Getting a tingle !

[Pyromaniac]

Ok - I have an electric hob, and electric fan oven, both around 5 years old but recently reinstalled into a new worktop. (by electrician sent in by landlord)

Past couple of days I realise I have been getting a mild shock when touching either the oven or the hob, not a mains voltage jolt but a 'tingle' like if you are getting that pins and needles feeling in your fingers after freezing them.

Not a single shock like static - but constant.

I guess it may be some lower voltage used for the clock or timer or warning lights that is somehow being sent to me instead !

I dont intend to have a look at it myself, my landlord can get someone in to do that. ?

This only happens when both are switched on, and not every time. But can I assume that as I havent been thrown across the room yet that I can still use the oven hob ?

Landlord is away until end of next week.

 

[diditmissen]

I wouldn't use it (or wear PVC gloves ). It might be that insulation is breaking down somewhere and the earthing is poor, especially if it involves two separately wired appliances. Have you looked in the connection box/boxes/sockets? It might be only a matter of time before the failure is complete and the full whack is present.

Couldn't you get an emergency callout and claim it back? Emergencies can't always wait for the convenience of the landlord.

 

[jj4091]

And do not let him tell you that there is not a fault!! Switch them off & do not use them until the problem is rectified.

 

[Pyromaniac]

Ok - just phoned my landlord (he is a good guy - not the kind that will put things off or try and evade things)

Have got his electricians No. and called them, they will be round in the morning.

I wont be using any of them tonight as out.

I know they are seperately wired, and can isolate the fan oven - but unsure how they wired the hob, probably into a socket I cant see behind the oven (built in) so I wont isolate the kitchen sockets as the freezer etc are all on that circuit. I will knock off the oven switch at the Cu though.

Thanks

Gerry

 

[Pyromaniac]

Better late than never ! just realised I never got back to give an update and say thanks.

Electrician came - and found there was no earth continuity (?) from the oven to the main cooker switch.

Also found the tingle I was getting was 70v.

The earth from oven connection to switch was broken, and the Live in this connection was also not secured into its position, just resting on the top of its terminal, so could have done some mischief greater than my 70v tingle I guess.

Still - all sorted now - thanks guys

 

[wingcoax]

At least you are now safe. The landlords electrician should have checked the circuit when he installed the gear,is he properly qualified?

 

[RF Lighting]

I was just about to say exactly the same my self.

 

[Pyromaniac]

Hi guys - ref the landlords electrician - yes he is safe/qualified, and listed in the tradesmans listing on this site.

He fitted the oven and hob when they were new and the paperwork is with the landlord.

However - I had to have a new kitchen worktop fitted and units moved around to plumb in a washing machine, this was carried out while I was away on holiday beginning of this year.
It transpires that the builder that came in to fit the units and worktop also took care of replacing the oven and hob, and used his own electrician - you can guess the rest .... !

The earth was broken and the live pulled out as they had apparently cut off too much of the cable so the wiring was always under tension after being fitted.
New wiring and new connector was fitted by the proper electrician as the connecting terminal for the oven showed signs of arcing. The connector being the one behind the oven - in red here and the replaced cable between cooker switch and connection behind oven.
CU > Cooker switch with socket > connection behind oven unit > oven

I think I was lucky with just 70v and not many amps when I got my tingles !

Quick question, why would something like this not trip the CU ? is it because there was not enough going wrong for it to do that ? It has switches that trip off - quite often when kightbulbs blow.

I confess I dont know exactly how these devices work, but I thought they somehow measured the current passing through them and if there was a difference in what goes out and comes back in they then switched that circuit off. I'm probably way off in my this is how it works theory !

 

[wingcoax]

If you only have C/Bs in your CU then it would not trip, as they need a dead short. An RCD would trip as it would sense an imbalance.