Is it normal for dryers here to only have a two-pin plug? My apartment has a heavy-duty washer/dryer combo, and I notice today I feel an electric current (like a tingle) whenever I touch the drum.
Googled it and it says it’s dangerous (I’m not shocked - pun intended), to check the grounding, etc, but with a two-pin plug I think that means it’s not grounded. Strange it’d even be made like that. It’s a Hitachi and doesn’t look that old.
Before I complain to my landlord I figured I’d ask. I had him fix plumbing just yesterday so… I don’t know what can be done if that’s how it’s made.
I think it’s pretty normal because few things here are ever properly earthed. My washing machine has a plastic case, but I get mild electric shocks from my kettle, Instant Pot, computer case, and dish drying oven. It’s quite invigorating when you get used to it, or rather when you forget about it then discover it again.
If an electric device has only two pins it normally has a green-yellow wire attached somewhere to connect it to a ground. Some people might attach it to the water pipe, bad idea.
If you’re on the ground floor you can find the earth by the meter… You will have to run wires there. Problem is you can’t find 3 conductor Romex wires in taiwan, 2 conductor wires are used for all 110 circuits. Even if there’s a ground pin you will find that nothing is connected to it.
Perhaps you can use it to charge your phone and any other rechargeable device. You see, your landlord is smart and is always thinking ahead. You’re getting two things for the price of one.
Connect the green wire to a red envelope with some money in it. Then burn the envelope with the wire attached to it while standing in a puddle with another wire attached to the green one. It will make you jump like a rabbit (year of the rabbit is coming up). It will be good luck and your fortune will be guaranteed.
Check on the sticker or label on the dryer for a simple that looks like a square within a square - this means double-insulated and doesn’t require grounding.
If you have a smartphone like an iPhone which is made of metal, does the energised feeling you have with the dryer feel like when you run your finger along the back of the iphone when it’s on charge?
If it’s double insulated, they wouldn’t be getting an electric shock from it, would they?
Besides, I can’t imagine it’s worth trying to shift a heavy-duty washer/dryer around to check the label. Even if it is double insulated, what would it tell you? “Oh okay, I must be imagining the electrocution then.”
What I think the electric shock might be is a low voltage circuit through the door to which is completed when the door is closed. In that case it would be part of the products design, similar to the way the iphone has a buzz when it’s charging.
Do you really think that’s more plausible that shoddy wiring practices in Taiwan? Like I wrote above, there are at least four appliances in my apartment that electrocute me, and I don’t think that’s a design feature for any of them…
I think it’s one and the same. The appliance shouldn’t really have that ability, it’d be a shit design to have any voltage leakage whether desirable or not. Even if your home doesn’t have proper grounding, the appliance should have necessary safeguards in place. This is why most modern electronics are double-insulated because a lot of places don’t have grounding rods etc.
Anyway, if I was concerned about it, i’d raise it with the landlord, or if the landlord is crap and likely just to shrug at it, break it to force a replacement.
I’m going on vaca tomorrow so won’t mess with it for now, but did unplug it. Will ask landlord when I get back.
I did do a quick google on grounding to a water pipe and it seems to be standard practice / an accepted practice still, so I might try that and see if it stops things.