Loading the dishwasher. A simple enough task, done every day by thousands of people.
But in this instance, as I leaned down to lower the door fully and put stuff in the bottom rack I had one hand on the metal sink and the other on the metal casing of the inside of the dishwasher door. And I got a shock. It made me jump.
I've had a couple of mains voltage "belts" in my life and in fairness, given that I also had wet hands, this didn't hurt as much as I thought it should but that didn't make me any happier about it.
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What to do first? Testing.
In my instance, I've spent many years working on electrical control systems and commercial and industrial equipment so I have some test equipment. I'm not a domestic electrician and I'm not qualified in that discipline but I have the skills and experience to do basic testing. I mention this because I'll come back to it later.
I went and got my test meter. And it showed me 100v AC or thereabouts between the chassis of the dishwasher and earth. Checked using the CPC (circuit protective conductor) aka Earth pin in a socket and also against the sink and the pipework underneath. All gave me a similar reading against the dishwasher casing. If you are thinking of doing the same testing, be sure you know what you're doing. If you're in doubt there's a couple of ideas further on.
What next? New dishwasher?
So at this point, which was about 10pm, I switched off the supply to the spur at the switched fuse connection and pulled out the fuse with a resolution to continue the next day.
Why take the fuse out? Because in my instance the machine is connected to a fused spur flex outlet, which is in turn fed by a switched fused connection unit. So it's not possible to just unplug the machine and move it away which is what I would have done if I could. Many houses will have a switched fuse connection unit and then an unswitched socket behind the appliance itself. Many other houses will have the appliance plugged directly into a switched socket. In either of these latter situations I could have simply unplugged the dishwasher to make it completely safe.
Next morning - shopping for a new dishwasher - nearly
I was about to go and check the usual suspects like AO, Currys and anybody else that could relieve me of large sums of money for white goods but before I did I thought I'd just try googling "I got an electric shock from my dishwasher".
I got some results! And on one of them it was actually from a manufacturer giving guidance on how to handle calls from customers who were complaining of electric shock from their dishwasher. Wow!
This is what actually happened
So, in the supply line of an average dishwasher there are things called capacitors. Doesn't matter if you don't know what they are but they act a little like a battery, storing energy. Normally that energy drains away through the earth (cpc) connection of your dishwasher and you don't even know they exist. But if that earth connection to your dishwasher doesn't work and you grab hold of the metal bits of it that energy is quite happy to drain away through you! With a similar "shocking" result to what I experienced.
What caused it?
Going back to my testing, armed with the knowledge about capacitors, I turned off the power and removed the fused spur outlet where the cable was connected and also removed the switched fused spur that feeds it. And in this instance I discovered the earth connection (cpc) in the switched fused spur was disconnected. You can see it in the second picture below, just above the centre of the picture.
Other means of testing
If the dishwasher had been plugged into a conventional socket outlet I have a socket tester that I can plug in to check that the socket is working correctly. It's a simple device that's low cost and gives a bit of reassurance that the wiring on your sockets is correct. It doesn't substitute for a full condition inspection but it's better than nothing.
Is it dangerous?
I would say that it definitely could be. I'm fine, I survived it but it certainly wasn't pleasant. I can well imagine it causing problems for people with heart defects or something but that is based on assumption not knowledge.
What I can tell you is that any electrical item that isn't wired up as the manufacturer intended may well not function properly and won’t be as safe as the manufacturer intended. And that definitely isn't good.
Why are these capacitors there?
They carry out the function of suppressing interference on your radio or TV when the dishwasher is running. They are in many motor powered white goods and lots of other things besides. They are a standard conventional part of many electrical items.
How did I go about fixing it?
The fix itself is very simple in this case. It was the finding it that could have been a challenge. All I needed to do was trim the earth sleeving back a little and reconnect the wire to the earth connection point on the back of the switch fuse connection unit. To explain this a little:- The cables feeding the switch fuse connection unit and connecting it to the fused spur are “twin and earth (T&E)” which is often a grey flat cable
So are all dishwashers dangerous? And maybe all white goods?
No they're not. But yes they are. And that is the point of all this. If they are connected in the way the manufacturer recommends and used in the way the manufacturer recommends then you should be able to rely on the item being safe. All manufacturers have to go through rigorous testing and safeguards to ensure this.
At this point I'll take a step out to say this may not hold true with that cheap iphone charger or whatever that cost about a tenth of the price of a genuine one. There are many "grey" import electrical goods that skirt around that safety regs and there's enough evidence here on the internet to convince anyone that they're worth steering away from.
But if anything is not connected up as it should be, there's a fair chance that it may be dangerous or at least not work correctly.
So what should YOU do if you get a shock from a domestic appliance?
Without knowing and seeing exactly what the scenario is in your situation and being unqualified as noted above I definitely can't give expert or accurate advice. All I can do is explain the situation that occurred for me and how I was able to deal with it.
But unless you have the right test kit and know how to use it you shouldn't mess with it.
If you do have the right kit and know how to use it, you'll know exactly how to test what I did.
So my encouragement in this instance is simple and basic: Don't DIY. But equally don't rush out and buy a new dishwasher! Instead, call an electrician to come and check your dishwasher installation and possible even your entire electrical system.
As you make the call, try to remember the last time your electrical system was checked. Maybe you have an inspection date sticker on your consumer unit (fuseboard)?
Do you have one of these? An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)
If it's your own home (in England), the recommendation is every 10 years. If you're in rented accommodation (in England) it's every 5 years or at every tenant change. And while I'm a great believer in DIY I'm also a believer in keeping your home safe and I also accept that legally there are things that I cannot do and an Electrical Installation Condition Report is one of them.
Conclusion:
So, if odd stuff happens with your electrical equipment, unless you genuinely have the skills to deal with it, find someone who does. But don’t rush out and buy new white goods too quickly!