Just a quick question. I don't know much about electricity, so here it goes. I got an apartment where there is no grounding. In fact, there is no grounding for the whole building. I have 110v and 220v appliances installed.
Do I need to be worried about potential electric shocks?
The apartment is on the 6th floor, so it could be really hard to install a proper grounding wire.
Any suggestion will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Ungrounded systems have existed for 100 years and still do in the USA and Europe.
The National Electrical Code in the USA still allows many systems to remain ungrounded including older systems installed before grounded systems in dwelling units became the norm.
Many areas in a home have no exposed metal piping systems or water and therefore no way to get between a hot wire and a grounded object. However, a 6 story apartment building could have a steel frame and may have other metal framing that is bonded to that (i.e. balcony handrails). These items could pose a hazard if you are in contact with an energized conductor and touch one of these grounded metal objects.
If the interior of your apartment is finished with drywall or plaster and carpet or wood floors there is very little risk of this happening.
Good luck!
It is a question of risk level.
People in the USA have lived with ungrounded circuits for decades. With care and proper maintenance you might reasonably expect to live with them without incident.
In other parts of the world, grounded circuits have been the rule for more than half a century.
There is a reason that grounded circuits are now required. That reason is mostly sufficiently large numbers of dead bodies or badly injured and incapacitated living ones.
An approved work-around in the USA is the fitting of GFCI outlets, which reduce the risk of fatal electric shock. But check local code.
