Electric problems ?

[Margaritte]

I'm not sure if I've posted in the right place? DH cooked crumpets under the grill for DC this morning., and I washed up when they had finished. When I washed up the tray that had been used, I put it behind the draining board upright & as it touched the tap, I got a shock. I wiped down the kitchen sides, and when I wiped over the top of the oven I got 2 ore shocks. So I switched it off at the wall, and that also gave me a shock

What does this mean? DH came in & tried and he didn't feel anything, although he didn't have a soapy hands / damp cloth.

DP (who knows stuff) also says off at mains now. Fridge/freezer willh be fine for a while if not opened (takeaway?). Fridge/freezer contents may also be covered by home insurance.

I cant replace the food . Ok, so if I turn off now, will it be ok for 12hours? Should my landlord do this on their insurance? (the electrician)

if you are a tenant, you must inform the landlord or agent immediately.

If you can, put a letter through their door tonight, as well as emailing and leaving voicemail.

Putting it in writing makes it harder for them to deny they know.

Agencies hate it when somebody is killed in one of their homes and they can't pretend they didn't know.

Do you have modern electrics? If so, unless the circuit has tripped and has had to be reset at the main circuit board, you've had static shocks probably caused by the soles of your footwear man made clothing.

she was barefoot.

Doesn't matter, you can still get a static shock. If there is an ac/dc issue then the MCB would have tripped out immediately due to differentials.

I'm not an electrician by the way but am a chartered surveyor so am pretty genned up on electrics.

If you have had electric shocks you not only need to turn ALL electricity of NOW, you also need a medical check up.

The food in the freezer DOES NOT MATTER. I cannot stress this enough.

Your house could catch fire.

Someone could get a fatal shock.

You could have damaged your heart.

Take IMMEDIATE action to ensure your safety and the safety of your family.

it is a rental? Great, you don't pay.

call landlord or agent (whoever is your emergency contact) NOW. Don't care that it is Sunday evening.

now, if they don't have the 24 hour emergency cover that all landlords should, you may have to wait until tomorrow or whatever the real world time is for an electrician, but the sooner they know, the sooner they can get things moving.

assuming you are in the UK, while there's no mandatory electrical check for rentals there IS a law that they must be in reasonable condition. This fault means it is not.

I spoke to landlord. They say its nothing to do with the floor, as it's lino onto of concrete (flat below us too) and it was probably a fault with the oven, that could connect it to the draining, though not the tap. They are going to look the home insurance, and read up about this problem and then get back to me later. What do I do until then? I need the landline, for them to call me back on.

Pumpeedo

1. you will not get a static shock if you are barefoot, only if you are isolated from the ground e.g. with plastic or rubber soled shoes

2. MCBs will trip slower or faster depending on how much current they carry above their rating, and for how long. A UK Socket circuit is usually rated at 32A and will carry that current forever without tripping. A cooker circuit may be rated at 40A. Neither will trip while a person is fatally electrocuted. The current will vary by the resistance, which will vary with clothes and footwear, and dryness of skin.

Margaritte

Please call the landlord back, and write down EXACTLY what they tell you when you say:

"A friend in the electricity industry has asked what are your qualifications for diagnosing electrical faults; and how are you able to diagnose them without visiting the property"

But she was standing on lino PigletJohn. That would provide isolation from earth. The landlord does have a statutory duty of care to ensure the electrics are safe but if the shocks are down to static then the bill may be passed to the tenant.

the landlord is looking into what he has to do and will call back. (he needs to check if it is covered by his insurance or if he needs to find an electrician - as anyone would) Unless that call is 'it is probably nothing, don't worry about it' then let's not start spitting fire just yet. But if that IS the response, further action will be needed.

OP: the landline works with the mains power off, assuming you have the corded phone that everyone should keep in a drawer. If not, call the landlord, say you are turning the mains power off and he should call you back on your mobile.

So, is it not possible, with the lino, to be anything to do with the floor?

I don't believe you can create static electricity by walking barefoot across a vinyl floor.

I would say the lino could provide similar protection to rubber soles shoes. A modern MCB has each circuit on RCDs (residual current detectors). They would blow independently if there was an issue. Am I correct in thinking that only you have received the shocks?

No.
I would still be shutting off the electricity and warning the landlord that unless action is taken my first call at 9am tomorrow will be environmental health

the landlord needs to get back to the OP with a plan of action, hopefully tonight.

there won't necessarily be an electrician before 9am tomorrow, but IS reasonable to expect an update by then on when one should be expected to visit. If landlord starts fobbing, then yes, time to call environmental health.

this is why landlords should have home emergency cover, and why everyone should have standby measures in case of a power cut. Including that corded phone.

oh, and food in freezer is usually covered under contents policies, quite often with no excess. Check your tenant's insurance, OP - but turn things off.

Ok, so landlord says they will get back to me later ( so assuming tonight) They are good landlords, and when we had plumbing problems before, they were on top of it. I know that the advice was to switch off at mains, and if it is the whole electric in all the place that has the problem, of course I will switch off at the mains. It is the only safe, sensible thing to do. However, now its unsure, because of the lino etc, I need to know if its the only 100% safe way. If it is, then off the mains go. My families safety comes first. If its not, then I need to really know what to do. I cannot replace this food, and if its just a problem with the oven, then I will just sort that.

You could if you were wearing man made clothes. PigletJohn, are you 17th Ed qualified? If so I'd say you know more but my gut feeling is this is a static electricity issue, particularly given not everyone in the household is receiving these shocks.

And it's not a vinyl floor its lino which will not have a sub base, epoxy, etc.

Action does mean aplan of action, yes

Until a qualified electrician has looked at it then yes off at mains Is the only safe way.