Intermittent RCD trip

[Bill999]

The RCD trips intermittently. Takes the freezer with it!

The three switches are supplied with one supply off the plug mains circuit. and three different light circuits to the outside lights.

I know in wet weather one of the outside lights shorts and trips.

The neutral wire was removed from two switches. One light still works well. The live wires and earth were still all left connected to the switch & the earth wires were wound together.

My thought is actually if it still rains , the faulty outside light gets wet & will trip the RCD , even though the neutral is not connected. As the earth and live are still connected & the RCD will do its job. One neutral is still connected. Am I right ?

For the moment I have disconnected all the wires from the switches and taped them all individually.
Thoughts appreciated.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

If you are talking about light switches, a black (or blue) core is unlikely to be a neutral.

 

[Bill999]

Thanks for interest . Regrettably disconnecting all the lights didn’t work. Still tripped about five hours later. It’s the kitchen circuit .

 

[Bill999]

Sorry to hijack your thread. I have a similar issue.
It’s intermittent. Have disconnected anything dodgy .suspect its the kitchen circuit throws the RCD , might be one light circuit or another small circuit.
I am trying to get my electrician in , as I neither have nor can use a tester.
Can it be an appliance ? As it’s intermittent can he test easily each machine /light that’s plugged in including dishwashers or fridges or is this all blind man’s bluff ?

 

[Bill999]

Have tried disconnecting everything & plugging back in … but intermittent ie over days, so no clear idea .

 

[EFLImpudence]

Sorry to hijack your thread.

Start a new one then.

What a mess it would be answering both in the same thread.

 

[JohnD]

Have you got any outdoor lights or sockets?

 

[bernardgreen]

Finding an Neutral to Earth fault that "randomly" trips an RCD is not a simple task. It requires an electrician to carry out full testing for earth leakage. This normally require full disconnection of the circuit in the consumer unit. Just because the RCD only trips when an appliance ( oven, lamp, immersion ) is turned on does NOT means that appliance is faulty.

Turning OFF the MCB for the faulty circuit will not prevent a load on another circuit tripping the RCD

 

[JohnD]

It is usually water related.

Rain, or a kettle, boiler, washing machine, immersion heater, electric shower...

Sometimes the heating element, especially an oven.