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Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-01 12:19pm
by Archinist
Hello. When I touch the metal shower taps in the shower when they're dry, them are perfect to touch, but when I touch them while wet, they feel very raw and 'sharp'. What causes this? It has never happened with any other shower taps before. Thanks.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-01 12:29pm
by Jaepheth
If your skin feels cold and hot simultaneously it can be interpreted as searing hot.
Could also be an electric current flowing into the taps; if your skin is dry enough to prevent a circuit from forming they'd feel normal when dry but tingly when wet.
That's all I can think of.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-01 02:15pm
by Archinist
Jaepheth wrote:If your skin feels cold and hot simultaneously it can be interpreted as searing hot.
Could also be an electric current flowing into the taps; if your skin is dry enough to prevent a circuit from forming they'd feel normal when dry but tingly when wet.
That's all I can think of.
Alright. What is it called when the skin is hot and cold, if anything if you do know yourself?
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-02 08:22am
by Raw Shark
Archinist wrote:Alright. What is it called when the skin is hot and cold, if anything if you do know yourself?
I'd call it something you might want to see a doctor about, instead of consulting a bunch of people on the internet who seriously discuss things like Mr. Ed + Venom in the Fallout setting and Godzilla vs his own mass in chimpanzees.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-02 10:13am
by Esquire
Rather than a (probably) unnecessary medical visit, get a cheap current tester from your local hardware store and make sure your showerhead isn't electrified somehow. If yes, call a plumber or an electrician. Or both.
What I think Jaepeth was describing is that if your skin is cold - say, if you've just taken a shower and the water is evaporating off of you - and you touch something warm -say, a showerhead that recently had hot water flowing through it - your brain interprets the large temperature differential as HOLY CRAP THAT'S HOT, even if, objectively, it isn't.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-02 10:58am
by Korto
Oddiex on SufficientVelocity wrote:Umm. Hello. Does anyone know what the burning/raw sensation you get from metal shower taps is? It seems to only happen when they are wet, they are perfectly fine when dry. It is actually reasonably painful to touch the wet taps for even a few seconds, but it is perfectly fine if I touch them with an object. There are probably an amp;le amount of shockingly simple solutions, but I would still enjoy some decent answers grounded in reality for a little bit. Anyway, this is just a question I thought I'd zap in.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-02 12:04pm
by Esquire
If it does turn out to be a live wire, the phrasing of that post will be retroactively very funny.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-03 10:57pm
by Jaepheth
I'm talking about a museum thing I saw as a kid.
They had a double coil of copper pipe and warm water flowing through one, and cool water in the other so that every other pipe is warm or cool. The pipes are painted a red that looks hot. Touching the setup gives the temporary illusion of searing hot temperatures.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-04 05:16am
by InsaneTD
Could it be you're allergic or reacting to what ever cleaning agent you use? Using a wet hand causes it to affect your skin?
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-04 05:35am
by Iroscato
Raw Shark wrote:Archinist wrote:Alright. What is it called when the skin is hot and cold, if anything if you do know yourself?
I'd call it something you might want to see a doctor about, instead of consulting a bunch of people on the internet who seriously discuss things like Mr. Ed + Venom in the Fallout setting and Godzilla vs his own mass in chimpanzees.
Don't forget Luffy vs Mr Bean in possession of The Mask
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-11 12:34pm
by Dalton
Call an electrician and make sure your electrical system is grounded?
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-11 03:45pm
by FireNexus
That definitely sounds like a grounding issue. Some old houses have ground tied into pipes. The reason it only happens when wet would be the same reason they use the jelly with a defibrillator.
Get a multimeter and test it.
Re: Burning sensation when touching metal taps?
Posted: 2016-07-11 07:03pm
by General Zod
Have you been tested for Chlamydia? Y'know, to be sure.