Earth at mains meter

[BobHoughton]

Hello,

I am having a problem in my bathroom with small electric shocks from the taps after having a shower (we have a combi boiler). All the pipes and radiators are earthed( a continuity test indicates that everything is bonded) but in the meter cupboard I can not see a thick earth cable from the feed in.

The house was built in 1924 to the then Dutch standards. The wiring has been renewed within the last 5-10 years.

I assume that I need an earth spike to ground all the earth cables leading into to meter box as they are only linked by a brass plate at the moment.

Could the fact that my earth don't seem to be earthed be the problem or could it be more sinister????

Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnD]

Most of us are not familiar with Dutch wiriring standards and practices.

If the pipes are all earthed, I wonder what you are touching that enables you to get a shock? An electric shower? A metal bath? A radiator? What is the flooring?

The UK system of Equipotential Bonding in a bathroom aims to keep all the bits of metal that you might touch at the same potential, to prevent you being able to get a shock from touching two of them.

 

[BobHoughton]

HI,

The radiator is also earthed and the floor is tiled as its a wet room. The only thing that is not earthed is the metal drain cover over the plastic drain pipe on the floor and thats about 7cm diameter.

The shower is fed from the combi boiler. The only electricity in the room is the lighting, all fed from the ceiling.

So if its not the fact that I do not have any mains earth or earth spike, what is it??

 

[JohnD]

Maybe some other fault? Like a live conductor in contcat with the fabric?

Although you aren't supposed to rely on water pipes as a means of earthing, if you in the bathroom, and all the pipes are metal, and bonded, and some of them pass through the floor and walls, they would tend to bring together the PD of the bathroom floor in an equipotential way. I don't know how conductive a damp tiled floor would be. See what voltage exists between the floor and the taps. Are the circuits RCD protected?

I can't guess what it is because I don't know how Dutch wiring is supposed to work.

Probably best to consult someone local.