Earth connection on electric sockets

[becksie]

Dear everyone,

Apologies if it’s not appropriate to post this here (as it’s not a DIY question as such... but maybe it will become a DIY project for me), but it seems like a forum where someone will know the answer.

I’ve recently moved to a country where virtually no electric sockets have a earth connection.

Firstly, which electrical items should I be most concerned about plugging in to non-earthed sockets? I know (I think) that items with an entirely plastic outer case should be okay. But would a kettle or iron, for example, be any more dangerous without an earth than some other items?

Secondly, would using an RCD adaptor with an non-earthed socked provide any additional level of protection or does the earth being missing totally negate whatever the RCD adaptor does anyway? Sorry for displaying a complete lack of electrical knowledge!

Any help gratefully received. Just hoping to extend my life expectancy a few years.

Thanks,

Simon

 

[ericmark]

An RCD will give you some extra protection but lack of earth connections can produce some nasty shocks even when there is a RCD in the circuit.

However in some countries it is impossible to emulate the British safety standard and one has to be very careful.

Plastic Kettles should still have an earth connected but would offer more protection than a metal one. And I know wearing a cloth cap can be handy as an insulation between your hand and an appliance as long as it is dry.

On one job I carried a neon screwdriver everywhere to test metal was not live and that included hand rails.

Only plus is often the areas where earths are missing are a lot dryer than UK.

It would be nice to say get it all fixed but often we don't have that option so all one can do is be careful.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Is rewiring the place an option?

 

[securespark]

Where is it?

What's the supply type?

Is there ay existing RCD protection at the intake?

 

[becksie]

Thanks for the info ericmark.

Hi securespark and ban-all-sheds. I just moved to Kazakhstan, where it’s a normal 220-240V supply (albeit up-and-down like a yoyo). The apartment “fuse box” looks like the same kind of modern RCD affair I had back in the UK, so I guess there is some protection from that.

Rewriting is not an option, so I’m just trying to be as safe as possible within that constraint. The sockets are mostly Type C (CEE 7/16) ones without earths. The apartment does have a couple of Type F (CEE 7/4) sockets that have earth connections, but the advice I’ve had from other expats is that “the chances are those an unearthed anyway and the builders just ran out of Type C sockets and had some spare Type F ones to use up”.

I guess I could buy a tester to find out (although the earth loop impedance indication ones aren’t cheap). My biggest worry is the iron as I’ve seen some blue flickering (in the gap between the plate and the plastic bits) and the ironing room only has a Type C socket.

I’ll try to get hold of an RCD adaptor as a first step (I was worried this would be a waste of time if having an earth was a prerequisite for an RCD to do anything). If the Type F are earthed I could run an extension cable from one of those into the ironing room.

No Borat jokes please!

Thanks again,

Simon