More than a few of us have had the unpleasant experience of being shocked by our laptop or better still a tingling sensation caused by small jots of current streaming through our body.
This mostly takes place when the Laptop is plugged in. You then noticed that all metal surfaces like the screws, ports, and even when you touched a plugged-in metal case flash drive shocks you. The tip of your charger might even be shocking you whenever you touch it.
You might even see your monitor flickers on and off for a couple of seconds. If your laptop keeps shocking you, it causes a lot of concerns, since some of us place our laptops on our laps. This article discusses how to get this fix. But first, let’s take a look at what might cause your laptop to shock you.
Why your laptop keeps shocking you
There are several reasons your laptop gives you electric shock.
Leakage Current
Just like the words sound, this is a current that flows out of its intended circuit in a piece of equipment to the chassis, or the ground, and in this case from the AC adapter. In other words, the current from your adapter is getting to the ground, case, or metal objects in your laptop via failing insulation or exposed wire.
Adaptor not plugged properly
This is the most occurring reason your laptop keeps shocking you. If you noticed that your laptop is plugged in and it’s not charging, instead it shocks you, then you fall into this category. This happens because only one of the pins is connected to the supply and the circuit is not closed. Instead, it uses the metals inside your laptop as ground.
Faulty Socket Wiring
This is quite similar to the first. The socket you plugged your laptop into is not properly wired as regarding IEEE standards of wiring and earthing. Normally, your sockets should have three holes. The second hole (or right hole) called hot, allows electric current to goes out of the socket while the first hole (or left hole) called neutral, allows current to come back into the socket.
The hole at the bottom or top is connected to the earth. It serves as an alternative exit, which would remove the current from the metallic case of your laptop, thereby protecting you against accidental electric shock.
To confirm if the socket is good, put a tester in any of these holes. The tester should only light up when plugged into the right hole. If any of the other two holes light up, then the socket is faulty. Alternatively, you could plug your laptop into another socket in a different apartment to see if it stills shocks.
Faulty AC Adapter
A faulty power adapter may be the reason your laptop keeps shocking you. This might be caused by faulty insulation or a bridge circuit in the adapter. You might have been using the adapter for a long time and it is just a way of telling you to buy another adapter. To know if it is actually the adapter, you can try another working adapter (if you can get your hand on one) to see if the problem persists.
How to fix these problems
Get a three Prong Power Adapter
Make sure the adapter you are using is three-prong and not two. The usefulness of the third prong is earthing, which means your adapter is earthed. This gives extra protection by taking out any crooked current that might end up doing damage or shocking you.
Make Sure your socket is Earthed
Generally, your house should be properly earthed in other to avoid unnecessary shock. Your socket should be also properly earthed to take unwanted current that might be touching the metal casing in your laptop.
Make sure your adapter cord sits properly in the socket
Having only one of the two pins that drive current in or out of your adapter may result in electric shock. Since the circuit is not complete, the current might change direction and use the ground or any metal structure within its path to complete the circuit.
Unplug your laptop before connecting accessories
This is not exactly a solution but just a way of avoiding being shocked. If you want to connect any device to your laptop, make sure you unplug it first.
Try another Adapter
Another way to get rid of electric shock for your PC is to get another adapter. A faulty adapter can cause electric shock when you touch the metal parts of the casing or the laptop’s ports.
Summary
In summary, the reason you might be getting shocked by your laptop is due to current leakage, faulty adapter, faulty socket wiring, and adapter not properly plugged. To fix all this issue, try a new adapter (make sure it’s a three-prong adapter) or make sure your adaptor sits in the socket properly. If the problem persists, plug in a new socket.
There you have it. I hope you get this problem fixed. However, note that the kind of shock discussed here is not fatal and could be felt as a tingling sensation. But still, you have to get rid of the shock, and half of the problem can be solved by proper earthing in the socket or adapter.
