Nuisance tripping

[Inky Pete]

I wouldn't have thought a shared 80A supply would be anywhere near adequate for 10 residential properties - even if they are static caravans.

How is your water heated? do the caravans have electric showers or electric heaters? and what fuel is used for cooking?

You're only going to have an average of about 1.8kW per caravan available - if just over half the people boil a kettle at the same time that could well be enough to overload the supply!

 

[flameport]

The installation being inspected/tested and repaired where required is the only solution.

This type of installation should be inspected regularly, as often as once a year given that much of it will be outside and exposed to weather and so on.
It is also likely that the licence from the local authority for the site has a requirement for it to be inspected or tested at specified intervals.

Another can of worms to open is how you and the other residents are paying for electricity. Is it a fixed price per month included with the rent, or are there individial meters at each unit?

 

[sparkyspike]

You could quite confidently explain to your landlord that regardless of which appliances may be at fault, a 30mA RCD is inadequate for the job. It may be that removing or replacing the RCD doesn't solve the problem, but I suspect it will.

 

[muttlydog]

Thanks for the input ill mention to the landlord that the rcd needs an upgrade maybe even get a few quotes then all they have to do is pay him. I dont think were overloading it really statics are all on gas pretty much for water heating and cooking and the problem occurs throughout the day but more so at night. It really is beginning to be unlivable. Will my multi meter be able to measure earth leakage on my appliance just too see if there anything at fault?

 

[ColJack]

would section 708 apply to a static park?

708 looks like it's geared towards temporary hookups for towable caravans rather than what I assume would be hard wired for the statics..

 

[RF Lighting]

I think it geared more towards sites for mobile caravans, and their associated temporary hookups, but I would still work to these regs for statics.

Some things like regulation 708.411.4 is just as important with a static as it is with a mobile caravan.

 

[sparkyspike]

You can test with a multimeter. Disconnect each unit completely from the supply and measure between neutral and earth on the continuity setting.

 

[Inky Pete]

If you were to make yourself some beans on toast and a brew whilst watching tv - microwaving the beans coz you can't find a clean pan - you could easily be drawing in excess of 4 kW just doing that.

If one of your neighbours had a little electric fan heater on because maybe it's a cold night and they're getting a bit short on bottled gas, and they make a brew at the same time as you (at half time in the football, perhaps) then that's over half of the total capacity of the supply being used by just two caravans.

Unless the supply is upgraded, I think you're always going to be coming up against supply overload problems even once you get the RCD problem sorted.

 

[securespark]

Those tails in the henley blocks look very thin. How long are they? They're not fused down either.

 

[AndyPRK]

if it's go reguarly, have you thought about turning one van off at a time and see if it makes a difference ?

I guess this maybe practical overnight ? or when out ?

certainly turn off any empty vans

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You can test with a multimeter. Disconnect each unit completely from the supply and measure between neutral and earth on the continuity setting.

That won't show up earth leakage caused by suppression circuitry, or an appliance which has a fault at some point in its cycle....

 

[Steve]

IMO, Inky, the supply is not overloaded. The 1.8kw per caravan is about how the DNO size their network for houses.

 

[timtheenchanter]

all of the statics I have seen, still only use a 16A (ceeform) connection for their main power (same as touring caravans)

there may be more powerful ones, but I havnt seen them, and I go to alot of sites.
water heating/showers and cooking is all gas usually, either mains or the BIG propane bottles.

 

[chadfieldpropertyservices]

The main rcd should not be the same rating as the rcd's further down the line, the very least that will need doing is to change the main rcd for a 100mA but as pevious posts have said the whole system needs checking by a qualified spark. The RCD would be about £60 and a 10min job to do but by the time a spark had corrected all the other faults so he could sign off the work and spent an hour filling in the certificate you'll probably stick a nought on that £60