ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Live Bath

Non expert opinion... but i'd suggest running a flow of salty water down the plug hole and using a sensitive meter check for small currents. (taking precautions to avoid any shock incase it is a major fault!)

With co-operation from any neighbouring houses etc.. shut everything off and then co-ordinate switching them back on again bit by bit until you find the problem.

Should you perhaps get the Power Company involved as it could be a PME failure?
They usually have someone who's expert in solving these problems at hand!

Good point Dave -- Could be a failed or bad neutral on the PoCo lines.

Didn't see it mentioned, (Yep, someone did mention it.) but have you isolated the circuit this current is from? Like by shutting things off. i.e. circuit off, no current, and vice versa. Just to locate the source. ( Or whole house off, its outside. ) Then you can break up that circuit in sections to isolate further. Then, and I'm not sure you can do this with some of the ring methods used in other than the US. But you might be able to pin-point further with a graphic TDR.

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 01-23-2005).]

Sorry, just to be clear I didnt think water had anything to do with it from even a failed neutral point of view given the high resistance of water even the most contaminated sort! I thought perhaps that water down plug hole and voltage were just co-incidental. I cant see how any potential could be introduced by reading the post. However, if leaking waste making contact with some live part then perhaps that is a different matter. Please let us know outcome!

Fresh water's not very conductive, but you can never be sure what electrolytic substances people may add to their bathwater!

Well Thanks Guys,

I have instructed the power company to investigate the pole..
Trumpy.. yep all pipes and bath are at earth potential. though as i have said before there is a good chance that the enamell on the bath would increase the resistance to earth..the house is on one RCD..yep the water is buried and comes up under the bath..
good point the on the SWA the sheath is not earthed and is on my inspection report, would this stop the capacitance??

Paul UK.. they only get the tingle when outside the bath and pulling the plug, its as if the connection is made when the water hits the drain...no other cables buried that i know of, the supply is overhead..

Lyle.. yep i know mate it is a worry, i need to resolve this pretty quick.. they had a spark do some work there, before me and since he has been there this has been happening, but i cant come up with what he has done to cause this,, but looking at his work i told the client that there is no way he was a spark, he had done things a spark would,nt have done.even a rough one..

E57.. hi cant isolate any circuit because the fault is intermitant..they ring me i go out and pull the plug, nothing..

just waiting for the outcome of the power company..
if some one could confirm the earthing of the swa sheath would discharge the capacitance..
cheers guys,

Paul,
What's on the end of that Submain feed cable?.
Is there a possibility that someone could have driven an Earth stake at the other end?.
I'm just wondering if there isn't some sort of a circulating earth current here, between the Main earthing of the house and the barn.
How many cores does the SWA have?.
Are there any Electric fence systems near the house?.
It wouldn't be the first time a farmer has driven a fence earth through a pipe and not realised.

Hi Trumpy

no earth stakes on site, the swa sub main to the barn is a 3 core.the barn is 100 mtrs away so i would doubt that would have any effect anyway..

not sure about any electric fence though..

Hi Paul,
Just to clarify something, with regard to when the plug is pulled, does it only happen if they are simultaneously touching the bath itself, or just standing on the floor

UPDATE on the live bath..

Western Power came to site tonight to survey the pole,, found 18volts entering the ground around my customers house..

when he pulled the plug and the water hit the drain, bingo earth path made via the bathee.( is there such a word??)

they say it looks like a faulty neutral earth connection in one of the neighbours house's...(all PME around there) also just heard that one of them is a diy freak...

phewwww can sleep tonight,

will post the full report soon..