most of the new instant water heather is equip with ELCB

Storage tank have earth wires.

The key is to have your house earth wire working. Without Earth is without protection.

There is a dangerous your elcb won't trip if you earth your piping. Piping is consider a conductor to earth. Cause piping is run to ground too.

If the current travel to pipe instead to elcb, your elcb won't detect current fault.

Press ELCB button. If it trips, it's working.

No need to pampered, no astro, no internet, no smart phone, no need electicity.. Last time without all these also can survived...

All there are Standard of living..don't have won't die ma... So go without it lo

You guys are far from topic. Go back to your post.

Anyway, I understand abit why the couple get electrucute and the elcb don't trip. Don't think got earth wire problem with their heater.

From my bullshit analyses, the earth wire should have connection. 

1) All the heater have a earth fault light that tell you earth wire connection is ok or not. So I guess the earth wire is not a problem.

2) There is 2 device to protect from the DB and the heater itself. Is it that consequences, 2 device spoil
at the same time? This is not Final Destination movie.    It should be either 1 will do the job to trip. But why both don't trip ?

So it is probably the current didn't go through the E wire when the heater is leaking. Both device didn't sense the current from the E wire. That is why it didn't trip.

The ELCB is an outdate device. It will only trip when sense current on the E wire. So what about in this scenario

1) When the current leak to your body than to ground? It is not leaking to E wire? This is probably what happen to the japanese couple.

2) When the E wire broken or disconnect?

3) When secondary ground in the same place? Example a pipe is connect with the E wire. Pipe also run into ground and become earth rod. If current go through the pipe to the ground, ELCB won't be able to sense it.

Our home now should be using RCD/RCCB instead of ELCB. If any of your home still using ELCB, better change to RCD/RCCB. In additional, you can install another 1 near your heater. Don't trust your heater ELCB. It make of electronic which is not reliable when age.

Apologize for my kid drawing.

The RCD/RCCB should be able to protect this kind of problem. Incase E wire doesn't do the job. All the house now should using RCD/RCCB. Try check your DB box that you always call ELCB.

I m using istant water heater. And I knew I cannot rely on the heater elcb. That left my house just 1 device to protect from the DB box. So I install another RCD in the bathroom ontop the heater.

Here is the RCD device that I install ontop the heater inside the bathroom. It exactly for prevent electrocution and suitable for bathroom which wet enviroment. Can be use for anything.

Manufacture will produce product with minimal basic security, any add on will required more $$$ and transfer the cost to consumer. Even with state of the art technology, no one can prevent accident.

I do agree the manufacture need to look into another design. But if I recall, my mom house water heater can't be switch on if the earth are faulty and this are basic things. I remember this when I wire the water heater and forgot to wire the earth.

Since I am going to change the heater soon (after 5 years), i shall do another test again.

BTW, I change instant water heater every 5 - 6 years. That another preventive maintenance I do.

The best solution for now is not to buy any wall type water heater but invest at least in a water heater tank type. That itself reduce the possiblities of electrocution. Whether its malaysia made or not, its still a phobia whenever u pick up the shower handles. just tell me how many of you are now thinking of that japanese guy when you are showering now? I bet, you must b thinking, when will it happen to me next?

Storage tank can explode!!!

This will look neat. Come with fuse as RCD will not trip when there is a overload of current. The fuse is a overload safety point.
[attachmentid=3634613]

You can use this as a switch. Press the reset (on) as you go into the bathroom taking shower. Out of bathroom finished showering press the test button(off). In a way you are testing it every time you come out of your shower, and will never forget to test.

The wall mounting type. Not the adapter type. But more importantly test the safety valves regularly.

Where can we get this?

woaahhh .. so pricey.. 

wow awesome, would be great if someone can let us know where to buy this thing... I will go look around for it next week.

BTW, to those who says I am paranoid... just think, is RM 50 spent on a protection device worth your life?... my humble thoughts.

I saw, RM 225.00

I am going to look around later, see see if can find a cheap, good one... if cannot find then expensive a bit also buy la... at least I dont have to worry about getting electrocuted while taking hot shower liao...

then again the question come, is RM 225 or 500 worth to risk our life? no rite?