Naked Science Forum
General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: syhprum on 14/09/2018 16:48:49
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My bathroom originally had no power socket and a pull switch for the light.
I recently installed a pump for my shower and the installation pamphlet had about four pages as to what a danger this was and the permitted areas where it might be fitted.
Every hotel where I have stayed on the European mainland has had a electrical heater and hair dryer installed in the bathroom but never a warning about using them.
I recently purchased a metal electrical kettle which sits on the window sill close to the water taps a possible source of a fatal shock if ever there was one but no warning it seems no one cares if you get electrocuted in the kitchen but the bathroom is out of bounds.
What are the statistics do many people suffer fatal shocks in the bathroom ?
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Fatal shocks are most likely when the AC current passes through your heart, eg from hand to foot.
The bathroom tends to have bare wet feet on (somewhat) conductive wet floor. Touch a faulty appliance with your hand, and the current will flow from your hand to feet, through your heart - bad news!
Other rooms in the house tend to have dry floors, and often people will wear shoes (at least in Western countries). This means that the current path is less likely to pass through your heart on the way to your feet.
Many jurisdictions today require an Earth-Leakage Circuit Breaker, which detects ground faults, and will stop the current quickly enough to save your life (but you will still feel a shock). I suspect that many hotels will have these fitted, since it's considered poor form to electrocute the guests!
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_leakage_circuit_breaker