Electric shock!

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Hi, I went to fill my dishwasher this morning as normal but as I touched the machine to pull door open I got a very nasty electric shock, it shot through my thumb, up my arm across my shoulders and into my other arm and hurt like hell! It feels like my thumb is now burnt! I have turned it off at the wall. Does anyone know why this would suddenly happen, up until yesterday I was using it fine. Also why didn't the thing kick in that is meant to protect me from getting shocked, I have it on my mains board to prevent things like this happening??

I am too scared to touch it now. Is there something cheap I can buy in the shop that I can touch it with and be safe but it will tell me if the whole machine is live!!

Many thanks for any replies.
While I realise that I am a bit late in commenting on this post, it has been noted above that to receive an electric shock two points of contact are required.
You wrote "as I touched the machine to pull door open I got a very nasty electric shock, it shot through my thumb, up my arm across my shoulders and into my other arm and hurt like hell! "

(This is a very serious "connection" in that the current path was across your heart.
If you have a RCD/RCBO fitted to the circuit concerned, it should have operated to disconnect the supply.
If you do not yet have such a device connected you MUST arrange to have it fitted immediately after the existing problem is corrected.)

However, you DID NOT say with what your other arm was in contact.

It appears that there exists a difference in potential between the "dishwasher" and the other point of contact - whatever that was.

The Dishwasher may be perfectly "safe" (in being Earthed) and the other point of contact may be energised and therefore quite unsafe
OR

it may be the other way around.
 
I am just leaving it alone now it is switched off, if need be I will buy a new one. I don't think I was touching anything else on the second shock I got, i'm sure I just touched the metal on the inside of the dishwasher door! Just over a week ago I took out an insurance on all my kitchen goods and TV's for breakdown, accidental cover and wear and tear etc but I don't know if this would be covered yet as it is probably too soon! It would be a God send it if was covered. I am just going to dispose of it as I am so scared of it now, the shocks were the biggest I have ever felt.
 
Rented- is it your dishwasher or the landlord's?
If the landlords then phone landlord/agent right now, follow up in writing.
If yours then get an electrician in to test it (and the supply and any other extraneous conductive parts- sink, pipework)- if the fault ends up being with the wiring rather than your dishwasher you can argue the toss with the landlord later.
 
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We see so many reports of landlords being taken to court over the problems in their property, in some cases it seems hardly fair where they have engaged an electrician and some one is killed or injured before they got around to visiting, I decided not to let my house, it's going for sale, as everything seems stacked against the landlord.

However you do need to report you have received a shock as Wilson is correct it could be a fault with the installation, and the landlord needs to know there is a problem before they can address it.

It could be a faulty dish washer, however in the main to get a shock there needs to be two or more faults, if the earth is connected then any line wire touching earth should blow a fuse or trip a trip somewhere. OK both faults could be in the dish washer, however it does seem likely the two independent faults are not in the same device, and although I can see the landlord may be upset having to call out an electrician if the fault is not his, he should have kept the property to current standards if he does not want to call out electricians.

He may not legally need to update, but if he doesn't then he can hardly complain when he needs to call an electrician.
 
It sounds like a problem I had with my new washing machine when I first moved into my current house. It turns out that the socket had lost its earth wire. infract all of the wires for all conductors to sockets in the kitchen were just in the terminals without being screwed tight. I suspect the tiler for the pervious owner forgot his neon screwdriver that day.
Don't bin the dryer it may not be at fault. Do unplug it and get an electrician in to test. I expect if its a wiring fault its his reasonability.
 
I am just leaving it alone now it is switched off, if need be I will buy a new one.
That's sensible, although even just 'switched off' does not guarantee that it's safe - can you not unplug it?
I don't think I was touching anything else on the second shock I got, i'm sure I just touched the metal on the inside of the dishwasher door!
Even if you can't remember, I think you must have been touching something else, since, as I said before, one can't get an electric shock without touching two things (even if one is a wet floor when you have bare feet!).
I am just going to dispose of it as I am so scared of it now, the shocks were the biggest I have ever felt.
As has been said, the whole situation needs to be looked at by an electrician. As you've been told, it's possible that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the dishwasher (so a bit silly to dispose of it before you're sure), the problem being with something else.

Kind Regards, John
 
Just my four penn'orth. Sorry for intruding, but the OP has been advised several times to call in an electrician, but seems no closer to doing so.
I wonder why.
 
Just my four penn'orth. Sorry for intruding, but the OP has been advised several times to call in an electrician, but seems no closer to doing so. I wonder why.
One reason could well be ...
... my property is rented ....
... and the reason why she (or her husband) doesn't seem yet to have called anyone (landlord, agent, electrician or whoever) might possibly be related to ...
.... I told my husband what had happened and asked him to get into the back of the cupboard to pull the plug out to disconnect it. I came home last night and he has it on and running a wash through it!! He insists its fine, I don't because that massive vibrations feeling that ran up my arm and across my back hurt like hell and left me with a really sore thumb, but he won't be told. So the machine is now up and running again, I myself and too scared to touch it....I don't think my hubby feels it was the electric shock I am telling him, but he has never listened to me before anyway....

Kind Regards, John
 
I stand corrected. I'm the last one to intervene in domestic disputes.
 
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