

1 Reply

@contrex,

Quote:

Up the centre conductor and down the braid

Of course DTS, Con is right, used in this manner if it sparks at one it will probably spark at the other. If it's much of a spark however you can assume something wrong as Dad says

0 Replies

@DTSlayer09,

I would be looking to see that your service neutral is bonded at the main panel. Have you taken a voltage reading between the coax and ground? The sparks are current trying to complete the circuit back to the source. There should be no voltage present at ground potential. If you have a sub-panel in your home, someone may have bonded the neutral to ground which is not allowed because it creates a parallel path between the neutral and ground conductors back to the main panel. You might want to check the receptacle at the Cable equipment to be sure the neutral is not in contact with ground.

0 Replies

Coaxial cable sparks

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know