Electric Shock From The Shower
- How urgent
- Emergency
- Who fixes it
- An electrician
Key takeaways
- A single tingle from a shower counts. Do not test it again "to see if it repeats".
- Leave the shower, bath and taps unused until an electrician has tested them. Call an emergency electrician; call 999 if anyone is hurt.
- Tradehand guide prices: an emergency electrician, fault finding, shower installation and an EICR are priced on survey.
Why am I getting an electric shock from my shower?
A shock from a shower means current has reached the shower unit, its metal parts, the pipework or the water while you were touching it. The usual causes:
- A fault inside an electric shower: a failed heating element, a burnt terminal block, or a cracked case letting water reach live parts
- A loose earth or damaged cable at the unit or at the shower's isolator switch
- Missing or broken bonding on the metal pipework
- Pipework that is live from somewhere else, so the taps or a radiator may be live too
The feeling does not prove the shower element has failed. Wet, bare skin makes even a small fault current noticeable, which is exactly why a shower tingle is treated as an emergency.
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Is an electric shock from a shower dangerous?
Yes. In a shower you are wet, usually barefoot and standing on a wet tray or wet-room floor, which is the worst case for an electric shock. Do not use it again to check. Call 999 if someone is unconscious or not breathing normally, and do not touch them while they are still in contact with the water or the controls. If the person seems fine, still get a medical assessment: Electrical Safety First notes that injury from an electric shock, including a disturbed heart rhythm, may not show straight away.
What should I do right now?
- 1Get everyone out of the shower and keep them out of the bathroom.
- 2Do not touch the shower controls, taps or metal pipework again.
- 3Call an emergency electrician.
- 4Tell them: electric or mixer shower, whether the water was running, whether the taps or radiators also tingle, and whether anyone is hurt.
Electric shower or mixer shower: does it change anything?
Yes. It changes where the electrician looks first, not what you do now.
| Shower type | Where the electricity is | Most likely shock path | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric shower | A heating element inside the unit, on its own high-current circuit with an isolator switch | Water inside the unit, failed element, burnt terminals, loose earth at the unit | Stop using it; call an electrician |
| Mixer shower (fed by boiler or cylinder) | No mains electrics in the shower itself | Live pipework or a bonding or supply fault elsewhere in the house | Stop using it and the taps; call an electrician |
| Power shower (mixer with a pump) | A pump, usually on a spur or plug | Pump fault, damaged supply to the pump, or live pipework | Stop using it; leave the pump off; call an electrician |
A mixer shower that shocks you is a strong sign the pipework itself is live, which is the same situation as an electric shock from a tap or a shock from a radiator. Treat them together.
Should the RCD have tripped?
Not in every case. An RCD limits many shocks, but it does not operate for every fault. An RCD that stayed on during a shower shock is something to tell the electrician, not reassurance.
Can I fix a shower that is giving electric shocks?
No. Do not open the shower unit, its isolator or the consumer unit. Shower circuits are high-current, the fault may be on the supply rather than in the shower, and in England any addition or alteration to a circuit within the special location around a bath or shower, and any new shower circuit, is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. A registered electrician can self-certify it; a DIY repair cannot.
What will the electrician actually do?
- Prove the shower circuit dead before touching anything
- Test insulation resistance, earth continuity and the RCD on the shower circuit
- Inspect the shower unit, its cable, terminals and isolator for water ingress or burning
- Test the pipework and bonding, because a mixer can be live through the pipes
- Check whether the supply earth is sound, and report a suspected network fault to the distribution network operator
- Repair the fault the tests identify, or recommend replacing the unit, and retest before anyone uses the shower
Ask what they found and which tests they did. If the shower is replaced, ask whether it is like-for-like on the existing circuit or needs a new circuit, because a new circuit is notifiable.
What does it usually cost?
Tradehand's guide prices for this work:
| Job | How it is priced |
|---|---|
| Emergency electrician | Priced on survey |
| Electrical fault finding | Priced on survey |
| Shower installation (if the unit needs replacing) | Priced on survey |
| EICR (whole-house check afterwards) | Priced on survey |
Time and day, travel and any minimum call-out fee all affect an emergency call-out. Get a fixed Instant Quote for your postcode before you book: get a price.
How do you get an Instant Quote on Tradehand?
Describe what happened: electric or mixer shower, tingle or full shock, whether the taps also tingle, whether the power is now off. Tradehand prices it from local rates and puts you with one local electrician; your details stay with that business, and the quote is free for homeowners. Before you book, read how to check an electrician is qualified, or browse electricians near you.
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FAQs
I only felt a slight tingle from the shower once. Do I still stop?
Is a shock from the shower the same as a shock from the tap?
Can I keep using a mixer shower if the electric shower is the one that shocked me?
Why didn't my RCD trip when the shower shocked me?
My electric shower stopped working after the shock. Is that the same problem?
Sources
- IET: Part P (England and Wales) FAQs, notifiable work
- GOV.UK: Approved Document P, electrical safety in dwellings
- Electrical Safety First: first aid for electric shock
- St John Ambulance: electric shock
- HSE: Electrical injuries
- HSE: Electricity, work using electrically powered equipment (RCD)
- HSE: Electricity
- Tradehand: Emergency electrician cost
- Tradehand: Electrical fault finding cost
- Tradehand: Shower installation cost
- Tradehand: EICR cost
- Tradehand: Instant quotes from local tradespeople
Before you book, read how to check an electrician is qualified.
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