Singapore Expats

I have a problem with my electrical goods. Particularly my video, dvd player & amp. I am always getting a mild shock from them. The tv & xbox are ok but I think that is because of the plastic casing. The shocking ones are the silvery metal type.

Now I know that most electrical goods in Singapore do not use the 'earth' wire so I believe it is because my set up is not earthed properly. I have tried taping some speaker wire from the casing of the video & trapping the other end down the earth terminal of the socket, but it hasn't helped.

Does anyone else suffer from this? Has anyone found a good solution?

[raises her hand] I often get that!!!

My dad just looks at me, shakes his head and asks me to put on my shoes... [I'm supposed to be used to it, by his standards...]

AC systems have a "hot" side and a "neutral" side. If you were to trace the wires out of your home, you would find that the neutral side is connected to earth. In other words, power comes from a generating station via a wire but returns via earth.

Thus, there is a polarity in all AC circuits. It is the reason that in the US one prong of the plug is larger than the other so than you cannot reverse polarity. When you use a three prong (grounded) system here, the correct polarity should also be forced.

So, if you are using a three prong plug and can feel a shock it means that the polarity is reversed somewhere. You should go to an electrical shop and buy a polarity tester to see if that is the problem.

If you are using a two prong plug, try reversing it and see what happens.

Thanks SE.

Polarity tester may be the way forward as all the appliances are connected to one another, so isolating the problem may be difficult without one & just guessing, but I may try with the VCR as that one is the worst for shocks.

I thought there must be a simple answer, much appreciated

Every year I get shocked while stringing the Christmas lights. Man, that will take all the 'religion' right out of you.

Is it just shoddy wiring? Whats the deal?

I guess it's relevant to this thread. If you purchased Rabalder 3-way socket from IKEA recently, immediately return it because it may give you electrical shock.

More info:
http://www.ikea.com.sg/media/rabalderecall1.asp

For me it is the carpeted floors..that create a static which leads to similar shocks.