electrics keep going off plz help

[beci]

hi can anyone help a damsil in distress my electric keeps tripping my rcd out about 5 times a day its a pain in my --- dont no what it is or what to do it even goes out in the earlie hours when there is hardly anything running plz anyone any ideas .................. beci xxx

 

[industryspark]

You need to find out what is tripping the rcd. Trial and error im afraid unless you have some test gear.

You could try turning off each mcb at a time see if you can find out which circuit is causing the trip-thats if its a live-earth fault that is.

These are the worst kind of faults to find!

 

[FatherTed]

Installed any new appliances recently (particularly devices that work with water - washing machine, dishwasher etc). These are sometimes pressure tested in the factory and can ship with small residues of water. This can be enough to trip the RCD until they have dried-out.

If this is not appliance linked, then:

Any leaks recently (pipes or through tiles)?
Any major spillages onto floorboards?

In short, anything where some water may have found its way into a junction box?

 

[beci]

iv turned off what i can all but the sockets because of my fridge frezzer so i no its a sockrt problem

 

[beci]

sometimes i can switch a plug off and it goes off and if i plug a plug in it trips

 

[flyingsparks]

I would hazard a guess at the freezer or fridge. They cut in and out at various times as they need to cool again. If you can try unplugging it for a while and see if this helps. Chris

 

[industryspark]

So you have narrowed it down to the sockets? well thats a start at least.


Any particular appliances that it trips with? guess you have thought of that though?

Just as a side note, fridges can give off earth leakage as they get older and cause rcds to trip. It sounds like if you've checked appliances and thought of that then perhaps the next move should be getting the circuit and rcd tested to access them.

 

[beci]

i have 1 of thoes american styal 1s iv tried that on an extension leed to a socket on the cooker and it still tripped out and the fridge stayed on am i making any sence i am a dumb blond after all lol

 

[FatherTed]

Or you get the weird situation when two or three items have very slight faults and work OK on their own, but trip out the RCCB when they're all on together!

 

[beci]

so how do i get these checked and what will it cost me

 

[sparkyspike]

Well, you can keep trying. Having eliminated the fridge and the cooker circuit you can keep trying other appliances either by omitting them or including them until you isolate the fault. It could take some time. And it may not even be an appliance - could be wiring, faulty RCD etc. etc. Look at your fusebox and see if you can determine which circuits are on the RCD and which ones are not. Usually the breakers to one side of the main red switch are not RCD protected. Don't worry about this. Just check the ones to one side of the RCD device (the one with the test button on it). When you run out of patience, call an electrician. It shouldn't take long to detect the fault. Repairing it may be another thing; still you could be lucky. Hope this helps.

 

[mikeyd]

A fault like you have can be a pain to isolate, unless you have the correct training and test equipment.

Could any of your family/friends/neighbors recommend an electrician. Cost might be lower if you tell them it is not an emergency and that they can call round at their convenience. Offer plenty tea/coffee etc.

 

[beci]

im sure i can do the tea coffee ect lol

 

[AMEdinburgh]

( a copy of my post on another similar thread)

Most has already been suggested by others.

Our experience with this random tripping was a combination of small earth leakages from various items and a big earth leak (but not enough on its own) from the fridge, hence the randomness of the tripping. You might find it necessary to PAT test (I know the T is test but everyone calls it that) all your plug in stuff and see what's good dubious and bad. A new fridge sorted our problem (now 4 years) The other things that leak a little all passed their PAT Test and have continued to do so on each subsequent test and the total leakage now must have remained below the trip threshold as we've had no problems.

A couple of electricians who looked at the problem before this had all sorts of theories that weren't right and the RCD was returned and tested by the manufacturer as one of them certified the fault laid there.

A time consuming and frustrating experience

(DIYer not spark)

 

[ColJack]

iv turned off what i can all but the sockets because of my fridge frezzer so i no its a sockrt problem

not necesarily though..

if the cables are all run together for a substantial distance, then the lighting circuits can still be leaking current to earth from coupling..

turning the breakers off doesn't help either since there could be a borrowed neutral somewhere that's causing the trips..

does the trip occur more often in wet or damp weather?

have you recently put up any shelves or pictures?