Electricity in the bath

[Whippet64]

I'm hoping someone can make me a little wiser as to what is happening in my bathroom!

Ever since my husband and I moved into our new house a year ago we have been getting electric currents from the bath. They occur lightly when we have a shower and touch the edges of the bath or the tiled wall. They are worst when I take a bath. There are times when I feel nothing at all, times when there is a tingling sensation wherever I touch the edges, and times when I lay back and my vision goes black, my teeth start chattering and taste of metal and I have to jump out.

I have had 3 different electricians in to have a look. The first one did not believe anything was wrong (you can only feel shocks when you are in the bath and are wet, so he standing next to it completely dry felt nothing). He said it was static and we should replace the floor, which we did and nothing changed. The second electrician said he measured 90 volts on the waterpipes under the bath and earthed them to some other pipes. The third electrician said the metal handles on my plastic bath were charged differently and not completing a full circuit, so he earthed one to the other and then earthed the bath (again). None of these things have made any difference, and I got the impression none of the electricians took me seriously, they all came up with static and the latter two only took further steps because I insisted on it. I know it is not static because the feeling is constant, not occasional shocks. I have tried to figure out when the shocks are worse and found they are the worst when our central heating is on, leading me to think it may be related to our boiler.

I am reluctant to call in a 4th electrician and pay him to feel patronized and ridiculed again, so I am hoping this discussion can lead me to finding a solution. Let me know if you need more information!

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

I think you would be better off posting this in the electrical forum. I have had experience of cases like this being an electrical fault and other very similar ones being static that I have figured myself but on a forum I do feel you would be better in the hands of trained electricians.

 

[EFLImpudence]

This is serious.
You would be wise to avoid the bath until it is solved.

I am afraid you will have to find someone who knows what they are doing.

Do you know if the 'electricians' you have already had tested to find out if the parts they have connected together (the pipes) are actually connected to the Main Earthing Terminal?

That is they would have had to connect a long lead from the consumer unit (or near the meter) up to the bathroom.
Also, did they check that the water supply where it enters the premises is bonded to the MET, i.e. a large green and yellow wire connected to it - probably near the stopcock.

 

[Agile]

Why not buy a cheap meter yourself and you can measure for voltages and also check continuity of the various parts?

Tony

 

[Blagard]

I agree with EFLImpudence.

But it is interesting.
So you moved into your new house. Is the house new or just new to you?

I have had tingling shocks from plumbing in a bathroom before but the fault was obvious there was a burst elsewhere and all the pipes were getting some power as water leaked everywhere. As the wiring was old with no residual current protection I had to flip the mains off myself! (It was my mums house).

I would be interested to know if your consumer unit (fuse box) has any sort of RCD protection device e.g. Usually a switch with a test button on it.

 

[Lectrician]

If you keep getting shocks, take them seriously! Don't try to work out "what makes them worse"!!

Get a decent electrical company in, ask for an EICR report, and make it clear you are receiving shocks in the bath.

Is the bath metal?

 

[sparkwright]

How old is the house?

 

[Johnmelad]

Is the bath metal?

The third electrician said the metal handles on my plastic bath

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You must not be reluctant to contact a fourth electrician, as this is a serious matter and any electrician worth their salt would agree and take your concerns seriously.

Can you confirm the age of the house and the electrics and whether the circuits within the house are fully protected by RCDs?

 

[securespark]

my vision goes black, my teeth start chattering and taste of metal and I have to jump out.

Jesus.

DO NOT USE THE BATH AGAIN UNTIL YOU HAVE SORTED THE PROBLEM OUT. IT COULD KILL YOU.

 

[Spark123]

Can you upload some photos of what has been done? Photo of the drain, water pipes and anything else of interest?
Does it happen at anytime, only when you touch the edge of the bath (plastic?) or do you have to do something else like let some water out via the plug/overflow?

 

[Agile]

He has made just ONE posting and in spite of many helpful replies has not said anything else!

In view of the unlikely things he has said don't you think it may be a windup?

Tony

 

[xr4x4]

Windup.

Electric shocks from a plastic bath, that's a new one.

 

[JohnD]

it might be a wind-up, or it might be that the "electricians" weren't. I wonder how they were chosen.

There again, if the post is truthful, the OP may have been carried out in a box.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

He has made just ONE posting and in spite of many helpful replies has not said anything else!

In view of the unlikely things he has said don't you think it may be a windup?

or the bath has taken it's toll!