Are our electrics dangerous?!

Pigeongirl

I'm really worried! Today, I kept getting electric shocks off our DVD player, just on the casing, and the same with the Sky box and it seems to be coming from the Scart lead from the telly. We've tried two different Scarts, two different tellys and always the same thing - you can feel an electric current running through the boxes.

I'm worried now because recently, two plug sockets in the kitchen have gone bang while I've been plugging something in and tripped the switch and also one of the cooker knobs has gone bang too.

Does it sound like a problem with our electrics?

I'm so worried! Please help! :eek: :eek:

CLLC

Hi there, sounds like a serious problem.

You should switch off the sockets and call an electrician just to be safe

Its better to be safe than sorry

totalsolutions

You can buy a plug that tests the correct wiring on each outlet from B&Q or Maplins. Originaly called Martindales, were expensive but there look alikes are about £6 I would think, Its well worth the price and all handy persons and ladies need one. Plug it into a socket and all three little lights come on, if theres a fault some of them don't and the instructions tell you what may be the problem.

Static can built up on clothing and discharge when you touch a metal object, is this whats happening I wonder?

The kitchen sockets could just be a coincidence?

You can use a neon test screwdriver and touch each metal object to see if it glows as well about 40p ish, ask how to use when purchasing.

aliasojo

Have you had any work done lately?

We started getting shocks off our sink, washing machine, freezer etc and had to get an electrician out. It turned out that a joiner had put a screw through a cable accidentally causing a break in the earth.

I wouldn't mess about tbh, I'd call an electrician out just to check.

Belnahua

Don't rule out polarity reversal. My next door neighbour got a bad shock when he changed a light switch, even though the mains was off. No injuries, just a little bit of hysteria.

Some bright spark at the electricty board when they replaced next door's meter crossed the live and neutral cables over when they put the new meter back.

I found it by turning off the mains switch on the fuse board, and still measured 125volts between neutral and earth! (No typo, it was a 125), when we put the switch back on, it went to 240v.

We got the electricity board in on an emergency call out, and they said it would be investigated fully. They left it at that, I think I would've been a bit more forceful with their response as it electrocuted the neighbour!

Pigeongirl

Thanks guys, really good help there! :beer:

It's not just static shocks, you can actually feel the electricity humming through your fingers and then you suddenly get a jolt. It's not like 'call an ambulance!' stuff but it's painful!

No work been done lately.

Electrics tend to go a bit funny round me anyway but this seems a bit more extreme lol!

Pigeongirl

totalsolutions wrote: »

You can buy a plug that tests the correct
wiring on each outlet from B&Q or Maplins.

Any idea what that would be called? Looking online at Maplins and can't seem to find it :rolleyes: . Thanks

mountainchrisriver

Why not try posting this on the "In My Home Board"... there are some leccys there that may be able to help out... :cool:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=39

Sounds a bit like an earth problem but that may be totally not the case (I am no electrician!)

HTH:D

Belnahua

Pigeongirl wrote: »

Any idea what that would be called? Looking online at Maplins and can't seem to find it :rolleyes: . Thanks

Doesn't look like they do them any more!

But this is what they were referring to to test your sockets...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-240V-ELECTRIC-MAINS-PLUG-SOCKET-TESTER_W0QQitemZ300242871543QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item300242871543&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

totalsolutions

Socket tester from Screwfix HERE

The voltage needs to be in excess of about 80volts to "feel" it. Certainly as mentioned 125 vots is floating around in fault conditions and at full mains potential of 230v its a killer. PLEASE dont touch your oven AND the EARTHED sink with your body until you have secured the electrical integrity in your home. The buzz word here is "potential" the potential difference between two objects, a sink and the fridge for example both correctly earthed no potential difference (voltage) if a screw has partially pierced the cable in a wall then there is a possibility for electrical leakage to occur to a live cable it should blow the fuse/circuit breaker , but they are up at 20/30 amp rating and the leakage right down in very small values not tripping out just intermittantly, thats what you can sense.

The tv set, is NOT earthed as the chassis is connected to the neutral cable
but may have the wires crossed in the plug causing the ariel and scart body to connect to a live wire hence the feeling, get it checked and get a tester to test all the sockets in the home, under £7

TimothyEBaldwin

totalsolutions wrote: »

The tv set, is NOT earthed as the chassis is connected to the neutral cable
but may have the wires crossed in the plug causing the ariel and scart body to connect to a live wire hence the feeling, get it checked and get a tester to test all the sockets in the home, under £7

They should be no exposed metalwork connected to neutral, though if it was not properly earthed the very high voltage (typically 20000 volts for a CRT television) may leak onto the case. Anyhow, get it checked.

Older television did have the chassis connected to live half time. If it has more connections than the aerial and mains, this is not done.