why was all my water pipes conducting electricity?

further than "t" went, get a "periodic inspection report" carried out by a qualified sparks (www.niceic.org) as this is potentially fatal. Main bonding would appear to be missing, your shower shouldn`t be on a plug EVER!!, and the BS7671 wiring regs & shower manufacturers now specify 30mA RCD protection for shower circuits.
Have the work done properly. No point saving money if you`re dead.

Martyn
August 2007

why the hell is your shower fed via a plug and socket ???

ricky
August 2007

you have two serious problems
1 you have a fault with your shower/wiring
2 like t advised you need to have your earthing checked soon as poss

matty
July 2007

Have your earth bonding checked by a qualified electrician right away before some one is killed. What you describe really is that dangerous.

t
July 2007

It could be possible there could be a bare wire or a faulty switch in your shower and when it is powered on the current finds the shortest path which latches onto the water pipes and electrifies them,

Doggy2007
July 2007