Mains tripping

[seasickstevie]

If it were my home, I would be looking as swapping the left hand RCD to an Isolator ... View attachment 420189

You'd then have the confusion of two 'main' switches (visually anyway). Not sure if that would even be compliant - even though, yes the RCD will function in the same way. Best would be to put the left busbar straight off the main switch, and as you say, replace the MCBs with RCBOs.

 

[seasickstevie]

As time went on we got the high integrity unit, not a clue why it got that name, but it had three instead of two neutral bars...

The 'high integrity' came about with the trend of putting the freezer on it's own radial, and as long as it was labelled as being 'Freezer only' or similar, it didn't need to be RCD protected. The 'integrity' of not losing all your food!
That was my take on it anyway.

 

[morqthana]

Appliances don't have to be 'in use' to cause an issue, because unless it's unplugged, if it is faulty it can still cause the RCD to trip.

the mains has tripped with the washing machine unplugged.

 

[seasickstevie]

Thought he might've said that - couldn't be bothered reading again to check

 

[ericmark]

My comments have been flavoured due to my own problems. I had expected to find the problem reasonably fast, the replacement RCBOs are type A bidirectional double pole switching, but not the old ones, it said on the packet type B, but it seems they were curve B type AC single pole switching. So turning them off, does not allow testing neutral to earth with the insulation tester.

OK the isolator allowed testing neutral to earth for all circuits, but with the consumer unit in the flat, running up and down at my age was not what I want to do.

What did help was a pair of PMR 466 radios.