A shocking experience...

So, I'm making some beef stroganoff on the stovetop when all of a sudden I get zapped. Awesome...

I have electric burners and was cooking in a stainless steel pan using a stainless steel dining spoon.

It was in simmering stage and I went over to give a stir.


ZAP!!!

LOL...WTF???

The pan was on the front right burner.

In my left hand was the stainless steel lid I was using to cover the pan.

In my right hand was the stainless steel spoon I was using to stir.

As I was stirring, the spoon touched the bottom of the pan as I was scraping some cheesy goodness off the bottom.

Without thinking I lowered the lid of the pan and accidentally touched it to the left burner.

In order to rule out my brain playing tricks, I was able to replicate the effect. Then I started getting a kick out of it and shocked myself a few times for fun. Don't ask...

I'm assuming this is NOT normal oven behavior.

I'm about to give my landlord a call and would like to get my story straight before I do. What the hell is the problem here? Worn insulation in the coils? Bad oven ground? How can it be fixed? The ovens old as dirt, no self clean and the timer is busted, but generally works pretty good.

I'd like a new one, he owes me. It was the last thing in the place that didn't get updated. Is there any way I can drum up some nonsense in order to convince him it needs to go?

Thanks for anyone willing to help.

a reply to: eisegesis

Being electrocuted like that can cause serious heart palpitations. RIP.

Gas stove .. far more efficient and food tastes better cooked over gas ..
Ask any professional chef .. they will tell you the same thing .. its what they use in all the top restaraunts worldwide ..

originally posted by: eisegesis

In order to rule out my brain playing tricks, I was able to replicate the effect. Then I started getting a kick out of it and shocked myself a few times for fun. Don't ask...

I'm assuming this is NOT normal oven behavior.

I'm about to give my landlord a call and would like to get my story straight before I do. What the hell is the problem here? Worn insulation on the coils? Bad oven ground? How can it be fixed? The ovens old as dirt, no self clean and the timer is busted, but generally works pretty good.

I'd like a new one, he owes me. It was the last thing in the place that didn't get updated. Is there any way I can drum up some nonsense in order to convince him it needs to go?

Thanks for anyone willing to help.

The burners need an electrical ground. When you got shocked you were the electrical ground. Were you bare footed? Try it with rubber soled shoes on.

Coils don't have insulation, they are very bad conductors, that's why they get hot.

originally posted by: eisegesis

In order to rule out my brain playing tricks, I was able to replicate the effect. Then I started getting a kick out of it and shocked myself a few times for fun. Don't ask...

I'm assuming this is NOT normal oven behavior.

If the landlord thinks you are enjoying getting zapped, he may put the rent up and keep the stove as a 'feature'
lol.

But seriously, when your appliances are trying to kill you its deffo time to call in the landlord.
I've never heard of this problem before and it could be dangerous (as well as being fun!)
Explain that it'd be just awful if you died as a result of his negligence and hand him a pot and a spoon and ask him if he would like to try it out for himself. Most people don't like tazering themselves so he will probably just get you a new one!

How did your meal turn out BTW?
Was it revolting!

a reply to: eisegesis

Electrocuted means you died. In this case you suffered Electric shock and sounds like you were lucky. before you operate any more electrical circuits make sure your switch board is fitted with RCD protection


en.wikipedia.org...

A residual-current device (RCD), or residual-current circuit breaker (RCCB) is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit whenever it detects that the electric current is not balanced between the energized (line) conductor(s) and the return (neutral) conductor. In normal circumstances, these two wires are expected to carry matching currents, and any difference usually indicates a short circuit or other electrical anomaly is present. Even a small leakage current can mean a risk of harm or death due to electric shock if the leaking electric current passes through a human being; a current of around 30mA (0.030 Amps) is potentially sufficient to cause cardiac arrest or serious harm if it persists for more than a small fraction of a second. RCCBs are designed to disconnect the conducting wires quickly enough to prevent serious injury from such shocks. (This is commonly described as the RCD being "tripped".) Injury may still occur in some cases, for example if a person falls after receiving a shock.

I'd say the stove needs to be looked at. That shouldn't be happening. The burner prongs or the receiver that feeds it may be loose or corroded on one side. You should never get a shock like you had if things were working properly.

a reply to: HumansEh

If the landlord thinks you are enjoying getting zapped, he may put the rent up and keep the stove as a 'feature'

Dude, warn me before comments like that. I've already had to clean beer out of my computer once before!!!

I'm guessing the right burner is positive and the left is acting as a negative(ground). Put me in the middle with stainless steel appendages and my stroganoff becomes electrifying. I think the coils are insulated and have worn down over time. Not sure though.

a reply to: AthlonSavage

The title has been changed.

Thanks for reminding me that I'm still alive.

a reply to: eisegesis

Sounds like the stove isn't grounded.

In my left hand was the stainless steel lid I was using to cover the pan.

In my right hand was the stainless steel spoon I was using to stir.

Worst way to be electrocuted is creating a pathway of current across your chest. By holding the steel lid in your left hand and the stainless steel spoon in your right hand, the current might have passed across your chest which can cause your heart to miss a beat. I would explain this to your landlord and tell him what happened. I don't think he wants to risk having a major law suit on his hands when replacing the stove would be a much cheaper option.

a reply to: Semicollegiate

Coils don't have insulation, they are very bad conductors, that's why they get hot.

Not according to this guy...

Why Don't You Get Electrocuted Touching a Stove Burner?

inside the dark metal coiled heating element on an electric stove there is an electrical resistance wire that connects the electrical contacts and gets hot when electricity flows through it. that is similar to the filament of a light bulb or the heating wire in a toaster only here the resistance wire is much larger. this resistance wire is totally surrounded by an electrically insulating material that conducts heat well (it is not thermally insulating), this is then surrounded by a durable metal tube that gets hot and you set your pans on. no electricity to the outside, only heat (if things aren't broken).

a reply to: eisegesis
G,day mate several comments come to mind
it must have been shocking
you,de have to be a bright spark
bet you got a kick out of that
have a beer mate and thank GOD you,re still vertical

Any good thread title suggestions?

I keep changing it to be silly.

a reply to: eisegesis



Your dinner parties will be Awesome!

originally posted by: WeRpeons

Sounds like the stove isn't grounded.

Zzzzounds like it! Maybe the whole house is improperly grounded.

a reply to: eisegesis

Variants[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2012)

A glass-ceramic cooktop (2005)
The first technology used resistive heating coils which heated iron hotplates, on top of which the pots were placed.[12] This was subsequently developed into a spiral hollow steel tube that had a heating element running through the middle. The tube was wound in a spiral underneath the pan. Unlike the earlier iron hotplate the steel spiral was heated to red heat imparting more heat to the pan than the hotplate could.

In the 1970s, glass-ceramic cooktops started to appear. Glass-ceramic has very low thermal conductivity, a coefficient of thermal expansion of practically zero, but lets infrared radiation pass very well. Electrical heating coils or infrared halogen lamps are used as heating elements. Because of its physical characteristics, the cooktop heats more quickly, less afterheat remains, and only the plate heats up while the adjacent surface remains cool. Also, these cooktops have a smooth surface and are thus easier to clean, but are markedly more expensive.

A third technology—developed first for professional kitchens, but today also entering the domestic market—is induction cooking. This process has hitherto only heated ferromagnetic cookware directly through electromagnetic induction.[13] Recent developments have enabled non ferrous cookware to work as well, but not as efficiently as ferrous.[14] Induction stoves also have a smooth glass-ceramic surface.
en.wikipedia.org...

My mistake. I assumed you were using an older one. I guess old is like made on the aughts now.

The electrical ground is the important part, that might be repairable.

The induction cooker heats up the pan without getting hot itself. Nice in the summer, if you need to get a new one.

I lived in a slum of a house once and had a similar experience, except I didn't go back for seconds