Test water heater circuit breakers

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG

PETALING JAYA: Home owners and tenants have been advised to test the automatic circuit breaker switches in their homes after a pharmacist was believed to have been electrocuted recently while using a water heater.

Consumers must also ensure that the automatic circuit breaker sensitivity does not exceed the current strength of 100mA (milliampere) or 0.1A and is tested at least once a month to ensure it works properly.

“The automatic circuit breaker switches found in the electrical case in your home are to protect you and your family from the dangers of electric shock,” the Energy Commission said in an e-mail in response to the mishap.

Pharmacist D. Anitha, 27, is believed to have been electrocuted in the shower at her home in Segamat, Johor, on Aug 12. A water heater was used.

A simple way to test the automatic circuit breaker is to switch it on by pressing the test button (marked “T”) and it should trip when pressed.

The switch can be restored to its original position.

“If the automatic circuit breaker switch does not trip after the test button is pressed, you should immediately consult a registered electrical contractor for inspection and replacement of the device,” said the commission.

It also said that if an electric water heater was installed in the bathroom, users must make sure that the automatic circuit breaker switch had a sensitivity not exceeding 10mA or 0.01A on the water heater circuit.

The commission said Anitha’s case was still being investigated.

So far, only one case of electrocution from water heater had been reported to the commission this year and one last year, the commission said in the e-mail.

Last September, a Japanese couple were electrocuted by a faulty water heater in their apartment in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

The husband, a factory manager, and his wife, both 38, lived in Malaysia with their young son.