Electric shock from radiator? Some reasons why this is happening include static electricity, a damaged cord, an electrical fault inside the radiator or a faulty earth. This post aims to shed some light on why this is happening and what you can do about it from the eyes of an electrician.
What Is An Electric Shock From A Radiator?
An electric shock is what happens when someone makes contact between an electrically live surface such as a live wire and the earth. Electric shocks are dangerous because the current tends to pass through vital organs on its way to earth. The better someone has a connection to the ground, the more electrical current can flow and the worse the shock will be. This means that someone who isn’t wearing shoes and is standing on a damp ground will get a far worse shock than someone who is wearing shoes.
If someone is getting an electric shock, the strength of the shock and the longer that someone gets a shock, the worse it will be. This is why regulations exist to protect people from getting electric shocks as explained in the next section.
Protection Against Electric Shocks
To protect against electric shocks, homes are required to use residual current devices or RCDs, have an adequate earthing system and ensure that appliances are installed to code, preferably installed by a qualified professional.
RCDs work by disconnecting the electricity when a certain ‘shock’ threshold is reached. In standard domestic homes this threshold is judged to be 30 milliamps within 300 milliseconds. This is to protect people from a shock which could cause permanent damage or even death.
Older homes might not have RCDs as they are a relatively new invention. By law they need to be labelled, so you can check if they are installed in your home by checking your electrical switchboard.
If you have RCDs you need a good earthing system for them to work. Without a good earthing system the RCD won’t trip in time or at all.
As radiators contain an electrically conductive surface, they must be ‘bonded’ to the earthing system with its own earth wire. Without this earthing wire it is very easy to get an electric shock from a radiator.
Here is what might be causing the electric shocks from the radiator.
Electric Shock From Radiator? – Reason #1
Live Wire Touching Conductive Surface
A loose or broken wire touching the conductive surface of the radiator (without the circuit being on an RCD) will definitely cause an electric shock. Loose or broken wires can happen for many reasons including a manufacturing fault or caused by the installer.
Faults with radiators can be caused by using the radiator against its manufacturers instructions (such as installing it too close to beds or people storing things on top of the radiator for example). This can rapidly lead to the radiator deteriorating and eventually causing an electrical fault.
Electric Shock From Radiator? – Reason #2
Damaged Cord
The cord for the radiator might be damaged (possibly melted from the heat itself). This could expose a live wire which will cause an electric shock if the wire is touched or the wire touches the body of the radiator.
Electric Shock From Radiator? – Reason #3
Bad Earth
If there IS an RCD on the circuit, the first two reasons for an electric shock wouldn’t be possible unless the earth which bonds the radiator is damaged or non-existent. It is important to check that there is an earth wire which should have a green/yellow insulation.
If you are unsure you should contact a professional as earthing is the most important part of your home electrical system in our opinion.
Electric Shock From Radiator? – Reason #4
Transposed Wires
Has someone been working at the place recently? Accidentally transposed wires could have livened the earthing system resulting in conductive surfaces becoming electrically live.
Conclusion
Electric shock from radiator? The best way to protect yourself from an electric shock is to ensure that your circuits are on RCD, you have a good earthing system in place and the radiator is installed as per manufacturers instructions and in an appropriate location. The most likely causes of shock include a damaged cord, fault inside the radiator, bad earthing and no RCD.
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