TRD-Rob Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 My water is giving off electric shocks!! Anyone had this before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr lover Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 dodgy earth eels call a sparky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guigsy Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I hear this is standard fitting procedure if you live in a death trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRD-Rob Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 dodgy earth eels call a sparky Cheers mate I hear this is standard fitting procedure if you live in a death trap. Its not major shocks, otherwise i would have sorted it sooner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I'd go for an electrician, though either should be able to sort it out. Most likely the pipes just need earthing (which I think is now a requirement) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiceRocket Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 The least expensive of the two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lui Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 The least expensive of the two None are cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiceRocket Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 None are cheap Hence the "least expensive" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holden1989 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 None are cheap how about some free advice lui, or mates rates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Beast Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Supplementary bonding is what you are lacking by the sound of things, have a look see if all your pipe work is bonded to each other, which in turn should be bonded back at your incoming mains from the fuse board. Is it a new build or an old house? richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra matt Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Check to see you have a main bond to the mains water supply if you no where the stop cock is go take a look at it should be a earth clamp on in no more then 600 mm away from the cock . with a earth wire back to the fuse board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L33 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 as the above has said also worth checking insulation resistance at the fuse board, ive had it before where a neutral was touching a earth and causing a shock on the pipe work on the return path! not some thing you can really do so call a sparks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holden1989 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Will have a good look tomorow, will take laptop with me as i have no idea what to look for!! iirc it was built in 60's Thanks for you help guys, (the punisher's OH) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordy07 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 With 17th edition requirements there is no need for supplementary bonding if all the circuits are protected by a 30ma RCD. But something is shorting to earth you could try and turn off all the circuits at the main board,and put them on one at a time with test lamps on the pipe and see which circuit is causing the fault. Isolate this one circuit until you get it investigated further Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L33 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 no but u still need a main water and gas bond! its not shorting so that wont help, if its on a neutral return path test lamps would not pick it up, possibly a electricians glow stick? but stil a bit of a bad way to test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordy07 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Of course you need main bonds lee. I am not saying this is a way to test but just a temporary measure until someone can look at it,and neutral does give return voltage aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supradan Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I was told a story when i was doing my apprenticeship about someone who had a new gas boiler fitted and the fitter wired the neutral to the earth by accident. The owner of the house started getting small shocks off of his sink but ignored it until one day he was washing up and had both his hands in the sink just as the boiler fired up.............he is dead now!!! Get it checked out ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merckx Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 and had both his hands in the sink just as the boiler fired up.............he is dead now!!! Get it checked out ASAP. I would get someone to look at it asap. I reconfigured our consumer unit so all of the circuits are protected by the RCD. should be a earth clamp on in no more then 600 mm away from the cock . with a earth wire back to the fuse board. We don't have a black wire back to the fuse board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordy07 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I would get someone to look at it asap. I reconfigured our consumer unit so all of the circuits are protected by the RCD. Ideally all circuits should be protected by RCD so under fault conditions you will be safe,well done:thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev.O Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Ideally all circuits should be protected by RCD so under fault conditions you will be safe,well done:thumbs: Isn't it good practise/now regulation to have them protected by atleast 2 separate 30ma RCD's, ideally spliting the lighting circuits up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merckx Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Isn't it good practise/now regulation to have them protected by atleast 2 separate 30ma RCD's, ideally spliting the lighting circuits up? So the freezer doesn't lose power and defrosts when the auto timer switches the security light on and blows the bulb which trips the rcd when you're away on holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holden1989 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I was told a story when i was doing my apprenticeship about someone who had a new gas boiler fitted and the fitter wired the neutral to the earth by accident. The owner of the house started getting small shocks off of his sink but ignored it until one day he was washing up and had both his hands in the sink just as the boiler fired up.............he is dead now!!! Get it checked out ASAP. Oh my god!! il call someone today! thanks for the advice guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_b Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 My water is giving off electric shocks!! What do you mean by "electric shocks"? What I'm trying to do here is distinguish between mains electricity and static. If I wear the right type of shoes (rubber-soled I guess), scuff around a bit at work to build up some nice static electricity, and then turn a tap on in the loo, I can discharge the static via the water flow from the tap. That feels like a small pin-prick (I'm sure you know what static feels like ). That's normal, and caused by wearing shoes that pick up static and don't discharge it. Also affected by what clothes you're wearing, what seat you sit on, all sorts..... Then there's the far more dangerous type of mains electrical shock. As others have said, a property's electrical supply is usually earthed through the mains water supply (usually a meaty metal clamp on the water pipe that supplies your cold water tap in the kitchen). IIRC no electricity should really flow through through that. If it does, one or more of your electrical devices has a problem (bare wires touching metal casing, that sort of thing). The earth strap provides a way for the electricity to get back to earth safely. If that strap comes loose, the rogue electricity has no way of getting to earth. But if that happens, you'd be getting shocks (potentially very serious ones) from the appliance, not the tap water. It sounds like you're picking up static and discharging through the mains water stream from a tap. This is nothing to worry about. Please note: I'm not an electrician or a plumber. What I've written above is how I understand it, but I'm not an expert. If in any doubt, call a sparky out. I don't want to be responsible for anyone's electrocution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L33 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Isn't it good practise/now regulation to have them protected by atleast 2 separate 30ma RCD's, ideally spliting the lighting circuits up? all cables flushed into the wall unless more than 50mm deep should be protected by a RCD, as does every circuit in the bath room and any socket outlets! the only things that are not needed to be 30mA protected is for example lighting if it is in trunking. but bath light still will! i havent installed a twin RCD board yet ive only fitted a full RCBO board which in my opintion is a million times better as fault finding becomes a lot more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L33 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 We don't have a black wire back to the fuse board. they ment a green and yellow 10mm cable going BACK to the fuse board. ur main incoming water should be bonded! its a very quick and simple test to check this just by using a continuity tester which reads ohms! have a fly lead (as usually the water tap is miles from the fuse board) and hold on water pipe, then to one probe of the tester then the other probe on the main earth bar of the fuse board. ideally u want a reading as close to 0 as possible, higher it gets the more of a bad connection or a disconnection the earth wire has to the pipe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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