Next steps for resolving unwanted voltage
Homeowner here with a 2 storey house with bathrooms (inc shower) directly above one another. Issue has been happening for over a year. (1 x bathroom renovated approx 10 years ago, the other 25 years ago)
We have had 2 separate companies out (ie 2 electricians at each so 4 x brains looking at it) to investigate why our shower drain has a current of around 19v. Another shower drain 1m away reads around 9v and poking their multimeter through sealant at the edge of the shower (ie touching the tilebed) reads somewhere in between depending where exactly they test.
This same pattern happens in the bathroom directly below.
Energex came out and tested with their low impedance multimeter and found 4.5v max which is below statutory regulations so he basically said "not my problem, go back to your contractor". Problem is, both contractors said that even though its less than regulations, they still wouldn't be getting in the shower.
Neither of the contractors that we've had out have been able to figure out what's going on, they've:
- tested earths to the nth degree
- it doesn't seem tied to one specific circuit (as they turn circuits off, the voltage drops gradually)
- upgraded everything to safety switches to see if the extra sensitivity trips anything (we still don't have any circuits tripping intermittently)
- Fault tested every socket in the house
And both contractors have basically had to give up.
What would my next steps be to try and get this resolved? A few other contractors Ive spoken to have said "they'll get back to me" after i describe the situation and never do - i assume it just gets put in the too-hard basket and they'd rather just do straightforward jobs.
Every contractor out there seems to say they 'specialise' in fault finding, is there a slightly different trade that I need to look for?
Even if we ripped both bathrooms apart and treated it as an excuse to renovate, I would hate to do all that without knowing what is causing the voltage and still have the same issue after a renovation!