Why do the water tap and bathtub shock? Finding the reasons and how to get rid of them.

Almost every one of us, at least once in our lives, has encountered small discharges of electric current from walls, a wet floor, a water tap, or simply water in the bathroom.
This is especially felt if there are unhealed wounds on the body and in places where the skin is thin. If you do not attach importance to this, then over time the situation may change significantly for the worse.

What to do if there is an electric shock in the bathroom? Before you can fix the problem, you need to find out the cause of it. If the tap “pinches” only once, and when you touch it again nothing happens, then you are most likely dealing with static. But when it hits constantly, then this is a “change” and you need to act immediately.

Theft of electricity or unscrupulous neighbors

The first and most common reason why people sin is unscrupulous neighbors. Suspicions immediately arise that they are trying to steal some electrical energy and save extra kilowatts. This may be caused by their major renovation work on the apartment and the heavy loads associated with this connection - welding machines, electric heat guns, etc.

Or in winter, when the temperature of the central heating batteries is insufficient, they very often begin to use powerful heaters and heaters. Naturally, you can try to connect all this by illegally throwing wires to the wiring in addition to the meter.

The main reason for the appearance of voltage and potential in your bathroom in this case is the discharge of the neutral wire onto radiators, water pipes, sewerage and heating.

It’s true that neighbors may not always be deliberately to blame! Therefore, do not rush to immediately accuse them of stealing electricity.

In old houses with a TN-C grounding system, there is no separate grounding conductor. But many people lately still carry out wiring with three-core cables.

And on the one hand this is correct. The house will undergo reconstruction, the grounding system will change to TN-CS, and you will have everything ready. But until this moment, do not rush to connect such a conductor.

However, some, without waiting for reconstruction, simply use the risers of the nearest water supply as grounding conductors. And they immediately connect to it the very third grounding conductor. Which in turn is connected to the body of the electrical appliance.

And if the insulation of this device breaks through, then the phase will get through the pipes into the neighboring apartments.

Frequently asked questions

In the process of troubleshooting a problem, many similar questions arise. You can answer them in advance:

What is better, contacting a full-time electrician of the management company or calling an independent specialist?

As a rule, electricians try not to interfere in other people's households. You can find a lot of errors, but no one wants to eliminate someone’s shortcomings. Therefore, it is better to call a regular electrician. If he cannot solve the problem, he will call more qualified specialists for help.

Are the services of a full-time electrician from the management company paid?

It all depends on the source of the problem. Management specialists service common property free of charge. If the problem is in the apartment, you will have to pay for the electrician’s work according to the price list.

What if after repairing one device (for example, a washing machine), the problem remains?

The breakdown may not occur in one device. There are often several problem areas - along with problems with some devices, there may be incorrect connections or an insulation breakdown. We must look for and eliminate all problems.

What problems can arise when fixing a short circuit on your own?

The most serious problem may be a complete short circuit of the wires, which will cut off power to the entire house or entrance. It is also possible that your own household appliances will short-circuit and fail. If you don’t have confidence in your own abilities, it’s better not to take risks and entrust the issue to specialists.

What should you do if there is a short circuit in your neighbors’ apartment, but they are not at home?

The easiest way is to turn off the power supply to their apartment from the entrance. However, this is a temporary measure, since all appliances in the apartment, including the refrigerator, will be turned off. If there is food in it, if it is turned off for a long time, it will spoil, which will cause a conflict with neighbors. Therefore, we must immediately make attempts to contact them and solve the problem together.

Old wiring and damaged insulation

The second reason is poor insulation of the existing wiring, which has already expired its warranty period, dried out and cracked in several places. Due to this, from time to time, electrical leaks occur on the surface of walls, pipes and other equipment connected to the bathroom. Most often, this situation occurs in apartments of old construction.

If you live on the second floor or higher, then your bathroom floor is essentially the ceiling of your neighbors below. And just the same, it may contain old wiring for lighting.

Of course, they may not feel anything, but if you get water on the floor, you may noticeably begin to receive an electric shock. Moreover, when touching any surface. You don’t go into the bathroom wearing shoes with an insulating surface, but often with bare feet.

Sometimes a frayed wire in the wall can come into contact with pipes and voltage will flow through them into your apartment.

Shielding

Shielding is the process of superimposing two electromagnetic fields on top of each other. As a result, a potential difference arises between the sources, causing, as a consequence, current breakdowns on the body of the electric stove.

This happens if the equipment is installed on a warm floor with an electric heating system.

To determine the presence of shielding, you need to ring the circuits of the heated floor, household appliances, identify the place where the shielding occurs, and then fix the problem.

Malfunction of electrical appliances and heating elements

But most often, electric shocks are possible due to a malfunction of such simple household appliances as a washing machine, titanium boiler, instantaneous water heaters, or dishwasher.

If they do not have a protective grounding, any of them will sooner or later begin to electrocute. In this case, it is enough to simply plug them into the outlet and not even start them. And when you touch the surface of this device or just water, you will begin to “pinch” in a significant way.

If there is a small leak, a slight vibration of the device will be felt.

If the tap water itself is electrocuted (usually the pipes are plastic), then the cause is most likely damage to the water heating devices through which this same water flows.

Here all the blame lies with the heating element. Its insulation is destroyed, cracks appear, the heating coil is exposed and begins to come into direct contact with water. Hence the electric shocks.

If this is one small microcrack, then when the heating element heats up, it will open and the electric shock will be stronger. When the titanium is turned off, the heating element cools down and the crack seems to close, hiding the spiral. The tingling may be barely noticeable or disappear altogether. As the heating element deteriorates, the voltage on the tap water will remain constant.

To find out, you need to “ring” the heating element with an indicator screwdriver or a multimeter.

Moreover, it should be especially noted that water can be electrocuted even if the water heating devices of your neighbors, not yours, are faulty.

It's very easy to find out. Unplug the machine or plug from the heater socket and check for voltage. If it does not disappear, then go to your neighbors and ask them to do the same. When you turn off the power from a faulty water heater, the potential on the water pipes will also disappear.

Capacitor problem

In modern models of electric stoves, mainly those with electronic oven control or with a glass-ceramic surface, a switching power supply with a capacitor is installed. The capacitor's job is to smooth out background noise. Due to wear and tear or voltage fluctuations, the capacitor may break. This happens rarely, but still the problem cannot be completely ruled out.

Due to a breakdown, a breakdown occurs, as a result, alternating current enters the housing, the shock of which is felt quite painfully. The power supply will have to be replaced, otherwise the problem will not be solved.

Short circuit in the wiring of the phase and ground conductors

The fourth reason is quite rare, but this may be your case. For example, your bathroom may not have any electrical appliances at all - no washing machine, no boiler, etc. At the same time, there are no neighbors either, and you live in your own separate wooden house. All wiring is made with a three-core cable with a grounding conductor, the panel diagram is assembled according to the rules.

And yet, you still get an electric shock in the bathroom. How is this possible?

There are two reasons:

• poor grounding circuit - they hammered one corner into the ground and considered this sufficient, or the contact was broken at the point of connection to the circuit

• phase short circuit to the grounding conductor, in any of the wiring lines, not necessarily in the bathroom

Well, as a rule, you naturally do not have an RCD in your electrical panel. In this case, a simple circuit breaker will not turn off, since the current for it is too small.

This can happen:

• as a result of screwing a self-tapping screw into the wall, when it simultaneously hits the phase and the yellow-green PE conductor

• when the insulation heats up and the wires in the lighting lamp short out

• Short circuit of phases and grounding conductors in a socket with a grounding contact

• due to a short circuit in a regular plug. The insulation of the phase conductor is rubbed against the pressure plate. And it is usually grounded.

  
  

Don't trust cheap carriers and extension cords yet. They need to be disabled first.

And since this conductor is connected to a common grounding bus in the panel, the potential along it will spread throughout the house and apartment.

In this case, you will have voltage on all grounded devices.

You will only feel it first of all in the bathroom, where it is humid and damp. The presence of potential is checked with a screwdriver using an indicator, and it is better to use it with a neon bulb rather than with an LED.

When does a person feel a charge?

In addition to synthetic materials, they are well electrified:

• amber products;
• fur items;
• human hair;
• ebonite and other types of plastic;
• paper.

In most cases, we are most likely to get electrocuted during the winter. This is no magic. It’s just that with the onset of the cold season, we increasingly wear woolen items, and there may be several of them. Another reason why we get electrocuted more often in winter is dry air. In winter it is much drier than in summer.

There is no or poor contact on the grounding, grounding in the shield

Often, even in newly built houses with 3-wire cable lines, a situation occurs when there is a small voltage within a few tens of volts on the grounding conductor, and accordingly on everything to which it is connected.

It seems that the wiring in the apartment is new, and everything is assembled in junction boxes according to the diagrams with respect to “polarity,” but electric shock occurs everywhere you don’t touch.

The explanation may be very simple. In the apartment panel, all grounding wires are collected in a heap and connected to one common bus.

But it is just neither grounded nor zeroed! The electricians simply forgot to do this. This is where all the problems come from.

Or there is a break somewhere in the main ground wire from the circuit to your panel. Check the voltage in the panel between the ground bus and the phase. It should be stable around 220V. If the voltage “floats” in absolutely arbitrary parameters, then there is clearly a break somewhere.

Is there any point in metal things?

If you still doubt the effectiveness of pins and other metal devices in dealing with electric shocks, take a look here!

How to get rid of electric shocks in the bathroom

If the water faucet constantly shocks, or you feel small discharges and tingling sensations when touching the bathtub body or pipes, the problem must be solved quickly. What are the ways to combat electric shocks in the bathroom?

Some people think: I’ll ground the bathtub and everything will be fine.

However, keep in mind one important point: if you have an extraneous potential applied specifically to the water, then forced grounding only in the bathroom may even worsen the situation!

You will thereby increase the potential difference even more.

Therefore, you should start by checking all electrical appliances and their connection points to the 220 Volt power grid. Unplug them one at a time and check what has changed after each shutdown. This way you can find faulty equipment.

Moreover, disconnect from the network not only appliances installed directly in the bathroom, but throughout the entire house. The reason described above, with a damaged plug or socket with grounding, is clear proof of this.

If it is not the equipment that is to blame, but the wiring under the plaster, some try to swap the outgoing phase with zero on the input switchboard.

This is not recommended. Because there may be zeroed equipment in the apartment.

True, sometimes this measure helps. Since the core with damaged insulation changes from phase to zero and current leakage through it to the damp wall or fittings in it disappears. But the insulation is already damaged in any case and further operation in this mode can lead to a fire!

If the whole point is not a breakdown of your equipment or your wiring, but a breakdown of your neighbors, then this is revealed as follows.

You turn off only the phase on the input circuit breaker or unscrew the phase plug in the panel, and thereby completely de-energize the entire apartment. Turning off both phase and zero at the same time may not produce results, since there will no longer be a potential difference.

If the “tingling” has not disappeared, then now you definitely need to go to the neighbors. Moreover, these may not necessarily be neighbors across the wall, but residents several floors above.

How to deal with static tension on the body?

Although static electricity is a nuisance, it is easy to get rid of.

To stop shocking everyone around you, take note of a couple of tips:

1. Moisturize your body regularly.

   Our body becomes a store of electrical charge when it dries out. Therefore, immediately after taking a bath, apply nourishing lotion or cream to your entire body. It will not only moisturize your skin, but also protect you from static electricity. It would be a good idea to use lotion throughout the day.

2. Change your wardrobe.

   Try to wear clothes made from natural materials, and synthetics only in rare cases. If you need to get rid of static tension on your clothes as soon as possible, use an antistatic agent or, as a last resort, hairspray. Spraying water on clothes is useless, because it will only act until it dries.

3. Choose shoes with the right soles.

   Shoes with leather soles are considered correct in terms of protection against static charge. It neutralizes the charge. Shoes with rubber soles, on the other hand, accumulate it. If the house is warm, walk without shoes. If you work with electronic devices, wear appropriate shoes that have special elements in the soles.

4. Prevent static electricity from appearing on washed laundry.

   To prevent washed clothes from accumulating an electrical charge, sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the items immediately before washing. It will prevent the appearance of electrical charges. The amount of baking soda directly depends on the number of things. If there are a lot of them, add half a glass of soda. For small amounts of laundry, add 2-3 tablespoons. Tip: adding baking soda will have a positive effect on the softness of your laundry. If you dry clothes in a special dryer, wipe it with a damp cloth or place a sponge soaked in water before adding clothes.

5. Shake washed clothes.

   After removing items from the washing machine, shake them well before drying. By the way, drying clothes in the fresh air reduces the likelihood of static electricity.

Please note: ordinary table vinegar will help prevent the occurrence of static electricity on washed laundry. It should be added to the washing machine immediately before switching it to the rinse cycle. Pour vinegar strictly into the special compartment for rinse aid. The product can be combined with fabric softener - this will prevent the appearance of an unpleasant vinegar smell.

Security measures

Electrical wiring in wet rooms should include the installation of camouflage covers for sockets, switches, lighting fixtures and other elements of electrical appliances.

If water gets into the outlet, there is a possibility of an electrical leak. Then, when you touch the wall and the bathtub, an unpleasant tingling sensation occurs. Unfortunately, if these problems are not corrected, an injury from an electric shock is quite possible, with unpleasant incidents resulting in medical intervention.

To prevent current leakage, it is recommended to use only plug-in devices. Plug-in electrical appliances provide reliable protection against moisture. To ensure a 100% guarantee against moisture ingress, it is necessary to purchase high-quality electrical appliances, because often the stated characteristics do not coincide with the actual indicators.

When purchasing, carefully inspect the products and make sure they are tight and properly insulated. Despite the presence of housing protection, the devices must be installed in such a way as to minimize the ingress of splashing water.

When carrying out electrical wiring, they try to install the equipment so that the switches are located outside the bathroom. If possible, the distribution box should also be installed outside the room, where there is constant high humidity.

Sources of current leakage can be:

• the presence of a “warm floor” system;
• dysfunction of the vein structure of the heating cable;
• violation of the insulating elements of the heating device. In such cases, to eliminate the leak, it will be necessary to replace the entire “warm floor” system in the premises, since their structure is completely hidden under the floor screed.

If the passage of electric current was noticed in the premises, this does not mean that when troubleshooting the problem, the situation will not happen again

Therefore, you need to take care of precautions for the long term. The following safety measures are known today to ensure the safe use of electrical appliances:

• Installation of a residual current device (RCD) or a combined electrical device - a differential circuit breaker - into the apartment distribution panel. It is recommended to install such RCDs on devices that are most dangerous in case of electric shock.
• Installation of an incoming protective device in the distribution panel, which ensures safety in case of problems with the RCD. Such a device is considered a safety backup option.
• Presence of protective grounding in electrical wiring.

Sometimes it happens that when washing your hands, the water from the tap produces an electric shock due to neighbor's negligence. Recently, pipelines have often been used as a grounding conductor, although this is prohibited by law. If you suspect something like this, contact the supervisory organization immediately. Electricians must identify the cause and eliminate the consequences.

Why are conductive pipes dangerous?

Even a small voltage (42 volts or more) can kill a person, depending on many factors, including:

1. Painful condition.
2. Diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
3. Alcohol intoxication.
4. Factors that enhance current conductivity.

It is difficult to say definitively what an electric shock will lead to - from a minor pinch to death.

Not only in the case of gas pipes, but also with any other pipes, wires caught on them are dangerous. During repairs in one of the apartments, a man allowed exposed wires to touch the pipeline. When he touched the heated towel rail, he was instantly electrocuted. A sad fate awaited the neighbor who came running to help and tried to save the owner of the apartment. Water from a device torn off when a man fell turned out to be an ill-fated conductor of electric current

In addition, let's not forget that electric current and gas are still a negative combination, which, under unfavorable circumstances, can cause a fire or explosion.

Why does a gas stove burner burn poorly?

Interruptions in the operation of the burner are the most common problem when using a gas stove. Signs of its occurrence are a change in the shade of the fire that comes out of the burner, as well as a sharp increase or decrease in its value. The situation when the flame breaks off or some strange sounds appear is also not considered normal. Let us remind you that gas stoves are famous for their noiselessness.

Typically, any malfunction of the device is a consequence of a number of things. The most common reasons are:

• violation of the internal structure of the unit;
• damage to the gas hose;
• lack of gas fuel;
• low gas pressure;
• Incorrect burner selection.

The burner does not burn well and makes sounds

The burner is an integral part of any gas stove, a key working element needed for cooking. Externally, it is the end of a gas valve. The burner is involved in mixing and preparing the air-gas mixture required for normal functioning. It takes on maximum thermal loads. Over time, due to thermal effects, the components of this assembly are deformed, their fit to each other becomes loose. All these changes are reflected in the combustion mode - it is disrupted because air entering through the organized cracks interferes with the process. The flame goes out. The operation of the burner begins to be accompanied by the production of soot, and the color of the emerging flame becomes red. Another consequence is that the device generates inappropriate noise.

It should also be remembered that over time there is a gradual narrowing of the holes (nozzles). The reason is that with prolonged use, carbon deposits form (it is formed by food residues, household detergents, and fatty particles). A dirty burner can simply be washed thoroughly. If it is deformed, the solution should be an urgent replacement.

Can I fix it myself?

Any work with electricity is dangerous to human health and life. Therefore, all manipulations for connecting and repairing electric stoves must be carried out by craftsmen who have a special permit to work with electrical equipment.

When handling any electric stove, you must follow safety rules. To do this, you need to de-energize it, i.e. remove the plug from the socket. It is strictly forbidden to carry out any manipulations with the internal parts of the electric stove if it is turned on, especially if you are wearing wet clothes and shoes, barefoot or with wet hands.

In addition, if you decide to repair the stove yourself, you will need a special set of tools and spare parts for repairing electrical equipment. Not every owner has all the necessary tools. And also knowledge! An inexperienced person trying to repair something can cause even more damage to the equipment. And then the repair will be more complicated and cost much more.

Why can the electric ignition of a gas stove click?

The causes of this malfunction can be very different, but all of them do not deserve special concern and, as a rule, are easily eliminated:

• If a clicking sound is heard after washing dishes or the stove, then the reason for its appearance is moisture that has entered the electric ignition. It causes the contacts to oxidize and close the circuit.
• Carbon deposits on the ignition button and subsequent sticking of the contact
• Overheating or breakdown of the button, leading to a short circuit of the entire circuit.
• The button malfunctions due to the accumulation of grease or dirt under it.
• Water gets into the auto-ignition switch.
• Violation of the rules for operating the stove.
• Problems associated with the functioning of the electrical panel responsible for supplying electricity to the room.
• No gas supply.

If all of the above reasons do not apply to the situation that has arisen, you should not carry out repairs yourself, since only a specialist can solve the problem in this case.

What to do on your own

If you cannot touch the device without feeling a tingling sensation, you should not try to fix it yourself without special tools and knowledge. But there are several mandatory things that you not only can, but should do:

• Turn off the electricity. This is an ironclad rule: if you feel a blow from the device, turn off the power supply through the shield. And then figure out what happened.
• Check whether water has spilled on the device. Inspect the equipment, check the outlet. There should be no water anywhere. Wipe all parts with a paper towel and dry all parts with a hairdryer if necessary.
• Remove the plug from the socket. This should be done when the entire apartment is de-energized. Otherwise, you can get a serious discharge. When the power to the stove is turned off, you can return electricity to the house.

Call a specialist. Even if you have an A in physics, you should not repair an electrical appliance without qualifications. At best, this will void your warranty; at worst, it will lead to irreparable damage to your equipment and even a fire. You should call the master from LenByt.

Design features of gas devices

Some gas stoves of certain European brands are noisy by definition. This is due to their design features and the introduction of technologies aimed at saving resources. These technologies allow you to save gas.

To maximize gas consumption, this stove uses the turbo effect. Some modern burners have two or three rows of perforations (unlike older devices), which results in faster heating. But this can also cause additional background noise.

Those. The combustion intensity increases, but due to all the innovations, the burners begin to make a lot of noise. In addition, on new stoves, the burners suck in air directly under the flame, which is why characteristic sounds are heard (whistles, hissing, tapping, etc.).

On old tiles, this process took place inside the burners, so it was barely audible. If the noise is too loud, you can try to reduce it by increasing or decreasing the gas.

When purchasing modern gas stoves, you need to be prepared for the fact that it will not be possible to completely get rid of the noise of the burners.

Also, the appearance of background noise when a gas stove is operating may be associated with the installation of inappropriate parts. A set of new plates often contains additional elements that can be mistaken for spare parts, but they are not.

In most cases, such parts are designed for different gas pressures. But only an employee of the GorGaz department, with whom the owner of the residential property has entered into an agreement for the maintenance of gas units and the supply of blue fuel, should replace parts of the gas stove with new suitable elements.

If an ordinary gas stove was moved from an apartment with main gas and installed in a country house, connected to a cylinder, and it began to make noise during operation, then in most cases this is due to unsuitable jets.

The jets are responsible for supplying gas in the required volume at a certain pressure. The fact is that the gas in the main pipes and cylinders has a different composition, therefore the nozzles differ in structure and size.

Professional repair of household appliances

When you contact the service center, you get access to the highest level of restoration and warranty service in the capital region. We offer you the following terms of cooperation:

• A completely transparent budgeting scheme, pricing without markups.
• Use only original spare parts.
• A wide range of services provided, in addition to electric stoves, we repair gas equipment, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, sewing machines, you can call an electrician, plumber, or handyman for an hour.
• Masters of a high level of qualification and with extensive experience in the field.
• An integrated approach to solving problems with household appliances.
• Departure of craftsmen to any district of Moscow.
• Long warranty period of service.
• Models both currently popular and those already discontinued are accepted for repair.
• Repair at a time convenient for the customer.

You can order this service by phone, or by leaving a request directly on the website. The workshop hours are from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. No weekends or holidays. All work is carried out in a short time frame, you can be 100% sure of the high quality of the services provided.