This is a dangerous myth. Electricity takes all available paths, with less current flowing through the paths with greater resistance.
As far as I understand, the main reason people don’t get electrocuted even with improperly grounded shower head heaters is that (as noted in the post), tap water is generally not very conductive in the first place, so you’ve effectively got a gigantic resistor between you and the wires (assuming there’s a continuous path through the water at all). So even if the least resistance path is through you, the amount of current will be tiny due to Ohm’s law.
It's not a myth. Your second paragraph basically agrees with me and contradicts itself.
so you’ve effectively got a gigantic resistor between you and the wires (assuming there’s a continuous path through the water at all). So even if the least resistance path is through you, the amount of current will be tiny due to Ohm’s law.
That is, by definition, NOT the "least resistance path".
Yes it is. A tip: if someone tells you something is a myth, your next step should be to google it. This is intro level parallel circuit stuff.
Hell, just think about the circuitry in your house. If you have your phone charging on one outlet, and you plug a hair dryer into the adjacent outlet, does the phone stop charging? Does the hair dryer not run? Do you think those things have exactly equal resistance? Of course not. Current flows to both of them, but more current flows to the hair dryer.
> That is, by definition, NOT the "least resistance path".
I don’t think you know what “by definition” means. You could be the only path for the electricity to flow, and if there’s high enough resistance, it won’t hurt you.
Please stop repeating this nonsensical folk wisdom. It can get people killed.
As far as I understand, the main reason people don’t get electrocuted even with improperly grounded shower head heaters is that (as noted in the post), tap water is generally not very conductive in the first place, so you’ve effectively got a gigantic resistor between you and the wires (assuming there’s a continuous path through the water at all). So even if the least resistance path is through you, the amount of current will be tiny due to Ohm’s law.