Shocking Shower

Status
Not open for further replies.
I have a client that reported being shocked while in the shower, after running some tests I found that there was a reading of 52 volts AC from the shower head, knob and tub spout to ground. This is the only location in the house where a problem is found and the house is plumed in plastic pipes. My confusion is, why only this location and not system wide? and why 57 volt?
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Although the water lines are plastic the lines to the shower etc are probably copper. If a wire is in close proximity to the shower then it is possible there is contact with an energized wire at the shower area. Turn of circuits until you find the culprit.
 

Sahib

Senior Member
Location
India
Check if the house is provided with any whole house GFCI or if the house is part of any multi-apartment building, check every house is provided with such GFCI.
One tragic incident happened here due to non-provision of GFCI in such type of buildings. A lady, after sending her children to school,went to the bath room to take a shower. When she went under the water spray from the shower, she felt a shock and was electrocuted. Before that, a fellow in an upper apartment was using a defective iron. It had a partial ground fault. The criminal found an ingenious way to use the defective iron. He placed the iron on a wooden table and plugged it into a power socket and after the iron get hot, he would unplug it and use it. But during the time the iron was plugged into the power socket, ground fault current flowed through all parts of the building and also through the shower water in the lower apartment which killed the lady.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
Check if the house is provided with any whole house GFCI or if the house is part of any multi-apartment building, check every house is provided with such GFCI.
One tragic incident happened here due to non-provision of GFCI in such type of buildings. A lady, after sending her children to school,went to the bath room to take a shower. When she went under the water spray from the shower, she felt a shock and was electrocuted. Before that, a fellow in an upper apartment was using a defective iron. It had a partial ground fault. The criminal found an ingenious way to use the defective iron. He placed the iron on a wooden table and plugged it into a power socket and after the iron get hot, he would unplug it and use it. But during the time the iron was plugged into the power socket, ground fault current flowed through all parts of the building and also through the shower water in the lower apartment which killed the lady.

what is a whole house GFCI?

there is no such thing here.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
what is a whole house GFCI?

there is no such thing here.

There could be such a thing, but it wouldn't be that desirable to have the entire house go down anytime it trips.

Plus the more line you have protected the more prone it will be to trip from all the added leakage from each individual circuit that is otherwise at acceptable levels, which is also another reason why we put in multiple protective devices.
 

Sahib

Senior Member
Location
India
Sorry I was carried away by my own country standard which stipulates a lower sensitivityGFCI after a service disconnect above a certain minimum load. The same purpose can be met by multiple GFCIs of higher sensitivity at required points as stated.
 

renosteinke

Senior Member
Location
NE Arkansas
I had a similar issue to address once, and there is no 'short cut.' Quit guessing and get methodical. Here's what you do:

1) Kill power to house. Does the voltage remain? If not, there's a fault somewhere.

2) Start turning circuits back on one at a time, until the voltage returns. That circuit has your fault.

3) Remove / turn off / unplug every appliance (or light) on that circuit. Does voltage remain? If not, one of the loads is to blame.

4) Attach loads until voltage returns. Now you know where the voltage is coming from. Run it down from there.

In my case, the customer had an extension cord dangling from the sink, and water from the shower had pooled around the cord/appliance connection. Relocate the cord, and problem was eliminated.
 
Problem solved.

Problem solved.

There was a 2" staple used by the tile installers that hit a wire, there by energizing the wire mesh used behind the tile in the shower, witch in turn energized the shower valve / head assembly. Once the staple was removed from the wire and the wire repaired the problem went away.
 

Attachments

  • 20140617_120429.jpg
    20140617_120429.jpg
    143 KB · Views: 1

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
There was a 2" staple used by the tile installers that hit a wire, there by energizing the wire mesh used behind the tile in the shower, witch in turn energized the shower valve / head assembly. Once the staple was removed from the wire and the wire repaired the problem went away.
Looks like the "1.25 inches from the face of the framing member" rule would have helped if it were followed here. Still getting close to the entrance into the box where it would be hard to comply with that rule near the box.
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
In a rent house I used to live in there was an aluminum framed window in the shower. I learned very quickly not to touch the window frame while I was showering because it would shock me. I measured 120VAC between the window frame and the water spigot. It was a high resistance path so there wasn't much current available, but it was startling and somewhat painful nonetheless.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top