Small charge in earth wire; is this ok?

Deliaquad

Last night I noticed a very small current on my electric shower hose, which is and has been operating properly for the past two years. It is a very faint tingle noticeble when I hold the (metallic) hose. I shut off all the house electricity at the main fuse box, and checked the earth rod sticking into the ground outside- sure enough it has the same faint charge. I phoned ESB who advised me this is not unusual. I'll get an electrician tomorrow to look at it, but in the meantime... should I be worried by this?

-Delia Quad

Kat1170

Whatever the ESB say about the earth rod I wouldn't use the shower until it was checked out. :eek:

eoghan.geraghty

Get your equipotential bonding checked out.
Also check is your earth neutralised or should it be.

RoundyMooney

eoghan.geraghty wrote: »

Get your equipotential bonding checked out.
Also check is your earth neutralised or should it be.

Chances are it should be TNCS alright.

Don't use the shower certainly.

Was your earth rod showing a charge with the power off? Voltage readings to a reference earth would tell a lot.

You may be subject to a fault from one of your neighbours if so.

Make sure the sparks checks the loop impedance anyway.

DublinDilbert

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Chances are it should be TNCS alright.

Don't use the shower certainly.

Was your earth rod showing a charge with the power off? Voltage readings to a reference earth would tell a lot.

You may be subject to a fault from one of your neighbours if so.

Make sure the sparks checks the loop impedance anyway.

It sounds like there is current flowing back to the ESB transformer via your earth rod, more than likely there's a voltage rise across the neutral conductor going back to the ESB transformer...

It could well be the cable going back to the ESB transformer has a doggy joint in it and the earth rod is acting as a lower resistance path back to the transformer... your earth rod could even be carrying the neutral current back to the ESB transformer for your neighbors, depending on their earthing system.

It could be possible that there is a break in the neutral connection for all your houses back to the ESB transformer... If you had an AC clamp ammeter you could try measure the current flowing on the cable going back to the earth rod... Then try turning on the electric kettle and see if the current flowing to earth increases....

If it was my house i'd be tempted to temporarily and very carefully disconnect the link between the neutral and earth, with a multi meter connected between the earth and neutral, and see how much the neutral rises by WRT earth... although this could be dangerous if not done carefully...

Deliaquad

Thanks for the replies so far. The charge was still in the earth ground rod wire after my electricity was off at the fuse box; shower is bonded to this earth so I think the problem is in the earth rather than the shower. There is no charge in the earth this morning, but ESB are sending someone out later today to check it out, I'll post what they say the problem is.
-DQ

Deliaquad

ESB Networks just came out to check, although since the charge has dissappeared they couldn't check where the fault was from. When I described the charge, and he asked if was "pulsing" rather than constant, he thought it 95% likely to be caused by an electric fence (we're in a rural village location) that had been temporarily unearthed, said he had come across this a few times before. If it happens again I'm to phone and they'll come and check when the charge is present.

He suggested also that the shower tray be earthed with the shower unit, which would stop any potential shocks, something which he said should be code.

Thanks again for the advice above, now to wash this infernal stink offa me...:)

-DQ

Andrea B.

Shower aside for now.

When you say you get a "charge" at earth rod, do you mean you get a tingle when touching the top of it while it is still connected to main earth cable and you are standing on ground beside it?

Deliaquad

Andrea B. wrote: »

Shower aside for now.

When you say you get a "charge" at earth rod, do you mean you get a tingle when touching the top of it while it is still connected to main earth cable and you are standing on ground beside it?

Yes, that's it exactly. The charge did seem to pulse a bit, rather than a steady tingle. It's gone for now.

-DQ

RoundyMooney

I hadn't thought of a fencer, although it's a known issue in rural locations.