What you will see
- A tingling sensation when touching a tap or appliance casing.
- A shock associated with wet areas or particular equipment.
- The problem appears during backup operation or after electrical work.
- Someone else has reported a similar sensation at the property.
Why it happens
Protective earthing and the supply arrangement are part of electrical safety. Faults affecting those arrangements can require investigation of the building installation and its sources of power. A solar or hybrid installation must be assessed as part of the complete system.
The sensation does not identify the cause. It should not be labelled “normal solar leakage” or assumed to be harmless static without a proper assessment. Energy Safe Victoria specifically advises urgent reporting of shocks or tingles from appliances and taps.
Timing is useful evidence, but does not settle responsibility. A problem first noticed after solar installation could involve several parts of the electrical system. Qualified checks are needed before deciding what must be repaired.
Treat any tingle as a fault
- 01Stop touching it and keep others away
- 02Do not test it again
- 03Note time and grid or backup mode
- 04Call an electrician or our team
It is not “normal solar leakage” or static until assessed. Earthing and the supply arrangement both need checking.
Safety box. Do not touch the structure, frames or inverter casing again to "test" it. Keep children, cleaners and domestic staff off the roof. Switching off the inverter does not make the panel side safe in daylight: the panels keep producing DC voltage whenever light falls on them. If you smell burning or see smoke, follow our burning smell guide and leave the area.
What current in solar structure means
In a correctly built system, every exposed metal part (frames, structure, inverter casing, combiner boxes) is bonded and connected to an earth electrode. If something live touches that metal, fault current flows to earth and a protective device trips. You should never feel anything.
When you do feel current, one of three things is usually going on:
- A live conductor is touching metal that is not properly earthed. This is the dangerous case: a damaged DC cable rubbing on the structure, a wet connector on a rail, or an AC fault in a box with no working earth.
- Capacitive leakage onto metal that is not bonded. Most modern string and hybrid inverters are transformerless, so part of the grid's AC voltage appears on the panel side. The panels act like a capacitor to nearby metal and a small current flows, more in rain. A bonded frame carries it to earth harmlessly; with the bond missing, you may feel a tingle.
- A fault elsewhere in the building reaching the structure. A faulty geyser, motor or AC unit sharing an earth path, or neutral and earth joined in the wrong place, can put voltage on metal linked to the structure.
Our earthing and surge protection guide explains how a system should be earthed; this page covers what to do when it has gone wrong.
Shock from the structure
Earth fault
Live part touching the frame
Earthing
Missing or broken earth
Quick-check table: shock from solar panel frame or inverter body current
| Symptom | Likely cause | Safe owner check | Call an engineer if... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp shock from the structure or a panel frame, in any weather | Live conductor touching unearthed metal | Do not touch again; read the inverter screen or app for an earth or isolation alarm | Immediately, every time |
| Mild tingle only when the roof is wet or you are barefoot | Capacitive leakage onto metal with a missing or weak earth bond, or weak DC insulation | Note the weather and time; check the alarm history | Any tingle at all: the bond must be tested |
| Tingle or shock from the inverter body | Inverter earth wire loose or missing, or an AC wiring fault | Look, without touching, for an earth cable at the inverter's external earth point | Immediately |
| Shock started after other work on the roof | New water tank, dish antenna, railing, AC unit or wiring has damaged a cable or created a fault path | List what changed and when | Immediately |
| Isolation or "Riso low" alarm as well as a tingle | Damaged DC insulation leaking to the frame | Photograph the alarm; see our isolation fault guide | Immediately |
| RCCB keeps tripping and metal feels "live" | Earth leakage somewhere on the AC side | Do not keep resetting; note which breaker trips | Immediately |
| Tester screwdriver glows on the structure, but you felt nothing | Could be induced voltage or a real fault; a neon tester cannot tell which | Stop using the tester on the system | Yes, to measure properly |
Common causes of an earthing fault solar systems develop
Most cases come down to one of these:
- Frames never bonded properly. Anodised aluminium frames need proper earthing lugs or bonding hardware. A bolt through paint or anodising does not make a reliable connection.
- Earth conductor broken, loose or corroded. Clamps rust, lugs loosen with heat cycling, and a cable can be cut during later roof work.
- Damaged DC cable insulation. Cables pulled over sharp rail ends or chewed by rats can leak to the frame, often with an isolation alarm too.
- Dry or poorly made earth pit, which loses effectiveness in a dry Punjab summer.
- Connectors lying on metal in water. An MC4 joint that is not fully sealed and rests in a puddle on a rail can leak. See MC4 connectors and earthing.
- Inverter earth not connected. The inverter's protective earth (PE) must be connected, and the inverter casing is not a substitute for bonding the frames.
- AC side wiring errors. Neutral and earth mixed up, or joined, in the distribution board can put current on every earthed part when loads run.
- Water inside the inverter or a DB box after rain. See water in inverter.
Safe owner checks, step by step
You can do these without touching any metal part of the system or opening anything:
- Stop and keep people away, including anyone who cleans the panels.
- Read the screen or app. Look for words such as earth fault, ground fault, isolation fault, Riso low, residual current, GFCI or leakage current. Take a clear photo.
- Switch off safely, if you can reach the switches without touching the metal that shocked you. Use dry hands and wear rubber-soled shoes. Follow the shutdown order in your inverter manual or the sheet your installer left. If the shock came from the inverter body, switch off at the main breaker in the DB rather than reaching for the inverter's own switch.
- Note the conditions: wet roof, fog, a motor or geyser running, recent rain, a storm or other roof work.
- Look from a distance. From a safe position, note any cable hanging against the structure, a connector lying in water, a broken earth wire, or anything new fixed to the structure.
- Do not rely on a tester screwdriver. Neon testers can light up from induced voltage and can also fail to show a real fault. Only a proper earth and insulation test answers the question.
- Do not clean, hose or walk on the array until an engineer has checked it.
- Send your installer the photos, the alarm text, the inverter model and your notes.
What an engineer will check
A qualified engineer will isolate the system safely and then measure, rather than guess:
- Earth continuity from every frame and structure section to the main earth bar.
- Earth electrode resistance with a proper earth tester.
- Insulation resistance of each PV string, to find damaged DC cable or a faulty panel.
- The inverter's earth connection and its earth-fault or residual-current readings.
- AC wiring in the DB: correct neutral and earth arrangement, and that the RCCB actually trips when tested. See breakers and protection and solar breaker tripping.
- Touch voltage between the structure and true earth, with the system on and off.
- Other building circuits that could be leaking onto shared metal.
Repairs usually mean proper bonding lugs, a new earth conductor or earth pit, re-routed DC cable, or corrected DB wiring. These tests should also be part of proper commissioning.
How to prevent it
- Ask for frames and structure to be bonded with proper hardware and a dedicated earth path, and for the earth readings to be recorded at handover.
- Have earth continuity and earth resistance checked before each monsoon, along with the other items in our storm and lightning safety checklist.
- Keep DC cables in conduit or trays, clear of sharp edges and standing water.
- Do not let anyone fix clotheslines, dish antennas, cable TV wires or light fittings to the solar structure.
How Solar Works Pakistan handles earthing complaints
For systems we install, WhatsApp 0336 666 4321 with a photo of the inverter screen or app, the inverter model, and a short note of when you felt the current. Our own engineering staff handle the complaint, and we target sending service personnel within 48 hours of a registered complaint to begin diagnosis. Our 1-year service warranty applies under the applicable project terms; see how after-sales service works.
We can also test earthing and insulation on systems installed by other companies, as a chargeable service, across Punjab.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there current in my solar panel frame?
Either a live conductor is touching the frame and the frame is not properly earthed, or a small leakage current from a transformerless inverter has nowhere to go because the bond to earth is missing. Both need an engineer to test the earthing and the DC insulation.
Is a shock from solar panel frame dangerous?
Yes. A sharp shock means a live conductor may be touching metal people can reach. Keep everyone away, switch off safely and call an engineer. Do not touch the frame again to check.
Why do I feel current on the inverter body?
Usually the inverter's earth wire is loose, missing or connected to a poor earth, or there is an AC wiring fault in the distribution board. Switch off from the main breaker, not by touching the inverter, and have it checked.
Can solar panels give an electric shock when it rains?
A properly earthed system should not. Rain raises leakage current and lowers insulation at any weak point, so a tingle that appears only in rain still points to a bonding or insulation problem.
Will switching off the inverter stop the shock?
It may stop current from the AC side, but the panels still produce DC voltage in daylight. If the fault is on the DC side, the structure can stay dangerous. Keep away until it has been tested.
Is a small tingle from the solar structure normal?
No. Small leakage currents are normal inside the system, but a properly bonded structure carries them to earth, so you should feel nothing. Any tingle means the earth path needs checking.
Sources
- SMA, equipotential bonding of PV module frames and mounting systems (installation manual)
- SMA Technical Information, capacitive leakage currents in transformerless inverters
- IET Engineering Communities, electricians' discussion of tingles from metal near a PV array and the need to bond frames
What you can check yourself
- Record where and when the incident occurred, without touching the object again.
- Note whether grid power or backup was active, if already known.
- Tell the electrician about recent electrical or plumbing work.
- Identify whether anyone else reported a shock and whether assistance is needed.
- Use existing records for model details. Do not approach a switchboard, wet area or connected metalwork to obtain more information. If anyone is injured or remains in danger, call local emergency services.
What not to do
- Do not reproduce the tingle by touch, ask another person to test it, disconnect earth wires or add an improvised earth rod or neutral-earth link. Turning off one visible switch should not be treated as proof that every part is safe.
When to call us
- Report the incident immediately to the appropriate emergency electrical contact and qualified electrician. Notify us that solar equipment is connected so the system can be included in the assessment. Do not wait for a repeated shock.
Shock reports in Faisalabad and Lahore
At a Faisalabad or Lahore property, keep people away from the object and call our team from a safe location. Existing details are enough.
Send us
From a safe location, give Solar Works Pakistan your city, area, affected object, event timing and known supply mode. Existing installation details are enough; new close-up photographs are unnecessary.
Technical references
Reviewed 25 September 2026. Manufacturer documents are cited for general principles; your exact model’s manual always applies.