FCU in bathroom

[John Williamson]

Unless you're Uncle Peter, who has repeatedly claimed in here that he is immune to electric shocks of 240v Volts or so.

[Uncle Peter]

Snob :-P

[Uncle Peter]

A bit of common sense makes it safe, you don't need to measure precisely for the regs.

[Uncle Peter]

I can't believe you guys bother with all that shit.

[Uncle Peter]

For the milliseconds an ELCB takes to switch off, I'd say everyone is. That's why they were invented.

[Uncle Peter]

Most electricians have had plenty of shocks.

[jrwalliker]

ike the Brits. IF you've got an ELCB, you can't hurt yourself even if it w as IN the bath!

magnitude of the current that flows through your body. It just stops it a fter a short time which is still long enough for the experience to be very unpleasant and quite possibly dangerous.

In the bath? Really?

John

[Uncle Peter]

In all sorts of places. My neighbour was shocked while up a ladder. I was shocked while mowing the lawn, and while operating a wet and dry hoover in the rain.

[jrwalliker]

But we aren't talking about all those other places. You were very specific: "IF you've got an ELCB, you can't hurt yourself even if it was IN the bath!"

John

[Uncle Peter]

What makes you think a bath is any more dangerous? I suppose if it got you on the gentleman's area it could hurt more, but it would be no more likely to kill you.

[F Murtz]

Must have been designed in the UK :)

[dennis]

You need much more than just being in a bath before it makes much difference shock wise. Unless there is a return path through the water and through you to earth or the other pole not much happens.

I have experienced similar first hand when I was about 10yo, having dropped a mains lighting socket in a fish tank (conductive water) and tried to retrieve it. All I got was a tingling that got worse the closer you got to the socket, it was impossible to actually pick it up. If I had been holding onto some earthed metal I expect it might have been a bit more shocking. I doubt if there is actually any chance of getting a serious shock by dropping a portable appliance in the bath with you. But you might get one trying to retrieve it.

[Uncle Peter]

No, it clearly said "Made in Australia".

[John Rumm]

The risk from a shock grows as the shock current rises, or the duration increases.

The particular risk of baths and showers is that there is a greater chance your skin will be wet, and this will reduce its electrical resistance, and that in turn can increase the magnitude of the shock current.

So while the 40ms response of the RCD is designed to limit the harm caused, that does not mean it will be pain or damage free.

[Uncle Peter]

Well in the kitchen your hands are very often wet, and that's full of sockets.

[F Murtz]

But designed in UK. :)

[Uncle Peter]

Then they would have written that, so as not to be associated with it.

[chris French]

Depends on the comparative costs for us - Premier inn are a bit better, but seems easier to get good prices more often at Travelodge.

Just done some bookings (1 night this friday and a couple of nights in April Preimer inn was lots (as in at 2-3 times the price at least), and we need 2 rooms)

[jrwalliker]

You probably don't routinely stand in the kitchen sink with bare feet.

It was you who picked a bath as an extreme example of a place where one might be protected against electric shock by an RCD.

John

[Tim Watts]

Premier Inn tends to jump all over the place - prices seem very dynamic

- presumably dependent on how booked they are - well, what usually happens is the super saver option disappears and you just get the regular price.

I always check Tripadvisor before booking anything these days - what looks shiny can quite often turn out to have a serious problem (thin walls, noisy, crap food).