Hi. Yesterday I got electrocuted when getting out of one of those inflatable Lay-Z Spas and had to go to hospital. I am fine, thank goodness, but I am now trying to address this with Bestway who manufacture these products. They asked me to take photos of the set up I had (plugged directly in to a mains socket, as they advise) and said that they will need to test the socket, so it got me thinking...I fed the lead in to my kitchen and plugged it in to one of the sockets there and there was no indication of voltage in the water when I used my voltstick. When I plugged it back in to my conservatory socket where it had always been however, the voltstick lit up! I have recently moved in to my house and now that I have been here a few months I have started to realise that the painter/decorator who lived here before fancied himself as a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. I think he built the conservatory himself and now also think he wired it himself, as that socket causes my spa water to be electrified!
Where I am more confused though, is that Bestway state that their spas have built-in RCDs that will cut power in the event that water becomes electrified and also if there is some sort of power fault. So even though I seem to have a faulty socket, should the RCD still have prevented the water electrocuting me? I just wanted some professional advice before taking this further, as I can see them trying to use the socket fault as a way to wriggle out of responsibility, or maybe they would be justified in doing so? I just have no idea - any insight is greatly appreciated.
UPDATE: They have sent me an email with the following:
"All of our Lay-Z-Spa comes with an RCD either built into the pump, the cable or the plug which is a safety device which is designed to prevent you from getting a harmful electric shock. You can read more about RCDs at this link. The RCD that we use in our spas is very sensitive – 10 mA cut out which eliminates the risk of a harmful electric shock.
For Lay-Z-Spas made in 2016 and 2017 the pump includes a grounding system, which is double insulated and links all of the electrical parts of the pump directly to the grounding of the electrical system of the house (known as a class I electrical product). The spa therefore relies on the earthing arrangements that you have in the property (and the electrical socket you are using) are up to the required standard.
We would like to arrange to send you a plug-in socket tester. This will provide some indication on the status of the plug being used."
Where I am more confused though, is that Bestway state that their spas have built-in RCDs that will cut power in the event that water becomes electrified and also if there is some sort of power fault. So even though I seem to have a faulty socket, should the RCD still have prevented the water electrocuting me? I just wanted some professional advice before taking this further, as I can see them trying to use the socket fault as a way to wriggle out of responsibility, or maybe they would be justified in doing so? I just have no idea - any insight is greatly appreciated.
UPDATE: They have sent me an email with the following:
"All of our Lay-Z-Spa comes with an RCD either built into the pump, the cable or the plug which is a safety device which is designed to prevent you from getting a harmful electric shock. You can read more about RCDs at this link. The RCD that we use in our spas is very sensitive – 10 mA cut out which eliminates the risk of a harmful electric shock.
For Lay-Z-Spas made in 2016 and 2017 the pump includes a grounding system, which is double insulated and links all of the electrical parts of the pump directly to the grounding of the electrical system of the house (known as a class I electrical product). The spa therefore relies on the earthing arrangements that you have in the property (and the electrical socket you are using) are up to the required standard.
We would like to arrange to send you a plug-in socket tester. This will provide some indication on the status of the plug being used."
