What to do if electric shock occurs in the bathroom?

Very often, owners of private houses and apartments turn to professional electricians for help when the faucet or the walls of the bathroom are shocked. Of course, the fingers do not pinch very hard, but still it is dangerous to human life, because any subsequent strike can be much stronger. Next, we will explain why the bathroom is shocking and what to do to solve such a dangerous malfunction.

List of possible reasons

So, for starters, let's talk about why a jet of water from the tap or the bath itself nibbles fingers. Problems can be either due to a malfunction in your wiring, or through the fault of neighbors. In the first case, the main causes of electric shocks are:

  1. The washing machine or water heater is not grounded and, if it fails, they are shocked. If so far you have not done grounding in a private house, then decide this moment as quickly as possible. The yellow-green wire, also called “ground”, will protect you in case of electricity leakage, thereby the tap or pipes will not be plucked. About, how to ground wiring in an apartment we also told.
  2. Damage to insulation in wiring. Very often the cause of the malfunction is a broken wire in the wall, which, in fact, creates electric leakage on a metal faucet, bathtub and wet walls. You can find a wire break in the wall using a special device for finding hidden wiring. If you do not have skills in using such devices, you can read our instructions or call a professional to find a problem area.Wire insulation damage
  3. If a stream of water from a faucet beats an electric current, then most likely there has been a failure of the heater in the water heater. You can check this point with a multimeter, again, if you know how to use it. If you live in an apartment, then perhaps the water heater has broken down in the neighbors, as a result of which the water from the faucet nibbles your fingers.Dangerous water jet
  4. Also, in the case of the apartment, quite often very uneducated neighbors make grounding in the bathroom, connecting the PE wire to the riser. As a result, if there is a leak in their apartment, it will shock you. Here, one more unfavorable case can be attributed. Some neighbors are trying to save on electricity by connecting the neutral wire to the water pipes, which allows you to unwind the meter. As you know, with this connection, electricity will pass through the pipes and to your bathroom, as a result of which, the faucet and damp walls will be slightly shocked.

You can clearly see one of the reasons on the video:

How to understand what is the matter in the boiler?

Above, we have indicated the main reasons why you can pinch your fingers a little in the bathroom. Now let's talk about how to solve each of the problems ourselves.

How to fix the situation

If you live in a private house, be sure to ground the wiring and, accordingly, if it is, check the integrity of the circuit by measuring its resistance. Also make sure that the water heater or washing machine is in good condition.First disconnect them from the mains and if the electric shocks cease, proceed to the troubleshooting. It is quite difficult to determine the breakdown in the wiring, without having certain skills, however, if you want, try to make an audit of all outlets, switches, and also check the wiring in the wall with a special tester. By the way, the sockets in the bathroom themselves must have IP degree of protection 44 and above. Switches are best located outside for electrical safety reasons.

Resistance measurements

Sockets with covers

It is also necessary to protect electrical appliances with a residual current device, which will instantly turn off electricity in the serviced area if it detects current leaks. For bathroom recommended choose an RCD with a response characteristic of 10 mA.

RCD in the shield

In addition, we recommend that you install a water leak protection system in the bathroom. It will allow you to save your housing and neighbors' housing from flooding during an emergency, or if you forget to turn off the water. In addition, the protective system can prevent electric shock through a puddle under the washing machine, for example, as the water will be shut off in a timely manner, and you are informed about the accident. A popular water leakage protection system is Neptun. You can read more about it in our review.Neptun Prow + Wi-Fi.

Another important point is the presence of a common house and individual potential equalization systems, which combines all the pipes in the room, the sink and the bath itself with a ground bus. Make sure that you have such a system in your apartment, and just as importantly, check its performance.

Potential equalization system

Well, if you are convinced that the washing machine with the boiler is intact, and the wiring is working, but at the same time it breaks electricity in the bathroom, feel free to go to the neighbors and find out what problems they may have in their apartment. If you are sure that they are unwinding the meter in this way or simply made an unsafe ground, as a result of which you are shocked, please contact your service organization, which will come with a check and find out what is the matter. About, what to do if neighbors steal electricity, we told in a separate article.Check

That's all I wanted to tell you about this issue. We hope that now you know why the water from the faucet, the wall, or the mixer itself is shocking in the bathroom and what to do to solve the problem!

How to understand what is the matter in the boiler?

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10 comments

  • Vadim

    “The water supply is beating electric current” - Another story on television news, the crying Khabaravchanka, was forced to change metal pipes in the apartment, but it still beats and beats ... The helpless raids of interchangeable electricians and the head engineer who shrugs his hands ... the problem is so difficult ... Alas, as the guiding ones specialists of production halls and enterprises are dubious specialists with diplomas, “work with your head” And when there is at least a minor technical problem like Toko - a danger in the apartment, they can’t even think of such a trifle ... ylayut solve the problem of those whom they consider beings work with your hands ... Fedotov ... Okay, let superiors work their heads-bottoms and we should once and for all voice solution why fight the current water pipes and plumbing. Reduce eloquence to technical brevity. So.
    The water supply is breaking (even from plastic pipes), which means that the conductive core of the phase of the access riser-cable comes into contact with water in the pipes or with the iron of the pipes. You need to consider - this is not tied to your specific apartment. Even if you have a neighbor, even a homeless person in the basement, if the phase riser is the same, everyone will to some extent feel the breakdown. Usually there are three riser phases in the entrance (different phases of the 3-phase system), therefore, when a single phase of the riser is connected to water, only one third of the apartments in the entrance suffer. Find out in your apartment whether a leak can be de-energized completely. If the breakdown continues, it’s not your fault, but the neighbors.Technically, it will be correct in this case to measure the insulation resistance between the phase (de-energized phase wire of your apartment) and the water supply using a megohmmeter, after all, it is easier than running around trying pipes every time with your hands, risking damage to your health. So, the wiring in your apartment is working, and there is a breakdown in the water, you need to try to turn off the neighbors, and not only on your site ... It's a difficult thing ... you can run into ... And it may happen that the most scandalous neighbor will call the police before you find out what she has in her the heater in the water heater or the washing machine was leaked, a short circuit to the water occurred and for this reason the whole staircase was clogging with current. So, the long wire from your apartment connected to the water supply that is beating, is taken out to the site, take a megohm meter, de-energize the neighbor, connect one probe of the megohmmeter to the de-energized neighboring phase, the other to your wire connected to the water supply. If the measured value is close to zero ... yeah dear neighbor ... you nightmare the porch and live in blissful ignorance.

    To answer
    • Admin

      Thanks for such an extensive answer! All right said!

      To answer
    • Pavel

      "Usually there are three riser phases in the entrance (different phases of the 3-phase system), therefore, when a single phase of the riser is connected to water, only one third of the apartments in the entrance suffer." But doesn’t it seem to you, dear, that if the phase “pecked” at the water pipe, then everyone will have a problem, and those only “sitting” at this phase?

      To answer
    • Alexei

      The comment is detailed and everything is painted correctly. But it’s better to look for leaks from neighbors not alone, but together with the management company.

      To answer
  • Nikita

    Yesterday, suddenly the water began to shock, I went checked it started turning on, jumped up and hung in the air, the effect quickly ended. I thought that there would be just a click, and there it will be fucking, but fortunately weak. Before going to bed (stopped fucking) mom went to bathe my sister (she is 1 year old) after some time there is a cry, my dad and I run in, pick up Masha (my sister) and leave. Mom came out and said: “she bathed Masha, and then she went under the water, the mother fell out and extended her hands, and now her hands are cramped with a cramp, and Masha is in order. I’ll find out if it’s someone from the neighbors, I’ll kill, and if the wiring, then what will I do? well at least the walls do not hammer))))

    To answer
    • Admin

      Urgently call an electrician, let him look for where the current leakage. You can protect yourself by installing an RCD in the apartment, it will work when current leaks.

      To answer
  • Lera

    And if the ouzo is installed and working properly, but the faucet in the bathroom and the water from it still beat with current?

    To answer
  • Apani

    Right now, such a situation, the apartment on the ground floor, the cranked-in crane is energized, hissing is not sickly, I measured the voltage with a multimeter using a crane and a drain, it showed about 80 volts. I turned off the main automatic power input of the apartment, the voltage still showed. It turned out the reason in the engine (water pump) which is installed in the basement. The phase on the engine somewhere touched or had contact with water or iron water pipes.

    To answer
  • Arman

    I recently drilled a wall and punched a wiring cable. After that, I began to beat exactly 12v (measured). The house is private, there is a boiler and a wall boiler. Both are plugged into the same outlet. When I turn them off, everything disappears.

    To answer
    • Admin

      Drilled somewhere near this outlet? Does the outlet work now? What exactly is shocking and where is the voltage 12V?

      As for the elimination, then what is the problem? Now the place where you drilled break, connect and insulate the cable.

      To answer

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