One for the sparks...

[MickeyDee85]

Work this one out...
I was installing an inline shower fan/light which required a switched live, neutral and a permanent live. I took the switched live and neutral from the switch and the permanent from a spur (also feeding underfloor heating) connected to the ring main which was RCD protected (the lights were not)... But everytime I turned on the spur it tripped the RCD...I've solved this temporarily by connecting the switched and permanent live both into the switched live from the switch...But why was it tripping???

 

[JohnW2]

...But why was it tripping???

Because you've cross connected two circuits which aren't both connected to the RCD. For it to work, you would have to get the permanent live from the lighting circuit. I imagine that others will have additional things to say!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

...But why was it tripping???

1. Because you've cross connected two circuits which aren't both connected to the RCD. For it to work, you would have to get the permanent live from the lighting circuit.

2. Because you are too ignorant and incompetent to be doing electrical work.

 

[JohnW2]

Because you are too ignorant and incompetent to be doing electrical work.

That was, indeed, the general gist of the 'other things' which I felt sure others would feel obliged to add!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[vibrobullit407]

Its tripping due to the fact that the RCD is seeing an imbalance as the current that is going down the line is not returning down the correct neutral.

you need to connect the fan to one circuit and not cross between 2.

 

[MickeyDee85]

]Because you are too ignorant and incompetent to be doing electrical work.

Haha...Look buddy, I am a fully qualified gas engineer/plumbing technician with qualifications coming out of my ringpiece...I asked a simple question which you decided to respond to with an arrogant answer...People like you are the general reason sparkies are not liked on site!!!

Thank you to the people who answered fairly, I have rectified the issue by taking a permanent live from the lighting circuit...

Thank you
Michael the ignorant and incompetent plumber...

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I came across a faulty similar to this last week, got a call for security lights to be replaced as they had not worked since customer moved in.
Found that the phase and earth were being feed via a SFCU on a RCD protected RFC and the neutral from the downstairs lighting circuit(not protected by this RCD)
The customer said they had two previous "electricians"
maybe fully qualified gas engineer/plumbing technician?
That had failed to get it working

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Haha...Look buddy, I am a fully qualified gas engineer/plumbing technician with qualifications coming out of my ringpiece

I'm sure you have.

For gas and plumbing.

But you know so little about electrical installations that you borrowed a neutral from another circuit and then couldn't work out why the RCD kept tripping.

The level of ignorance that betokens is such that you should not be doing electrical work.

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

..People like you are the general reason sparkies are not liked on site!!!

Did you know that bas isn't a sparky?

Michael the ignorant and incompetent plumber...

you said it, at least you managed to get something right

 

[flameport]

I took the switched live and neutral from the switch and the permanent from a spur (also feeding underfloor heating) connected to the ring main which was RCD protected

If that circuit hadn't been RCD protected, and therefore the fan worked when you switched it on, would you have left it like that?

 

[JohnW2]

If that circuit hadn't been RCD protected, and therefore the fan worked when you switched it on, would you have left it like that?

I think the answer to that is pretty obvious, which is why I indicated in my initial reply that others would probably have 'other comments to make'

Kind Regards, John.

 

[scousespark]

If that circuit hadn't been RCD protected, and therefore the fan worked when you switched it on, would you have left it like that?

I think the answer to that is pretty obvious, which is why I indicated in my initial reply that others would probably have 'other comments to make'

Kind Regards, John.

The question is moot. He only knew he had a fault because of the RCD.

 

[JohnW2]

The question is moot. He only knew he had a fault because of the RCD.

I'm not sure it's moot. As you say, he only knew because one of the two circuits he interlinked was protected by an RCD which did not also serve the other circuit. Had there been no RCDs at all, or had he interlinked two circuits which were protected by the same MCB, then everything would have seemedto be working OK, and he presumably would have been happy - but he would have been leaving a situation which was hazardous, at least to electricians or others who may work on the installation in the future. That is why he should not have been doing it without adequate knowledge/ understanding.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[1john]

I am a fully qualified gas engineer/plumbing technician with qualifications coming out of my ringpiece...

Perhaps you should store your knowledge in your brain instead, or are they stored in this secondary location as thats where your head is mainly kept too?? As has been pointed out here already, if it want for the presence of an RCD you would have never known of the fault and left the installation in a dangerous state, in fact how many precious jobs have you left in a dangerous state?

 

[scousespark]

The question is moot. He only knew he had a fault because of the RCD.

I'm not sure it's moot. As you say, he only knew because one of the two circuits he interlinked was protected by an RCD which did not also serve the other circuit. Had there been no RCDs at all, or had he interlinked two circuits which were protected by the same MCB, then everything would have seemedto be working OK, and he presumably would have been happy - but he would have been leaving a situation which was hazardous, at least to electricians or others who may work on the installation in the future. That is why he should not have been doing it without adequate knowledge/ understanding.

Kind Regards, John.

I don't mean there isn't a question to be answered I mean he doesn't have the knowledge required (as you have said) to know what he should have been doing. If the RCD hadn't tripped, he would have been fine with his installation and gone on to the next bodge job.