Family of three electrocuted to death at Taman Jurong

[13177]

8 minutes ago, West said:

The principle for storage heater (electric type) and instant heater is the same.  The storage look safer is because it is installed far away from shower area, usually in the yard. It does not get wet so the risk of electric shock is much lower compare to instant heater.  So you can also buy instant heater and install in a dry section within the toilet, or even outside the toilet, and pipe the hot water to shower area. 

There are still many people install the storage heater inside the toilet. But the tank is high up near the ceiling la.😂

[Somewhat1975]

Most of the time, the conduction of electricity from heater to user is not through the water, but through the metallic water pipe and water tube. Thus, where u install the heater does not matter much.

that is why the new water heater comes with plastic water tube and the water inlet is also isolated with a plastic valve

 

[Playtime]

1 hour ago, Watwheels said:

You look at your electric kettle lo. The basic working principle  is the same.

This reminds me.

Many years ago,  I was walking along the hdb corridor when a very old lady called me in cos he electric kettle not working when she plugged in in.

When I checked,  the kettle socket was wet and I could literally hear the electrical sparking.... I immediately power off for her and told  her not to use ... id like to think I did a good deed that day. 🙏

[Windwaver]

5 hours ago, Victor68 said:

It is very important to get a licenced electrical contractor to do such installation. More so around wet areas and item you have body contacts. Many 'electrician' only know how to connect it to works but don't understand between live and neutral or earthing.  

In this case, it seems that earthing wasn't done at all!

So the family can sue the installer?

 

[Windwaver]

4 hours ago, Beregond said:

gonna talk to my family about changing heater liao. more then 10 years. 

all bo chup want to bath nia. 

but sometime its no change bo tai ji, change then problem many many .........

Bro, tell you what, change to gas heater like me, I've been using for decades no issue.

Best is my whole place have warm or cold water in all outlets from the single gas heater 

 

[Volvobrick]

1 hour ago, Watwheels said:

You look at your electric kettle lo. The basic working principle  is the same.

The heating element is submerge in water. But the shower one a lot of material in it is a conductor of electricity. The water tank, the heating element in the tank. The heating element is made out of copper alloy, The water tank is stainless steel. Go Google for images. OK. Found one...

Good diagram. The actual heating element is encased in some (ceramic?) insulating material, which is in turn encased with copper or some other metal pipe. The actual heating element (running with electricity) does not touch the water at all. The insulation may deteriorate leading to current leaking to the casing/water or the metal tank.

Same thing can happen to convection ovens, which will trip the CB (if the CB is working). 

 

Edited December 11, 2020 by Volvobrick

[Windwaver]

4 hours ago, Kb27 said:

Test your ELCB or RCCB regularly.

Push the button and the switch should dropped and electricity cut off.

Make sure wife not in the middle of watching her favorite show, if not, she sure CCB

[13177]

1 hour ago, Playtime said:

This reminds me.

Many years ago,  I was walking along the hdb corridor when a very old lady called me in cos he electric kettle not working when she plugged in in.

When I checked,  the kettle socket was wet and I could literally hear the electrical sparking.... I immediately power off for her and told  her not to use ... id like to think I did a good deed that day. 🙏

You should throw away the kettle for her, in case when you walked off she tried to use it again. And better still offer to buy a new kettle for her and tell her the correct way of using the kettle. 

[Jamesc]

That was my MIL lah

and I was wondering why nothing happened to her.

3 hours ago, Playtime said:

This reminds me.

Many years ago,  I was walking along the hdb corridor when a very old lady called me in cos he electric kettle not working when she plugged in in.

When I checked,  the kettle socket was wet and I could literally hear the electrical sparking.... I immediately power off for her and told  her not to use ... id like to think I did a good deed that day. 🙏

 

[Jamesc]

Anyone know which brand?

I get for my MIL for Xmas.

[Count-Bracula]

8 hours ago, Watwheels said:

This kinda money cannot save. Best is to switch to something that is not next to you when showering be it electrical or gas.

Cold shower is safest. 

 

[Count-Bracula]

3 hours ago, Windwaver said:

In this case, it seems that earthing wasn't done at all!

So the family can sue the installer?

 

I see both my water heaters got this green-yellow wire sticking out from heater and connected to the water pipe.  Strange setup but is this earthing? 

[Ahwhye]

4 hours ago, Volvobrick said:

Good diagram. The actual heating element is encased in some (ceramic?) insulating material, which is in turn encased with copper or some other metal pipe. The actual heating element (running with electricity) does not touch the water at all. The insulation may deteriorate leading to current leaking to the casing/water or the metal tank.

Same thing can happen to convection ovens, which will trip the CB (if the CB is working). 

 

for oven tripping, it is more likely due to moisture /grease /dirt causing electrical leakage. some of the old timer repairman who would just disconnect the earth wire and let the oven heat up to burn off the moisture/dirt and reconnect earth wire later.....: )

[Ahwhye]

49 minutes ago, Count-Bracula said:

I see both my water heaters got this green-yellow wire sticking out from heater and connected to the water pipe.  Strange setup but is this earthing? 

water pipe should have been "earthed" already before going into your house, you should be able to see some thick fat yellow-green wire terminating on the inlet water pipe. The yellow-green earth wire that come with the power supply is supposed to be connected electrically to the external casing (if metallic) and the (metal) water tank of the water heater. I supposed these are called double redundancy to provide path for leakage electricity to flow.

As to why your water heater has this wire sticking out to water pipe, only your electrician know, but I would hazard a guess that somewhere along the way there is a pvc pipe which cut off the earth connection to outside.

 

[Count-Bracula]

7 hours ago, Ahwhye said:

water pipe should have been "earthed" already before going into your house, you should be able to see some thick fat yellow-green wire terminating on the inlet water pipe. The yellow-green earth wire that come with the power supply is supposed to be connected electrically to the external casing (if metallic) and the (metal) water tank of the water heater. I supposed these are called double redundancy to provide path for leakage electricity to flow.

As to why your water heater has this wire sticking out to water pipe, only your electrician know, but I would hazard a guess that somewhere along the way there is a pvc pipe which cut off the earth connection to outside.

 

Yeah,  I do see that thick fat yellow-green wire terminating on the inlet water pipe.

Thanks for the info. 

[Karoon]

14 hours ago, Raubern said:

Sad.... the 15 year old girl witness the deaths of her father and grandparents

Their son, Mr Muhamad Ashikin Omar, had gone to visit them with his 15-year-old daughter, according to a family friend who spoke to Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News.

After a prolonged wait outside the door, he had broken it down and entered the flat. On seeing his parents on the ground, he had tried to revive them and was also electrocuted.

When The Straits Times went to the unit on Friday afternoon, police officers were seen within the flat.

A neighbour, who wished to be known only as Madam Ting, told ST in Mandarin that the couple lived alone and were visited by their son and their daughter-in-law almost daily.

The retiree, who has lived in the unit for about 50 years, said: "I used to talk to them from the corridor every day.

"They are a very close and pleasant family, I can't believe the three of them are gone."

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/3-family-members-pronounced-dead-in-lakeside-tragedy-from-suspected-electrocution

I'm just curious how the 15 yr old was spared. Had the breaker tripped by the time she touched them? Lucky girl.

[Volvobrick]

8 hours ago, Ahwhye said:

for oven tripping, it is more likely due to moisture /grease /dirt causing electrical leakage. some of the old timer repairman who would just disconnect the earth wire and let the oven heat up to burn off the moisture/dirt and reconnect earth wire later.....: )

Yes. I did that to mine too. Got to warn everyone while doing it. 

[Watwheels]

This is the CNA report. No mention of being electrocuted by shower heater.

Elderly couple and son pronounced dead after being found unconscious in Lakeside flat

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/police-lakeside-flat-elderly-couple-son-found-dead-13751370

Quote

SINGAPORE: An elderly couple and their son were pronounced dead after they were found unconscious in the couple's flat in Lakeside on Thursday (Dec 10)

The police said it was alerted to a case of unnatural death at a residential unit at Blk 120 Ho Ching Road on Dec 10 at 4.15pm. 

The couple, an 80-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman, were found lying motionless in the unit. They were pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic. 

Their 45-year-old son was unconscious when he was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. He had visited the couple at the unit, said the police. 

He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. 

No foul play is suspected and police investigations are ongoing. 

Chinese gossip paper has more details.