Unsafe Shower?

[Nemises]

My “electrician” says that the dangling black wire doesn’t need to be connected as there is another black wire already connected?

 

Am obviously very concerned and not sure what to do.

 

Any assistance appreciated.

 

 

[bankruatsteve]

The one that is curly should be the ground.  Are there two wires coming out of the cable and going into the shower unit?  If so, that dangling one may well be from an idea that didn't work out.  If only one wire coming out of the cable this is very not good.  If you have a meter or "neon screwdriver", determine if the dangly is live or not.  

 

Obviously not a professional installation.  At some point you may want to get those wires inside some molding.  

 

 

[Nemises]

Thanks.

 

There’s 3 wires going into the unit. They are red, black & grey. Does that mean the dangling black one is not required like the guy said?

 

I don’t have a meter or neon screwdriver. Should I get the guy back and get him to show me on his meter rather than take his word for it?

 

[bankruatsteve]

You can probably take his word for it.  Leaving an exposed dangling wire is not in the kit book for any electrician though.

 

Get him back to do something with it.  "It looks no good."

[lopburi3]

Not only looking bad the main power wire covering appears to be stripped outside of the cabinet - a total no-no.  If no built in drip coil it should also feed up into the unit to prevent water from entering on the wires.  All in all not an installation any electrician should find normal.  But perhaps little real danger if ceiling is high and no chance of spray getting into unit.  If nothing else perhaps get a large wire cover that you can glue to wall to make a direct line from ceiling to heater below where the wires enter (notch side of cover to enter unit) - that would at least shunt water down the side rather than into the unit.

[r136dg]

Interesting choice of color for ground.

[Tchooptip]

On 19/11/2017 at 8:34 PM, r136dg said:

Interesting choice of color for ground.

ground?  Every farang like too much but in Thailand, no need grounded electric 

[bankruatsteve]

24 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

ground?  Every farang like too much but in Thailand, no need grounded electric 

Ah, very astute.  Suggest you stick to splashers then.

[12DrinkMore]

Total mess of an installation, clearly a lazy and incompetent numbnut wired it up.

 

Follow the wires. Only then will you be sure where they go.

 

Consider routing the white cable so that the split is inside the shower unit.

 

If the thick black cable is the old ground, then push it up into the ceiling so it doesn't look so odd.

 

 

[johnjohn2]

You can always just take the top off the heater and look. 

The black wire is probably an older ground wire. And the red one is connected a different ground. 

I would check everything myself though no matter who did the install and make sure.  

 

[sammieuk1]

Makes my recent install look 5 star use the hose pipe until you get a proper electrician.

[Nemises]

Many thanks for all suggestions. I’ve had a proper electrician call around. He did a complete check and fix of the whole house - including of course, the HWS. Again, many thanks to all.

[bazza73]

Where is Crossy? He can give competent comment.

[Foozool]

You need to make sure that the Ground wire is connected to the right wire (real ground) if so you will be safe. 

I never follow wiring by their color in Thailand since any contractor has own favorite colors for wiring and not all jobs done by real electricians. 

if the dangling wire is an extra, it must be cut and taped (secured). 

 

[Nemises]

You need to make sure that the Ground wire is connected to the right wire (real ground) if so you will be safe.  I never follow wiring by their color in Thailand since any contractor has own favorite colors for wiring and not all jobs done by real electricians. 

if the dangling wire is an extra, it must be cut and taped (secured). 

 

 

Thanks, but all sorted now...See post #12

 

[rwill]

the water heater should have either elsd or elcb on it, a safety shutoff for shorts to ground/earth.  There will be a test button and a reset for it.  Test button should shut the unit off.  I always check them first when staying at resorts or such.

[chickenslegs]

The black wire is obviously there to hang your towel.

 

Coming in very late to this topic, but the photo looks like a water heater rather than a shower heater. Does it have an ELB tester? (Earth Leakage Breaker).

 

If it has no ELB (or ELCB) I wouldn't have it in a wet area.

[madusa]

21 minutes ago, Foozool said:

You need to make sure that the Ground wire is connected to the right wire (real ground) if so you will be safe. 

I never follow wiring by their color in Thailand since any contractor has own favorite colors for wiring and not all jobs done by real electricians. 

if the dangling wire is an extra, it must be cut and taped (secured). 

 

I have never seen any job done like that certainly not in Singapore or Malaysia where the standard for wiring is so much higher and you don't hear or read  about people electrocuted by shower , electrician goes to prison if the court find them guilty in professional negligence in Malaysia or Singapore. Life is cheap in Thailand I supposed.

[Nemises]

The black wire is obviously there to hang your towel.
 
Coming in very late to this topic, but the photo looks like a water heater rather than a shower heater. Does it have an ELB tester? (Earth Leakage Breaker).
 
If it has no ELB (or ELCB) I wouldn't have it in a wet area.

Thanks, but a proper electrician has already fixed this problem .....as advised in post # 12 & 15 above.

[Crossy]

9 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Coming in very late to this topic, but the photo looks like a water heater rather than a shower heater. Does it have an ELB tester? (Earth Leakage Breaker).

It's a shower heater, a Mazuma HE1-G55-PFE (from the energy label in the photo) and has a built-in RCD.

 

https://globalhouse.co.th/product/detail/8852163009053

 

 

[shaurene]

17 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

ground?  Every farang like too much but in Thailand, no need grounded electric 

What are you talking about. NO NEED ground wire in Thailand. YOU DO NEED. So many people been electrocuted in a shower in Thailand. You must be Thai to say this. I had a building in Pattaya with 9 rooms for rent. The very first thing I did was to get a very good electrician in to check that they were grounded. None were so I had them all grounded TO SAVE LIVES.

[12DrinkMore]

1 hour ago, shaurene said:

What are you talking about. NO NEED ground wire in Thailand. YOU DO NEED. So many people been electrocuted in a shower in Thailand. You must be Thai to say this. I had a building in Pattaya with 9 rooms for rent. The very first thing I did was to get a very good electrician in to check that they were grounded. None were so I had them all grounded TO SAVE LIVES.

 

I think he was joking.

[Road Warrior]

your man is NOT A ELECTRIAN  just a incompetent DIY .

 

signed uk qualified electrician  17years in the trade

[biplanebluey]

On 11/19/2017 at 8:34 PM, r136dg said:

Interesting choice of color for ground.

Exactly what I thought.Ever since I was a kid(over 70 yrs) I have been taught and still think the RED is the mains power IN.Black is Neutral and GREEN is EARTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Has everything changed without my knowledge.This is a serious situation this guy could be in and this is a serious question from me so no funny stuff please.There could be somebody's life at stake

[Crossy]

7 hours ago, biplanebluey said:

Exactly what I thought.Ever since I was a kid(over 70 yrs) I have been taught and still think the RED is the mains power IN.Black is Neutral and GREEN is EARTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Has everything changed without my knowledge.This is a serious situation this guy could be in and this is a serious question from me so no funny stuff please.There could be somebody's life at stake

The new(ish) "harmonised" colours over most of the world are Brown-live, Blue-neutral, Green/Yellow stripe-earth.

 

Thailand uses the US NEC code, Black-live, White-neutral, Green-earth although they are (at least theoretically) changing to the harmonised colours.

 

A lot of the 3-core I've bought has black, white and red, and yes, I've used red for ground.

 

EDIT UK rule, you can use any colour wire you like as ground (oversleeve green/yellow at the ends if you like) but you NEVER use green/yellow as anything other than ground.

 

[biplanebluey]

10 minutes ago, Crossy said:

The new(ish) "harmonised" colours over most of the world are Brown-live, Blue-neutral, Green/Yellow stripe-earth.

 

Thailand uses the US NEC code, Black-live, White-neutral, Green-earth although they are (at least theoretically) changing to the harmonised colours.

 

A lot of the 3-core I've bought has black, white and red, and yes, I've used red for ground.

Wouldn't it be nice if the whole world could get agreed on a same colour scheme.OK i have used the "Harmonised" colours and they were not too difficult to remember.The thai colours seem somewhat similar especially the Green earth.but man when you throw in a completely different one with Black,White and Red this sounds like a deliberate attempt to confuse.After all surely it does not cost the manufacturer more expense for any particular colour so for the simple soul like me what's the point of continual changing.Sorry but I am getting away from the OP but I feel that something as serious as this should not be learned by someone else killing themselves over such a simply done mistake

[Crossy]

7 hours ago, biplanebluey said:

OP but I feel that something as serious as this should not be learned by someone else killing themselves over such a simply done mistake

The guys who did our gates used red-live, black-neutral and white-ground, which I learned when I got a "nip" off the "ground".

 

[biplanebluey]

2 minutes ago, Crossy said:

The guys who did our gates used red-live, black-neutral and white-ground, which I learned when I got a "nip" off the "ground".

 

OK I give in---but thanks for your info

[r136dg]

13 hours ago, Crossy said:

EDIT UK rule, you can use any colour wire you like as ground (oversleeve green/yellow at the ends if you like) but you NEVER use green/yellow as anything other than ground.

 

I took some basic college electrical courses (in the US) back in 2010. "Harmonised" was black, white & green wich is what I wired our house here in. I seem to recall you could use another color in a pinch; but, it had to be taped with the color it truly represented at its beginning & end. So someone (trained) seeing a white wire with black tape on it knew it was live.

Probably something about that in the NEC, but that book changes rapidly. 

[JohnMc45]

Black, Red, White is the standard color code for North American so called split phase 220v  Black and Red are both live at 110v and white is Neutral