Why is the washing machine electrocuted

Lack of PE wire

The first and most important reason why the washing machine is shocking is that the home wiring is not grounded. The fact is that even the new equipment is designed to allow a small amount of current to flow from capacitors to the grounding system of the house through the housing. As you understand, if there is no grounding, a small charge of current will accumulate on the case, and when you touch the washing machine you will feel this voltage, especially if your hands are wet. There is only one way to solve this problem - make grounding in a private house or apartment.

As for apartment buildings, there may be a nuisance due to the fact that there is no ground terminal in the apartment panel. Usually this can happen in the Khrushchevs of the old type. In this case, you can ground the washing machine or solve the problem in another way, which we will talk about below.

Please note that in a dry room, such as a kitchen, you may not even feel that the washing machine is shocking. If the equipment is installed in the bathroom, then you will immediately feel how it hits, which is caused by increased humidity in the room.

Equipment malfunction

The second reason the washing machine’s body is beating an electric shock is because it simply failed. Most likely, there was a damage to the wiring somewhere inside the equipment (for example, a heater was broken). In this case, you will have to remove the lining and visually view all the wires and connections of the contacts.

The found "culprit" of the breakdown must be carefully insulated with a heat shrink tube or electrical tape or replaced. Immediately recommend that you familiarize yourself with how to replace the heater in the washing machine.

What else can be done

In addition to the fact that the home network must be grounded, and the equipment itself must be working, you must additionally protect yourself in the following ways:

1. Connect the RCD to 10 or 30 mA. Residual Current Device will be triggered at the slightest leak, so if the washing machine is shocked, the automation will immediately react and turn off the power in the dashboard. We draw your attention to the fact that if the wiring in the house is old and there is no way to replace it with a three-wire, it may often happen RCD trip. As a result of this, you will constantly walk and turn on the machine on the shield, which is not very convenient. In this case, it is better to install the outlet into which the residual current device is mounted, as shown in the photo.
2. Make a potential equalization system. We examined in detail the device of this system when we talked about how to make wiring in the bathroom.
3. Check ground integrity. Sometimes it happens that a washing machine is shocked even if there is a connected “ground”. In this case, the reason that it hits is the damage to the grounding conductor, which will need to be checked and repaired.

If you feel a slight tingling through the faucet or tap water, immediately turn off the electric power in the bathroom and proceed to search for the cause. With the voltage connected, it is strictly forbidden to look for why the washing machine began to shock!

What you should not do

On the forums you can find many tips of "woe-electricians" who recommend solving the situation in the following ways:

• If there is no grounding of the wiring, simply turn the plug upside down and lay the rubber mat on the bathroom floor. Such an option to solve the problem will not allow you to fix the malfunction, as a result of which at some point, another person or you may lose.
• Disable the line filter of the washing machine. Based on the fact that this device directs the discharge to the housing, it is believed that its shutdown will eliminate the cause of electric shock. This is wrong, perhaps the probability of defeat will be less, but still it will be present.
• Lead the ground conductor to the riser or heating radiator from the washing machine. This version of the grounding system is dangerous and can lead to electric shock, therefore it should be avoided.
• Disconnect a separate PE wire from the distribution panel. It should immediately be noted that it is impossible to remove a separate “ground” from the shield, and connect the plug to a socket without grounding. Proper protection will only be ensured if you pull out the three-wire cable and connect a new, secure outlet to it.

That's all I wanted to tell about this issue. We hope that now you know what to do if the washing machine is electrocuted and why this could happen!

Similar materials:

• First Aid Rules for Electric Shock
• How to make a potential equalization system
• Why is the electric shock in the bathroom
• How to make grounding in an apartment