How did this not go bang?

[South Spark]

Called to a house where customer's were getting electric shocks from their dishwasher and radio in the kitchen.

Went through the usual steps l, assuming it was an absence of CPC and a bit of earth leakage from the appliances.

After a few frustrating hours pulled this beauty out of the kitchen ceiling. Somehow the nail had disconnected the earth going back to the MET and then bridged line and the CPC on the rest of the radial , all without tripping the MCB or RCD.

 

[Vortigern]

Well maybe it did when the nail went through and someone switched it on again thinking nothing of it! Maybe the person had left the house and later someone noticed the sockets were not working. Then the next day someone got a shock not connecting any of these events???? That is given that the cpc was disconnected to the supply side so why would anything go bang after that?

 

[static zap]

Radials vs RFC .... !
add a few DIYers , more close shaves.

 

[Megawatt]

Radials vs RFC .... !
add a few DIYers , more close shaves.

I’ll say this, that is a long --- nail cut the equipment ground and that’s why the shock on that circuit

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Yes, RFC would have prevented that hazard. Free high integrity CPC with every circuit.

 

[marconi]

Re#5: Before we had our home adapted for my disabled wife we had a not much used conservatory with its sockets provided from an extended downstairs ring from the dining room - all good.

When the conservatory was converted into a kitchen it had its own new rings (2 off). I asked my electricians to connect up the ends of the extended downstairs ring to preserve it - they forgot and my wife then quickly arranged wooden flooring to be laid over everything. I still grieve having 2 radials for the downstair's sockets instead of one ring. :-(

 

[South Spark]

Yes, RFC would have prevented that hazard. Free high integrity CPC with every circuit.

It was an RFC at one point by the look of it. The place has been properly hacked about.

(Now on a 20A MCB as a radial of course).