Death. No Bonding. No RCD. Rented.

[JohnW2]

He didn’t grab the earthed end. ... Well I guess he could of. And the live pipe. He grabbed the consumers wire connected to installation.

Yes, that's what I was implying. However, as I said, if it were the 'house end' of what had been an earthing conductor to an earth electrode then, unless there were yet more 'faults' (like absence of a CPC in the cable to the heating element!) there ought to have been in electrical continuity with the ('live') pipe - hence, in that scenario, theoretically no potential between the wire and the pipe.

If your suggestion is correct, it would therefore seem probable that both the pipe and the wire were 'live', and he got the shock because he was also in contact with some sort of 'true earth' (e.g. 'the ground').

Kind Regards, John

 

[flameport]

Another possibility, although unlikely, is the PEN conductor on a TN-C-S supply being broken, in which case the danger would have existed even if a working RCD had been installed.

 

[SimonH2]

If there was an oil boiler, then there would (or should) be a shut-off valve operated by a capillary pipe from a bulb near the boiler to a valve outside.
But either way, a combination of faults which should not have occurred in a property which met the requirement to be "reasonably safe" led to something being live which shouldn't have been. Presumably if the combined PEN conductor failed, then there would be a loss of all electrics (as far as the user is concerned) - and I think it would have been mentioned if something like that had been a factor.

 

[AndyPRK]

Tingling was mentioned when filling the kettle was mentioned.
Probably why bonding is mentioned

 

[JohnW2]

Tingling was mentioned when filling the kettle was mentioned. Probably why bonding is mentioned

Lack of main bonding (protective equipotential bonding) really should not cause tingling, but inadequacy of earthing could.

Kind Regards, John

 

[AndyPRK]

True. I don’t have any.