An interesting conundrum occurred when a query was received regarding a internal water system was delivering mild shocks to people using the water taps. This does occur and is occasionally a faulty connection between the fence and an internal fixing but more frequently it is because the Electric Fencing earth system has been placed too close to the  utility earth system. This stronger earthing system will pull the current from its logical path possibly causing the internal fittings to be "live"

In this case it was proved not to be the case and after looking at the system it was noticed that one wire ran very close to the length of a galvanised water trough. This was connected to the water system by means of copper piping (the customer was a plumber so had used what he had to hand) Copper piping makes a marvellous earth stake and the current passing through the wire adjacent to the water trough was creating an inducted current on the surface of the metal frame of the trough. This was then passing down the copper piping and into the household system.

Diagram of the Fault.

The solution was quite simple, the wire was redirected further away from the trough and a section of the copper pipe was replaced with a plastic pipe creating a barrier to energy transmission down the pipe. The rest of the copper pipe was then attached to the fence earth system so vastly increasing the effectiveness of the earth stakes.