Safety for Electric Shower Water Heater installation in Indonesia

Abstract

Death casualties due to electrocution when showering using electric shower water heater (ESWH) have been reported. The cases included the use of either water heater with storage system or the instantaneous water heater. There are three factors that may contribute to the event, namely, the improper installation including the grounding and wiring systems, the equipment factor, and the human error. The first two factors are the most dominant. This paper presents scenarios when one may experience an electrocution during showering, the current safety regulations in Indonesia regarding the installation of the electric shower water heater, and the mitigations to avoid casualties. The additional of ELCB (Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker) may increase the safety factor as it protects the user from an electrical shock in shorter duration than the common Main Circuit Breaker (MCB). A successful ELCB depends also on the correct installation of protection earth wiring and grounding.