[Question] Earth Leakage - Geysers & Stoves

[AmithS]

Hello,

I was told yesterday by an electrician that electricity installations do not require that Geysers & Stoves go through the earth leakage any more due to excess tripping?

Is this true?

Thanks,

[Justloadit]

I am no electrician, but I kind of feel very uncomfortable if my geyser is not connect to the ECB, with my body wet in the shower, and the element ruptures, allowing power to discharge into the water mmmmmm even if the copper pipes being earthed, who says that the earth strap may not have corroded over time..... or even if there was a competent electrician that performed the installation.

I remember my problem in my holiday home in Limpopo province, where you felt this tickling sensation when you adjusted the shower taps, which eventually came down to one of the other houses along the supply line, where had Neutral and earth were swapped by a so called electrician.

[F.Viljoen]

Geysers, stoves and light circuits don't have to go through Earth Leakage devices. Also dedicated 16A socket outlets for example Alarms system.
Nothing wrong to include all the above on ELU, but how do you look for a fault at night if your lights are also off because of the ELU?

[AndyD]

The geyser itself is protected by the earth from the CPC (earth wire of the circuit) and the pipework going to the shower or bath should have bonding to prevent hazardous touch voltages. An RCD won't prevent you getting a shock if the main earth of the installation is at an elevated voltage because of an external supply fault, it only prevents you from getting a fatal shock from an insulation fault on one of the circuits it supplies.

[mikilianis]

I have often come accross stoves that trip the E.L.U. usually a element (plate) has a broken seal and moisture has ingressed once it has cooled down, causing current to leak thus tripping the E.L.U. simply drying the element out by heating it up (on a circuit not on E.L.U.)temporary solves the problem have also had the same problem on H.W.C. ultimate ly the elements will have to be changed but months or in some cases years of trouble free usage can still be obtained.Flourescent fittings with the old type of ballast (transformer) once the insulation without any indication starts warming up often causes the E.L.U. to trip often leading to a lot of headscratching.

[ians]

It is not a matter of they no longer have to be on earth leakage, they didn't have to be connected unless certain aspects of the installations required earth leakage. For example an old stove isolator/plug combo, you had to connect that stove circuit to the earth leakage because of the 15 amp socket outlet which formed part of the stove isolator.