Always happens with me

(and all others I've been in the shower with )

Triple j doctor Carl question,

It would be a bit strange that every house he's showed at has an earthing problem.
How many would that be by the way?
Just to give us a statistical idea of the odds involved.

I used to be sensitive to anything near the bridge of my nose, even with eyes closed, it would give me a slight ache there. I couldn't wear sunglasses for years. Maybe you have a variation of this phenomenon.

Dr Karl has a stock answer for this, it will go along the lines of how we wire our houses in Aus.

I can't remember the details exactly but I think it has to do with our earth and neutral being tied together?

Usually the question is with regards to tingling when touching the taps. these days I just change the channel when Dr Karl comes on...

When I was a child I used to get a fairly noticeable tingle if I touched the taps a certain way. Can't remember exactly how. At the two houses I have lived in since, no problem. It is definitely electricity through earthing I believe.

I also experience the same phenomonon when I shower.
In australia the neutral is bonded to the water pipes and an earth rod. Copper slowly corrodes in the ground and a form of scale builds up on the outside. This is insulative hence the need to bond to an earth rod but if the earth around the rod dries out the current/voltage returns via the neutral back to the transformer to complete the circuit(or goes to earth via the neighbours earth) the only other path is via a good earth which drains are because they are wet. So return voltage/current finds the path of least resistance be it your neighbours system or your drain in your shower. In fact your shower drain might be the return for your whole street

longwinded said..
Psychosomatic? Did you knock yourself silly in the shower that caused bleeding in the mouth when a young child?

Have no clue how to take that reply or how to follow up. After reading several area's regarding psychosomatic I am fairly sure my frame of mind is intact and rational and have minimal underlying issues that I fail to grasp.

Knock myself silly-no(well I think no - your post has no contrast), bleeding of the mouth-no. Ummmm your post tops everything wtf I have read in the last year and I spend above normal time on the net and even read almost every post in heavy.

youngbull said..

longwinded said..
Psychosomatic? Did you knock yourself silly in the shower that caused bleeding in the mouth when a young child?

Have no clue how to take that reply or how to follow up. After reading several area's regarding psychosomatic I am fairly sure my frame of mind is intact and rational and have minimal underlying issues that I fail to grasp.

Knock myself silly-no(well I think no - your post has no contrast), bleeding of the mouth-no. Ummmm your post tops everything wtf I have read in the last year and I spend above normal time on the net and even read almost every post in heavy.

I think you are overthinking his reply.

It's definitely electrical and it's to do with the earthing, but it is not a defect in anything. It's just the way the system works.

Earth potential is not the same at every square meter of the planet, or local area for that matter.
The electrical system is only earthed at one point for each house or switchboard.
The earth and neutral lines are joined together at the switchboard and then the earth line is taken to a single earth peg driven into the ground near a water service tap, and also connected to your copper water pipe at that point.
That is the earth reference point for your house and the whole area around your house.

When you stand in the shower, your wet feet make an excellent connection with the floor, which is earth potential at a point different than the point of the earth stake. The shower head is exactly the same potential as the earth stake because it is physically connect to the earth stake by a wire at that point and conducted to the shower head by the copper pipes, assuming the pipes are still copper pipes and not the new plastic ones.

The voltage difference is very small, maybe only a volt or two, but your head is very sensitive to that sort of thing.
The small voltage makes the muscles in your eyes pulse at the 50hz mains frequency, which makes your eyes flicker.
The effect will be more or less depending on how much the earth voltage differs between the earth point and the shower floor.

If you have small cuts on your fingers and happen to lightly touch the tap or shower head with the cut part first, you can get quite a sharp tingle.
That's because the cut bypasses the high skin resistance (around 250K ohms) and so even though the voltage is very low, the cut allows a direct path into your finger which makes the effect very noticeable.

And no,... a tin foil hat will not fix it.

kiteboy dave said...

cauncy said..
Triple j doctor Carl question,

Likely Dr Karl answer:

1. err not sure
2. likely earthing issue
3. see a doctor if symptoms persist

4. Make quick reference to ball lightning.

Here in the U.S. there are/were similar problems with "earthing", we call it "grounding" here, but many states and cities now require a different way of grounding the electrical system in new construction. The system is now tied to the steel reinforcement that runs thru the house foundation, all the way around the perimeter, before the concrete is poured, there is no longer a connection to the water plumbing, and/or a single rod driven into the ground. That way the entire house is grounded much more effectively and you won't get minor shocks from your water fixtures.
Qualifier, I build houses for a living,,,,,,,,,,, when I'm working and not playing.

Alien probe for sure.

They are stealing your thoughts everytime you shower.

Stop showering as your giving them vital information

Stop touching the shower head.Simple!

When I was a child yes, used a chair. Now not a common thing but I guess curiosity.

Pitbull said...
Stop touching the shower head.Simple!

Stop stroking the head in the shower