The human body is very susceptible to a variety of blows, especially those that he receives unexpectedly. Unpleasant moments can be delivered not only by people, but also by objects from which this is not typical to expect. Household appliances are usually designed to create comfort and coziness in the house, and even if all the standards that require the safety of household appliances are met, under some circumstances they begin to “fight”. The walls of household appliances used in the kitchen or in the bath suddenly, for some reason, begin to pass current, due to which the owners of these appliances may begin to feel a slight tingling sensation.
Technique began to beat with current. Albeit not very much, but still unpleasant. A similar malfunction can occur with machines that are installed in rooms with high humidity, with older models, and even with new ones installed in a dry room. It is at such moments that the question arises: “Why is the machine beating with current?”
Where the fault is hiding
One of the main reasons for this situation is the illiterate installation of devices or their incorrectgrounding. If these measures were performed incorrectly, this can lead to a violation of the electrical safety of the equipment in operation and to penetration of its surface. It should be noted that according to the current technical standards, it is forbidden to use pipes connected to the water supply in the form of grounding elements.
If everything is in order with the equipment
Even serviceable household appliances are capable of inflicting an unexpected blow to their owner when connected to a two-wire line. The reason for this behavior and the answer to the question of why the machine beats with current is the built-in surge protector, which is located at the power input.
This design consists of two capacitors having a common point on the walls of the equipment:
- first connects phase wire and body;
- second - neutral wire and housing.
Modern manufacturers believe that their users use only three-wire electrical networks with a separate protective conductor when switching on. In such a case, nothing bad can happen, and the received 110 volts go to the protective neutral wire without any problems. But in reality, two-wire lines are mainly used. It is because of them that you can get a short-term, but very painful discharge from any household appliances with an unsuccessful touch.
The force of impact is increasing
This problem is not solved by disconnecting the common wire of the input filter from the housing. Of course it will reducethe possibility of a strike, but, unfortunately, not by much. This is due to the fact that the insulation of any wires that are located inside the equipment wears out over time, which leads to the fact that the "phase" will be on the wall of the unit. In the early stages, such blows will not bother you too much, but over time they will gain strength, and as a result, you can get a blow of 220 volts. Owners of "home assistants" installed in bathrooms fall into a special danger zone.
Replace old wiring
Worn-out insulation can pose a direct threat to human life. That is why, when deciding how to connect a washing machine, it must be borne in mind that it should be included in the additional potential equalization system of the bathroom. Pipelines with hot and cold water, a metal bath, a washing machine, a ventilation duct - all these items need to have a reliable electrical connection between them. If these conditions have been met, then simultaneous contact with two structures that are conductive will not pose a threat to your life.
What else to do
But for complete safety, it is necessary to take into account the fact that there is another chain: gender-man-corps of equipment. There are two ways to prevent such a situation: grounding the washing machine or installing an RCD in the power circuit. You can combine both methods.
What not to do
When performing grounding, sometimes there are some difficulties. Asearthing conductors cannot be used with water pipes. It is also prohibited without a re-grounding device to connect the zero protective and zero working conductors. If you have a two-wire network, there is still hope that the housing at the access electrical panel will be grounded. If this is not the case, then grounding cannot be done. Information on the condition of the switchboards located in the entrances can be obtained from the ZhEK, HOA or other organization providing maintenance services to your home.
General recommendations
To eliminate the reasons why the washing machine beats with current, you must:
- When operating a three-wire line, check the continuity of the protective earth circuit used. To do this, you need to check with a multimeter whether there is voltage between the phase and the walls of the unit.
- When using a two-wire line, you can organize a potential equalization system and grounding for the device.
- If it is not possible to make grounding, it is still necessary to organize a potential equalization system, and include an RCD rated for no more than 30mA in the device circuit.
Before applying these methods, make sure that the unit is in good condition, because if the insulation is erased in it and the phase hits the wall, these methods will be ineffective, and the installed RCD will simply not allow the machine to work. Therefore, in the event of a sudden appearance of shocks from household appliances, first of all, carefully inspect it for malfunctions.
Don't forget to check the work of other components
Also, this device starts to beat with current when one of the devices grounded on the body of the product breaks. And if you suddenly feel that your machine has started to “fight”, you will need to check the following devices:
- heater (heater);
- engine;
- pump (rare);
- network filter;
- command apparatus (rare)
Trying to figure out why the machine is beating with current, you can try to swap the phase and zero, which will require you to put the power plug in the outlet in a different way. Often, this option gives a result, especially in cases where the insulation of one of the wires relative to the load has been broken (if the wire is zero, then you will not feel anything, and if the phase, then you risk getting hit).
The same measures are recommended to be carried out when it is noticed that your dishwasher is beating with current.
It must be remembered that heating pipes cannot be used when grounding a washing machine. It is also strictly forbidden to take a bath at the moment when the washing process is in progress - it is life-threatening.
If you find that during the operation of the unit it began to "fight", turn off the power to the device and check for damage to the ground wire. If you find a defect or a break, then the question of why the machine is beating with current disappears by itself, and you can fix this problem yourself. If you don't have the necessaryknowledge in the field of electrics, it is not recommended to carry out repair work on your own, as this can lead to a critical breakdown of equipment and harm your he alth.
