The present fear of using water heater gave a new thought about the safety feature after the japanese couple were electrocuted. Is the water heater tank above the roof top or the wall mounted type is safe to use? Do they need periodical maintenance or checking by professionals? Lets dicuss.

Im not very sure how this work .. My heater was the roof type tank wwter heater. I couldnt see the installation when they installed last time. Is there anyway that i could test it or i should inspect it by going up there?

according to the radio station this morning american consist of about 30 cases of electrocution per year.
actually this is very often also just that the news were not spread out like this japanese couple . i heard of this case many times already.

you can look at others but here we are focusing on this main issue that causes it. Water heater.

ELCBs have some disadvantages:
They do not detect faults that don't pass current through the CPC to the earth rod.
They do not allow a single building system to be easily split into multiple sections with independent fault protection, because earthing systems are usually bonded to pipework.
They may be tripped by external voltages from something connected to the earthing system such as metal pipes, a TN-S earth or a TN-C-S combined neutral and earth.
As with RCDs, electrically leaky appliances such as some water heaters, washing machines and cookers may cause the ELCB to trip.
ELCBs introduce additional resistance and an additional point of failure into the earthing system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_leakage_circuit_breaker

im using a tank type, you said must use external earth fault breaker.. usually how do i get to know the current one is at 10 or 30ma.. is it visible at the Circuit breaker station?

yes, malay guy got electrocuted before, saw in newspaper. using Alpha old brand.

did you all read the newspaper today? they advised consumer to constantly check the ELCB every time or even monthly... crazy shit... we werent' told of this thing in the manual at all. And the hassle of checking and trauma everytime using water heater is like after watching Jaws the movie now. going to shower, check first..

how bout water heater tank, does it has ELCB ?

IMPORTANT
· All plumbing works must be completed and heater tank filled with water before proceeding to electrical connections. This will prevent any damage to the appliance.
· Ensure that the electrical supply is single-phase at 220 to 240 Va.c.
· This appliance must be permanently earthed. The use of Plug & Socket is not recommended.
· It is recommended to install an approved current operated type Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) or Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) of 10mA sensitivity and higher than rated current (Refer to table).
· It is recommended to install an approved type Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) or Molded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB) of higher than appliance rated current (Refer to table).
· Ensure that the wiring can supply the necessary amperage (Refer to table).
· This appliance must be permanently connected to the electrical supply through a Double Pole Linked Switch above rated current (Refer to table) and having contact separation of at least 3mm in all poles incorporated in the fixed wiring. The switch must be out of reach from user in the bathroom.
· Do not share the electrical supply with other appliances.

sorry im a noob here.. how do i know if the house earth wire is working?

cold bath bad for liver. mampus cepat

mind to explain... i also don't think have earth wire problem.. nowadays all water heater promised of ELCB protection. its not like they are gonna use some 80s electrical appliances. look at mont kiara condo, what time was it built.. 90s .. it's already using the safe protection water heater. What i hate about malaysian news reporting is that they don't go and find out deeper and investigate the cause and publish out for public awreness unlike US 60 minutes news..

Okay, from the scientific theory of it, this invention is failed to me. All water heaters are not safe no matter what Protection is used.As long s current is live and you are holding the hose that conduct electricity is dangerous especially when water n electricity is in the bathroom. I would assume the water tank unit and solar power unit is safer than the one in the bathroom with you.

of course old technology started without air bag than 2 air bags, side air bags and moving on to reinforce steel at the side etc etc.. but what improvement can be made by manufacturer that makes the difference since we are now getting more experience from past cases all over the world. I still see ELCB water heater in the market and how sales person boast about the protection which are not. That's y i think it is fail totally if you are the inventor. As inventor, this is the thing we should not be proud of especially when an infant is left without a mom and dad.

This post has been edited by Patagoniaranger: Sep 13 2013, 04:18 PM