M’sian Electrician Shares Tips To Prevent Electrocution From Shower Heaters
In light of the tragedy in Cameron Highlands, an electrician shared what people can do to be safe when it comes to using shower heaters.
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A married couple was found dead in the bathroom in Taman Puncak Tringkap, Brinchang, Cameron Highlands on Thursday, 17 March.
It is believed that they died due to electrocution from the hot water heater. According to Sinar Daily, the 46-year-old husband got electrocuted while he was showering. His wife checked on him when she heard him scream.
Sadly, she was also electrocuted when she tried to save her husband with a piece of wood and died too.
They left behind two children aged between 2 and 10 years old.
In light of this tragedy, an electrician named Mohamad Arif (@arepletrik) shared some tips on Twitter to prevent this from happening to anyone.
For showers with the water heater, Arif said the Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) button near the water heater should be pressed every week to make sure it trips the circuit and current leakage.
bagi mana-mana rumah yang ada ada water heater pastikan setiap minggu tekan test ELCB dekat water heater tu boleh trip atau tidak. kebanyakkan kes macam ni sebab ELCB tu tak berfungsi dah so on suis current still ada walaupun current leaking, sepatutnya on dia terus akan trip. https://t.co/RxgYNt1riG
— arepletrik (@arepkasim) March 10, 2022
This is because a lot of times, the ELCB switch don’t function well and this means the current is still switched on and ‘leaking’. By right, the circuit should trip if the ELCB is switched on.
He also advised everyone to press the ELCB switch on the fuse box at home every month or once every two weeks to make sure it’s still functioning well.
Arif included videos to demonstrate how to check both ELCB switches as well.
since ada juga yang tanya macam mana nak test ELCB kat kotak elektrik rumah elok tu ke tak pic.twitter.com/kWx9aI6C1N
— arepletrik (@arepkasim) March 11, 2022
Arif explained how the couple was probably electrocuted by the shower heater at home, too.
He said that the water is heated by a copper heating element and it can conduct electricity.
Someone would be electrocuted if the circuit did not trip when the electrical current leaks from the heating element to the water.
Netizens added their own experience and advice to help others too.
A netizen pointed out that not all shower heater models are labelled the same way. Instead of ELCB, it’s labelled Residual Current Device (RCD) and it functions the same as ELCB.
If you’re still not sure how to check, it’s safer to call a qualified electrician to help you make sure that everything is in order.
Utk certain model, ada yg tak guna term ELCB, ada yg guna RCD. Kot2 ada yg keliru sama atau tak. RCD stands for residual current device. Function sama jg.
— Aina (@7ty4store) March 11, 2022
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