Some people are faced with a situation where it is shocked by water from a tap. This is unpleasant and many such a lack of plumbing can scare. Even minor electric shocks indicate that the bathroom equipment is faulty. Residents of an apartment or private house should focus on the wiring condition and make sure that all current-powered appliances are properly grounded. Malfunctions in these cases can pose a serious danger to life and health.
Why problems arise
There are several reasons for the current to flow from the tap from the tap:
- The water pipe is used by your neighbors as a neutral conductor. Quite often, unscrupulous residents of apartment buildings resort to this method of minimizing their energy costs.
- The appliance is not equipped with ground. Among such appliances are water heaters, dishwashing machines and washing machines.
- It is worth focusing on the wiring, it may also be faulty. In addition, sockets that are not designed to function in such rooms can be installed in a room with high humidity.
In addition, if your bathroom has underfloor heating, you should make sure that it is connected correctly.
How to find a malfunction in rooms with high humidity?
After you have learned a number of reasons why it blows electric water from a faucet, you need to try to understand which one corresponds in reality to a particular case. This is not always possible without the help of specialists. For example, to understand that insulation is damaged is rather difficult without certain skills. Therefore, you can resort to the gradual shutdown of all consumers, while monitoring the situation. So, if when turning off one device, for example, a water heater, water from the tap is shocking, as before, then you need to turn on other electrical equipment.
It is worthwhile to dwell on the dishonesty of neighbors who can mount the ground in their bathroom by connecting the PE wire to the water riser. The result is a leak, and your room is shocked by water. A similar problem may also include connecting the neutral wire to the central water supply pipe - with this, neighbors can wind back their electricity meter. Naturally, under such conditions, the current will "flow" through the pipeline to your bathroom, and the walls and the tap will begin to shock you.
Electrical appliances
When the tap water is shocking, the reason in most cases lies precisely in the water heater. This is due to damage to the heating elements, which are enough to change to new and high-quality. Also, some sockets and fixtures that are installed in the bathroom, often may not correspond to the degree of protection that is claimed.
The reason may lie in other electrical appliances. So, a washing machine is also quite often not grounded, due to which, with the slightest breakdown, it will be shocked, even if it is rather weak. In particular, grounding is required in a private house.
Another cause of electric shock from water
In addition, a possible drawback is probably due to faulty insulation in the wiring. Often, experts identify such a malfunction as “torn” wires inside the walls. Because of this, electricity leaks, they are transmitted to a faucet made of metal material, to the walls of the room and to the bath itself.
To understand if there is a wire break in the wall, it is necessary to “enlighten” the wall with a specialized device that allows you to perform such actions. In the event that you do not know how to use such devices, it is recommended that you first read all the instructions from the manufacturers or consult with specialists.
The procedure for identifying causes
The reasons that the tap water is shocking should be identified by specialists. If such problems occur, a rather thorough diagnosis is necessary, which is often divided into several stages:
- Checking the availability of grounding for all household appliances operating in the apartment.
- Determination of wiring wear, for which all devices running on electricity in the room are sequentially disconnected, after which the voltage in the area where the problem occurs is checked.
- Full audit of outlets in the apartment.
- Proper installation of equipment.
When you are engaged in the installation of complex household appliances, resort to the help of specialists to make sure that their components really provide high-quality protection for the parts that carry electric current. Pay attention to the fact that there should be a minimum number of devices in a humid room, and they should be protected as much as possible from liquid. In an apartment, water from a faucet is shocking most often because moisture settles on the equipment.
Installation of protective equipment
When the water from the tap is shocking in the apartment, most likely, it will be necessary to install protective automation in the bathroom, since in such places an electric shock occurs more often than in other rooms. Experts do not recommend the installation of protective automation “with a margin". Circuit breakers should be installed at the smallest power possible to ensure a minimum flow of electricity to the devices. So, the minimum leakage current should be about 10 mA.
In the absence of grounding, it is necessary to install special equipment that will provide it. All electrical appliances must be connected through an RCD, which will be triggered at the moment when the leakage current begins to be 10 mA or higher. Specialists also recommend installing the control system, which integrates the equipment into a single communication network. It includes a bathtub, a sink, and other objects that can potentially conduct electric current. All these devices are connected to a single ground bus. SOUP can be not only for one apartment, but for the whole apartment building.
Sometimes a system that counts on a house or porch can not cope with the load, or it does not exist at all. That is why the installation of EMS is the most common and effective option. It is worthwhile to understand that such actions should be performed only with the help of specialists, since inept actions can lead to disastrous consequences. Do not skimp - it is better to invest in experienced electricians who will possess the necessary knowledge and skills. Masters will do all the necessary work, thereby protecting the inhabitants of the house.
What to do if the water is shocking in a private house?
There are frequent cases when in a private house it is shocked by water from a tap. What to do in this case? In principle, everything is the same thing that needs to be done if it is shocking in the apartment - first understand what the problem is.
In country houses, a similar problem is quite common and usually lies in improper grounding. In order to ensure reliable grounding, it is necessary to equip a small "hole" in the ground. It is necessary to place there several pins made of metal material. Ultimately, there should be an isosceles triangle. A wire should be placed on one pin, the purpose of which is to drain current. Such a wire is fastened with a screw.
Correct Grounding Installation
When attaching the wire to a metal pin, you need to make sure that all equipment running on electric current is used in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. Please note that you need to check the health of the equipment at the moment when it is turned off.
After checking, it is necessary to open the water and try to touch the jet. If your fingers do not feel tingling, it means that the equipment will beat only when it is turned on and used. To accurately verify the malfunction, plug in the appliance and try touching the water again.
Recommendations of specialists
In order for the probability of damage to the wiring to be minimized, experts give a number of recommendations. So, they advise the installation of waterproof covers on switches, sockets, lighting devices.
If there is even a small probability that moisture will get inside the device, including the outlet, then most likely this will lead to a leakage of current. And when you touch the wall, you will probably feel a tingling sensation - a light electric shock. If the problem persists for a long time, the consequences can be dire - you run the risk of getting a severe electric shock and going to the hospital.
How to guarantee the safety of the room?
No one can guarantee 100% safety in the bathroom, however you can try to minimize the risks. Initially, you need to pay attention to the quality of appliances that are installed in the bathroom. Observe the technical specifications of the equipment and their correspondence with the actual readings. Check instruments for leaks and reliability. When the protective elements of the case are not included, then you need to install them additionally. When conducting wiring, it is necessary to carry out installation of the equipment so that the switch does not adjoin the bathroom closely.
To provide maximum protection, you should also take care of the potential equalization system, as mentioned above. Such a system allows you to combine all the equipment and centrally provide grounding.
If you suspect that your neighbors are unscrupulous and are trying to “steal” electricity, try talking to them. One way or another, it will not be possible to fight this problem without their participation. However, this is only worth doing if you are completely sure that everything is fine in your apartment.