Gettings shocks from everything!

[melk]

Hello,

I hope someone can help.

I'm living in a rented house, which I think has been wired by the owner..

When we first moved in I noticed that every now and then I'd get a slight buzz from the kettle. Not enough for any concern and it was only occasional so I didn't think anything of it.

The last couple of days though I'm getting quite bad shocks from quite a lot of other stuff. The kettle, the toaster, the computer, the camera when I plug its usb lead into the computer. This one so bad I can't actually use it. I got a really bad shock from touching the metal part of the kettle tonight, so now I'm really concerned.

They had a lot of plug adaptors for english plug appliances so I'm using those, plus a few of our own.

Are the shocks down to the wiring? What should I be looking for? Anyone have any help or ideas would be most welcome.

All the appliances and computer etc are new so I can't imagine they've all developed a fault.

Thanks for any help.

 

[ColJack]

sounds like the earth is missing and you've got either a fault to earth, or pretty severe leakage..

 

[mattylad]

I had something like this in my last house, the earth was missing.

While it was still connected in the consumer unit, albiet badly it was not connected in some of the sockets so it created a whole area that was not earthed (the kitchen).

Have a look at the back of the sockets & the consumer unit to see if the earth for the cables that go to the kitchen is connected, may even just be a loose terminal (turn the CU off before poking around in it).

Of course, it goes without saying here (but will be said), if your unsure what your doing then get an electrician in.

 

[ericmark]

Likely more than one fault.

The earth being missing could be one of the faults.
The equipotential earth bonding missing also likely to be one of the faults.
RCD faulty could also cause faults.

Both which are down to house owner.

But also some appliance must also be faulty to cause part of the system to become live in the first place.

The use of adaptors can mean that earths are not connected as they should be as many will plug into French sockets without engaging the earth pin.

The official French socket

has earth pin sticking out and if using official French plug you can't plug in a earthed item without this engaging, but often they use German Sockets

which will allow a French plug to fit without connecting the earth. There is a universal plug

with both socket to take French earth pin and side strips to connect to German earthed sockets.

However using adaptors it is very easy for these to be defeated.

There has been posts about some poor woman in Cornwell who was electrocuted as a result of a fault on her heater and the house so this is very serious and you should get it corrected straight away. They had arranged for an Electrician to call and she got killed before he arrived so you must not delay.

 

[melk]

Well, I got an electrician to come round and it turns out that the entire one side of the kitchen is without an earth, so thank you all for your useful replies.

He'll be coming back in a week or so to earth the circuit and in the meantime he's switched that circuit off...

Thanks again everyone!

 

[FrankE]

If it is just one room have you considered that the floor may be live and hence you are live. When you are touching an earthed applicance you are providing a circuit to earth, your feet are the entry path of the current and fingers are the egress path to earth.
It's a common fault in bathrooms and kitchens after alterations (lavatory or shower tray fixing screw in contact with live conductor) or a water spillage exposing such a problem in another room eg a flooring nail. It baffles electricians who normally add more and more bonding just creating a greater earth plane to ground a shock to. It puzzled me for a while until I got a buzz from one knee to the other so measured the nails, guess we are so used to the mode of thinking that ground = earth= below.

If this is the case here's how to locate the fault.
1 Wear rubber gloves and insulating footwear.
2 Connect voltmeter -ve to a good earth (good meaning there is a low continuity reading (low ohm) back to the main earthing terminal. I'd assume the leccy tested the installation at the origin.
3 Poke around the floor with the +ve lead noting the voltages until maximum voltage is found. that is the position which is nearest to the fault. Might not be that

 

[FrankE]

Whatever it is you should have them test your installation pronto. Put some plastic sheeting down and wear latex (if not allergic) or similar gloves. be particularly careful where you are putting your left hand current path more likely to go through heart and cause MI, tissue necrosis....