Low Earth Voltage in bathroom from bonded fittings

[Kris Dor]

Good call Risteard - yes, the earth is going into and out of the box with the 100A rather than tagged onto the cable before the fuse.

 

[Kris Dor]

Cheers for the reply Midwest - I'll have a think about nails, I did put a piece of chipboard down in the loft, I'll make sure I haven't nipped or crushed a cable up there.

 

[Midwest]

Don't be offended Kris, but if you are experiencing 'tingles', think its time you asked a competent electrician to carry out some tests on your installation, perhaps even an electrical installation condition report (EICR), don't know what the other members think about that suggestion?

 

[Octopus]

I had to investigate something like this a couple of years ago. I found that that shower cubicle was live

 

[Kris Dor]

I've had two Part P registered sparkies round already and booked in for next week hopefully to do some more testing. Unfortunately it's not something I can instantly achieve - seems to be a busy time round here - there is a massive amount of housing being built so I'm just waiting in line - I appreciate your sentiment though Midwest - I'm just seeing what i can do on the home owner front while I'm waiting.

 

[Midwest]

I appreciate your sentiment though Midwest - I'm just seeing what i can do on the home owner front while I'm waiting.

I'd stop using the offending item, and wait and see.

 

[Pete999]

I've had two Part P registered sparkies round already and booked in for next week hopefully to do some more testing. Unfortunately it's not something I can instantly achieve - seems to be a busy time round here - there is a massive amount of housing being built so I'm just waiting in line - I appreciate your sentiment though Midwest - I'm just seeing what i can do on the home owner front while I'm waiting.

Kris
You mentioned that you have had 3 "Part P Electricians" (quite what a Part P electrician is I'm not sure) around already, what did they actually do? and did the find anything wrong with your electrical installation?

 

[Sparkie30]

A clamp meter might help aswell.

 

[Des 56]

I've had two Part P registered sparkies round already and booked in for next week hopefully to do some more testing

Checking on a individuals testing and fault finding competence, perhaps via qualification,it would be a better precaution than gauging someones testing abilities by them being on that Part P register

 

[mhar]

The water outlet from the pump to the shower will be in plastic, therefore the shower not extraneous conductive. Is the radiator extraneous and conductive or is there any plastic plumbing? If you are connecting non extraneous parts via some form of bond, any voltage on the earth cable will be introduced to these parts. You already implied that there is something on the earth as there was a little spark when it was disconnected from cu.
Are you not making non extraneous conductive parts into extraneous ones and then wondering why there is a voltage on them?
Clamp the earth, find the earth leakage and go from there

 

[Pete999]

The water outlet from the pump to the shower will be in plastic, therefore the shower not extraneous conductive. Is the radiator extraneous and conductive or is there any plastic plumbing? If you are connecting non extraneous parts via some form of bond, any voltage on the earth cable will be introduced to these parts. You already implied that there is something on the earth as there was a little spark when it was disconnected from cu.
Are you not making non extraneous conductive parts into extraneous ones and then wondering why there is a voltage on them?
Clamp the earth, find the earth leakage and go from there

Don't think the OP is an Electrician or any Electrical knowledge

 

[Wilko]

When you do get a tingle (sorry not meant to sound funny) what are you standing on ?

 

[static zap]

I get the odd tingle , wince these days .
Nothing electrical , just my body telling me off for an unusual stance/position ( and my not being 25 any more)
..Nerve impulses going for a wander..
(common in the bathroom -Plenty of hard suraces)

 

[Pete999]

I get the odd tingle , wince these days .
Nothing electrical , just my body telling me off for an unusual stance/position ( and my not being 25 any more)
..Nerve impulses going for a wander..
(common in the bathroom -Plenty of hard suraces)

You as well Zap?

 

[static zap]

You as well Zap?

I know it me ,as everthing is bonded , (and have no 12V alarm cables-- battery backed ?)

 

[Pete999]

I know it me ,as everthing is bonded , (and have no 12V alarm cables-- battery backed ?)

Must be your electric personality.

 

[telectrix]

i get tingles as well, in bed. usually she just tells me to go to sleep, you randy old fart.

 

[PEG]

I think the OP needs to get some strips of copper and zinc,and sort through the fruit bowl,for lemons...

 

[KEV 1 N]

I had to investigate something like this a couple of years ago. I found that that shower cubicle was live

I foolishly drilled one of my own cables (for under cabinet lights) when fitting my kitchen last year, although I realised it was very close to where I'd drilled, I tested the cable and it appeared to be undamaged, however it turned out the screw I put in was touching the live and the metal capping, so when the lights were on, the wall was live....now this only came to light (pun intended) whilst grouting at night (lights on)...kept getting zaps when sponging the grout in and resting other hand on the cooker....had 100 or so volts between wall and earthed cooker!
Maybe you have a similar problem?

 

[Kris Dor]

Hi Mhar, Thanks for your reply, no, the rad is copper all the way so part of the earth, the shower hose is Extraneous as you said the connector is plastic. since the unit is earthed and the rad is earthed and bonded to each other I guess the difference is because the voltage is making the hose conductive through the water. Since water is a bad conductor this would account for only 0.2v on the hose and 2v on the rad (or 2v and 12v after shower is run) I haven't and wouldn't be so mad as to connect an earth from the unit to the hose given that the unit is contained and earthed thus giving the current a path to something metal I can touch in the shower.

Hi Wilko, The tingle is when I'm standing on a tiled floor near the shower.

Midwest, cheers again good advice of course but when I isolate the shower it's still giving this reading, also when I flick the switches in the CU no single circuit seems to be responsible for the voltage, as my sparky turned them of the voltage just slowly decreased.
It seems to be a few circuits combined that make a difference though, the three light circuits and one ring main although it isn't 100% clear.
If I turn off two of the lights on one lighting circuit the 2v goes to 1.9 but if I isolate that lighting circuit it stays on 1.9v