I purchased a LCD TV the other day and ran a cable line to it (via crawl space). I had to use a splitter to connect the new TV. I connected the cable directly to the TV and then the power cable to the outlet which “popped” and the power went out (breaker trips). I connect the TV power cable to a surge protector and the power goes out again (surge protector wasn’t even on). So I disconnect the cable from the tv and connect the power. Everything is fine until I try and connect the cable...let’s just say the spark was bright and hot enough to melt part of the connector on the TV! So I return the TV and get a different brand and the same thing happens when I plug it into a surge protector. To begin narrowing out possible problems I connect the cable to a regular 10 year old TV with no problems. It is a brand new cable with no cuts or fraying. Any suggestions?
Something is seriously wrong, and you may need to get an electrician on the problem. You need to check the voltage between your set and the cable with a meter. There should be little or no measurable voltage. If you are getting a reading like 115 volts, then I suspect that the wall outlet into which your TV is plugged has been wired backwards, i.e. the black wire is on the white terminal, and vice-versa. The cable is (or should be) grounded where it comes into the house, but if the outlet has the hot wire on the wrong side, this might cause the problem you described. The wrong connection could have occurred anywhere along the line between your main panel and the outlet, so this may involve checking the connections at several outlets and light fixtures - whatever is on the same circuit as your TV's outlet.
