Electric Shock from Kitchen Taps?!

[goo]

I have a query on behalf of a friend of mine and wondered if anyone had come across this before...

My friend and her family seem to keep getting a small electric shock from the kitchen taps/sink. The pipes seem to be properly earthed below the sink and they have had an electrician come in to see if he could find the problem. He couldn't find any problems and said that it must be static.

Could this be the reason or does it sound as if the electrician has missed something? If it is due to static, can anything be done to fix this problem?

I would be very grateful if anyone has came across this before and has any comments.

Cheers

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

If an electrician has checked it, then it probably will be static.

What floor covering do you have in the kitchen?

 

[goo]

I think the floor covering they have is linoleum. If it is static that is causing the problem is there anyway of stopping the continual electric shocks?

 

[ChrisR]

There's a spray you can get for troublesome synthetic carpets.
Sounds an odd one

 

[sm1thson]

ask what the shock feels like:

-if its a short sharp shock that only happens once per given time period then that sounds like static. (caused from rubbing feat on carpet etc then it dischages throught the tap).


-if it tingles and keeps tingling when you keap your hand on that sounds like mains. (or if it makes you cry then its even more mains)

wear wellies as slippers and it'll be fine.

 

[JohnD]

wear leather-soled shoes or bare feet.

Rubber soled shoes cause static.

 

[fireman22]

i remember a sparky being jailed for killing someone who complained about shocks off the kitchen sink, he told them it was probably static. i would get it checked out by an approved sparky and get a cert

 

[tommo2]

Sounds like a neutral nearby is joined to earth. Check all sockets in the kitchen. Possibly a neutral damaged when screwing the socket face on.

 

[securespark]

wear bare feet.

No! Invite John round to do this for you, in case it is mains voltage.....

 

[JohnD]

Might have been better to make the electricin, who diagnosed it as static, to take his shoes off!

If you think it might be static, and you touch the tap with (e.g. a metal teaspoon) held in the hand, you should see a tiny blue spark momentarily between the end of the teaspoon and the tap when they touch, but you should feel no shock in your hand. If you touch the tap a second time, without moving, then, since all static will have been discharged by the first spark, there will be no spark and no shock.

If you get the sensation of a shock continually and repeatedly, for as long as you touch the tap, then it is not static.

If everybody gets the sensation, whether they are wearing rubber soled shoes and synthetic clothing, or natural fibres and leather-soled shoes, or no clothing and no shoes, then it is not static.

 

[lookinn]

Had the same kind of problem. In this case shock from the sink. It was a self tapper used to hold part of the sink in place had gone through some twin and earth. Get it checked out I do not think it is static. A kichen is too humid.

 

[JohnD]

.... Get it checked out I do not think it is static...

...The pipes seem to be properly earthed below the sink and they have had an electrician come in to see if he could find the problem. He couldn't find any problems and said that it must be static...