Can MY water heater kill ME?
Discover the hidden dangers of water heaters. Learn how to protect your home and loved ones from potential hazards. Stay informed and safe!
The importance of conducting electrical safety checks on water heaters to prevent accidents
- Regular safety checks, including proper earthing, can prevent deadly electrocution accidents caused by energised metallic parts during showers.
- A faulty RCCB or missing earthing can result in life-threatening electric shocks, particularly when metallic parts of the heater become energised during use.
- Ensure your water heater wiring is properly earthed – energised metallic parts during a shower could prove fatal.
- Correct electrical connections, a functioning RCCB, and effective earthing save lives – avoid energised metallic parts by checking your water heater’s safety today.
- Don’t wait for an accident – inspect your water heater’s earthing and RCCB now to prevent electric shocks during showers.
- A minor electrical fault, ineffective earthing, or faulty RCCB in your water heater can have fatal consequences, especially if the metallic parts are energised during a shower.
- Prevent tragedy by ensuring your water heater is properly earthed and installed safely by a licensed professional, not an unlicensed handyman.
- Electrical safety checks, including earthing and a functional RCCB, are essential to preventing electrocution in showers from energised metallic parts.
- Faulty wiring, missing bonding, or an absent RCCB in water heaters, particularly when installed by an unlicensed handyman, has caused tragic accidents – don’t take the risk.
- A regular inspection, including checking the earthing and RCCB, could protect your family from a dangerous accident, especially during showers.
- Ensure your water heater is earthed and protected with a functioning RCCB to avoid accidents involving energised metallic parts during showers.
- Stay safe – improper water heater installations by unlicensed handymen, missing bonding, faulty earthing, and bypassed RCCBs have caused fatal electric shocks during showers.
- Lives have been lost due to unsafe water heater installations by unlicensed handymen, ineffective earthing, and energised metallic parts – check yours today.
- Simple safety checks, including verifying earthing and a working RCCB, can prevent deadly water heater malfunctions, particularly during showers.
- Don’t wait for a warning – check your water heater’s electrical safety, earthing, and RCCB today to avoid accidents during showers.
- Correct wiring, earthing, and bonding in your water heater system are critical to preventing accidents from energised metallic parts.
- Prevent future tragedies by ensuring your water heater has effective earthing, bonding, and a compliant RCCB – and is not installed by an unlicensed handyman.
- Safety first – ensure your water heater’s earthing and bonding are effective to avoid hidden dangers, especially if it was installed by an unlicensed person.
- Electrical faults, missing bonding, and ineffective earthing in water heaters can cause fatal electrocution during showers – take action now.
- Is your water heater safe? A quick check, including earthing, RCCB, and bonding, can prevent a devastating accident involving energised metallic parts during a shower.
Recent fatal incidents due to unsafe water heater installation
Elderly couple and son died after water heater installed in unsafe manner: Coroner’s inquiry
The heater should have been directly connected to a double-pole switch instead of a wall plug.
Final Outcome:The residual current circuit breaker (RCCB) did not protect the main electricity circuit for the whole unit.
Improper heater wiring found to have caused 15-year-old boy’s death while showering
His hand came into contact with an electrically energised metallic shower outlet hose that was attached to a water heater.
Final Outcome:It was found that the cable connecting the neutral and earth terminals in the plug was loose, and the neutral and earth cables had melted and fused together. Reference from here.
18-year-old dies after getting electrocuted during shower at Hougang flat
He was taking his usual shower in the evening when, suddenly, he started screaming.
Final Outcome:He sustained a fatal shock when he touched the energised hose that was attached to a water heater. There was a also a fault in the residual current circuit breaker (RCCB). Reference from here.
Mum electrocuted to death in shower after water heater malfunctioned
The mother had collapsed after being electrocuted and it was only her daughter’s crying that caught the attention of their neighbours.
Final Outcome:Investigations revealed that the incident happened because the electric heater was poorly installed, as well as the deceased’s own negligence.
Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on cases of injury and death by electrocution that have taken place in HDB flats over the past 10 years
From 2014 to end-2021, there have been four separate electrocution incidents taking place in HDB flats, involving five deaths and one injury.
Final Outcome:Flats built before 1985, which make up about 30% of HDB housing, initially used fuses but have largely been updated with Residual Current Circuit Breakers (RCCBs) during renovations. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) regulates electrical safety, requiring licensed workers for installations and inspections to ensure compliance with safety standards.
Always look out for this licenses when engaging an electrician
Safety tips on water heaters
Water heaters offer great convenience and benefits to households. They come in a variety of sizes and designs to suit different household needs. With the ability to provide a constant supply of hot water, water heaters provide improved comfort and convenience for daily activities such as showers, dishwashing, and laundry.
Follow these safety tips to help protect against potential safety hazards from your water heater.
Look for the SAFETY Mark
Instantaneous and storage electric water heaters are classified as Controlled Goods under the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) Registration Scheme and are therefore required to bear the SAFETY Mark before they can be sold in Singapore.
Check that the electric water heater carries the SAFETY Mark before purchase. The SAFETY Mark indicates that a Controlled Good has been tested to and conforms to specified safety standards and carries a unique certification number traceable to the supplier.
To check the validity of the SAFETY Mark on your water heater, search for the SAFETY Mark number via our Register of Registered Controlled Goods.
Ensure the water heater is properly installed
Hire a licensed electrical worker (LEW) to ensure the water heater is properly wired during installation.
A water heater should not be connected to a 3-pin socket outlet because it typically draws an amount of current exceeding what a typical 3-pin socket outlet is rated for. It should be directly wired to the electrical mains, through a double pole switch for switching the water heater ON and OFF.
Affordable electrical package to choose for your home
Safeguard your home and loved ones with our comprehensive package. Learn essential strategies to identify and mitigate potential hazards, ensuring a safer environment for everyone.
$50
Basic (HDB)
- Earth connection test
- Connection to RCCB
- Cable specifications compliance
- Cable connection compliance
- Heater switch fault
- Earth bonding
$150
Basic Plus (HDB)
- As Basic
- Earthing resistance from heater to DB
- Megger test for heater circuit only
$550
HDB/Condo
$1250
Landed
- As Basic Plus included but extend to more than heater circuits
- Megger test extend to all circuits
- Earth connection test extend to all circuits