Our homes should be a safe place to live without any worries about things that may hurt us. In most homes, there are no issues to worry about. In some homes there can be hidden issues that mean the home is not as safe as it should be.
This is especially the case when it comes to the electrical system in our homes. An electrical fault does not always show up immediately and it may take something else to happen for any symptoms to occur.
If you are receiving ELECTRICAL SHOCKS FROM TAPS or near the kitchen sink, then there could be a number of issues occurring that mean an electrician may need to be called to check your electrical devices, the electrical connections and earth connection.
There could be several reasons for electric shocks from taps or pipes:
- A voltage is appearing on the tap
- There is a faulty socket or appliance nearby
- Earthing or Bonding Problems
- Static build-up
- Faulty Wiring
1) Voltage is appearing on the tap
For a shock to be received, there has to be a difference in voltage between the item you are touching and the ground on which you are standing. This usually occurs when a voltage above 0 volts appears on the tap or other live item.
Once the voltage increases beyond approximately 50 volts, it becomes possible to receive a serious shock. The higher the voltage, the easier it is for electrical current to flow through your body causing shocks, muscle spasms, muscle cramps, burns and even heart attack.
An electrician can check for voltages appearing on equipment and other items around the home.
Back to top2) There is a faulty socket or appliance nearby
When a socket becomes faulty, appliances such as the washing machine become faulty or other appliances, a voltage can appear on nearby equipment or electrical accessories. A heating element in an immersion tank can fail and begin leaking electrical current to earth.
Where the fuse box or consumer unit is very old, these types of electrical faults may go undetected and it may be possible that some voltage appears on the cases of appliances or pipework nearby.
Back to top3) Earthing or Bonding Problems
Where there are issues with the system earthing or safety electrical connections (bonding) to the water pipe or gas pipe, it is possible for electric shocks to occur. Correct earthing and bonding are vital to ensure the safety of the electrical installation.
Any metal pipe present in the home may need to be connected to the earthing system for the property. An electrician carries out some testing to determine what requires main equipotential bonding and what is ok to leave alone.
The earthing system for the electrical installation is usually supplied by the electricity supplier but in some cases, there may be an earth electrode (earth rod) installed. These are rarely maintained and the connections can break down causing there to be an insufficient path to earth for any stray electrical currents.
Where there are earthing problems or a poor earth, you may find that you are receiving electrical shocks from various sinks, taps or other equipment around the home.
Back to top4) Static Build up
Whilst not necessarily anything to do with the electrical system, if you have a build up of static electricity in your body or on your clothing then you may feel a shock when you touch a well-earthed kitchen tap or sink. Static charge can quickly leave you when you touch an earthed part causing a static shock.
This can feel like you may be receiving ELECTRICAL SHOCKS FROM TAPS but in fact the issue has been caused by static electricity building up.
Back to top5) Faulty Wiring
Whilst the cause of the electrical shocks is still undiscovered it is important to stay away from the area until an electrician has been to check things out. Electrical shocks may start quite minor but the severity of the electrical issue can fluctuate and dangerous voltages can appear causing serious health risks such as cardiac arrest.
Back to top6) What about bathroom areas?
Receiving a shock from a bathroom tap, radiator or pipe, is far riskier due to the environment of the electrical system. Where there is an electrical circuit supplying a bathroom, extra measures need to be put in place by the electrician installing the circuit.
Bathrooms are wet places where our body resistance can drop with the addition of water. This makes it easier for current flow to occur through our bodies under these conditions. Receiving a shock from a tap in the bathroom is more serious than elsewhere in the home.
Bathrooms pipes and taps should be checked by an electrician to see if a safety electrical earth connection is needed to minimise the risk of electrical shock. It is often necessary to have electric shock protection installed in the form of an RCD device in bathrooms to minimise the risk of electrical shock.
Back to top7) Severity of the shock
The human body does not require a large electric shock to start causing problems or worse. A small electric shock of around 30 milli amps (mA) in some cases, is enough electrical current to cause the heart to malfunction.
The electric shock devices present in modern consumer units are set to 30mA or just below. This is to prevent a fatal electrical current passing through a body under fault conditions.
Back to top8) Common Questions
8.1) Can I receive a shock from a metal sink?
As sinks are connected to taps it is entirely possible that shocks can occur from metal sinks as well as a water tap. There may not be an immediately obvious cause but the first time you receive a shock is the best time to call an electrician.
Shocks can get worse as an electrical fault becomes worse and without professional intervention, there could be serious ramifications.
For safety reasons, you should not try to tackle electrical problems yourself, call an electrician in to check the copper pipes, to check for a good earth and all the other electrical testing that they deem necessary.
8.2) Do all incoming pipes need Equipotential Earth Bonding?
Plastic pipes generally do not need to be connected to the system earthing, HOWEVER, an electrician with the correct test equipment SHOULD test the pipe to see if it requires connection to the earthing system or not.
Just because a pipe is plastic, does not mean it is fine to leave without an earth connection.
An earth wire may need to be run to pipework where results determine that the pipes need a connection to earth.
Back to top9) Summary
Severe shocks or internal injuries can occur where dangerous voltages are present on pipework, taps or other metal parts around the home. If you are receiving ELECTRICAL SHOCKS FROM TAPS then you MUST have it checked out immediately.
Electricity and electrical faults can be very dangerous. If left unchecked, problems rarely resolve themselves and will possibly get worse. This can create a higher level of danger and make repairs more costly.
