Outside lighting tripping

[Eleclewis]

Hi, I have some outside lights in a garden, around 14 recessed spot lights on pathways each about 3.5 watts led and mode lighting and around 20 feston lights each about 2 watts, so overall about 69 watts
This is powered from a ground floor ring socket circuit, type b 32amp, type a rcbo, then fused down to 5 amps which then goes to a connector for the wireless switch which is capable of 500watts led, this is all correctly done with swa 1.5mm earthed, wiska boxes and wagos, I have had a look at what boxes I can get to and there is no sign of water getting in, does anybody have any ideas what could be going wrong

 

[Murdochcat]

I would test for IR …. But I suspect it’s the recessed spot lights to blame . Do you know how it’s all connected together?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Like every fault finding problem, take a logical approach, if there's no obvious suspect:
disconnect at source
Split the circuit in half and do an IR test on each half.
Then you'll know which direction to concentrate on.
Split the faulty half and repeat, you'll get there.

I am a qualified electrician

With respect, this shouldn't be news to you then!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I am a qualified electrician

Really? Then you should know exactly how to go about testing, to track down the fault. Divide, and conquer. You haven't mentioned what is actually tripping.

 

[bernardgreen]

I am a qualified electrician

Then you will be aware of this "complication" when fault finding "strange" trips of an RCD

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I do have concerns, where someone comes on a website forum, claiming to be a professional, yet struggling with what is fairly basic testing of circuits, to determine where a fault might lie.

 

[JohnW2]

I do have concerns, where someone comes on a website forum, claiming to be a professional, yet struggling with what is fairly basic testing of circuits, to determine where a fault might lie.

Indeed - but that 'claim' seems to have disappeared.

Having said that, I don't think that the language (terminology etc.) of the OP is what one would expect of the average man-in-the-street who had no electrical knowledge.

 

[ericmark]

When I passed my electrical exam, the wind up mega was a tool to catch the apprentice with, one rarely used one. On my return to the UK in around 1990 I saw the first widespread use of RCDs. So first 20 years of working life, it was I think shown in collage, but don't remember using one.

Today, the insulation tester and clamp-on ammeter, are standard tools of the trade. Yet I see these carried more as a badge of office, together with

hung around the neck like the doctor's stethoscope, how the proving unit not sure, I used the tool bag with strap, climbing ladders with a tool box not easy, the clamp-on went everywhere with me, but the loop impedance tester, and insulation tester were not really required when most the site was on 55-0-55 or 64-0-64 just a good set of screwdrivers, and a few spanners, snips and hack-saw.

Only one job did I carry the proving unit, so yes, although I say on this forum about using an insulation tester, it was not used that often on the sort of jobs I did, carried the laptop around more than insulation tester, to see what the PLC was doing.

I also would expect an electrician to know how to test, but when my dad had a new consumer unit fitted with an RCD, the electrician did not have a loop impedance tester, insulation tester, or a clamp-on meter, any wonder he could not work out why it was tripping?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Indeed - but that 'claim' seems to have disappeared.

The claim certainly was there, obviously the OP has though better of it, and edited the post without explanation.

Having said that, I don't think that the language (terminology etc.) of the OP is what one would expect of the average man-in-the-street who had no electrical knowledge.

Which suggests to me, the OP might be selling his services to the public, pretending to be qualified.

 

[JohnW2]

The claim certainly was there, obviously the OP has though better of it, and edited the post without explanation.

Yes, that seems wuite possible.

Which suggests to me, the OP might be selling his services to the public, pretending to be qualified.

Again, possible. Of course, and unfortunaterly, that would not necessarily be all that unusual.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Again, possible. Of course, and unfortunaterly, that would not necessarily be all that unusual.

I have no objection to helping a genuine DIY'er, to solve problems, but I do object to anyone coming on here seeking advice about essentially basic fault-finding, yet claiming to be qualified.

 

[JohnW2]

I have no objection to helping a genuine DIY'er, to solve problems, but I do object to anyone coming on here seeking advice about essentially basic fault-finding, yet claiming to be qualified.

Same here.

 

[Highway Man]

Really? Then you should know exactly how to go about testing, to track down the fault. Divide, and conquer. You haven't mentioned what is actually tripping.

qualified electrician is different from someone calling themselves an electrician. Not been funny but this is not something an electrician would or even should be asking.

 

[SUNRAY]

Although I agree with all of the above comments one really does have to take a step back sometimes and take a look at the inabilities of some recently qualified electricians, for a start a number either can't read or can't read English and the lack of understanding of Ohms law and power calculations is scary, several times I've been told I can't power 230V devices from 110V as they will draw double the current.

I assume I've posted about the 'best electrician on site' spending a day and a half attempting to wire about a dozen switched in a 2 way system along a corridor, that really was one I wish I'd taken pics of.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I assume I've posted about the 'best electrician on site' spending a day and a half attempting to wire about a dozen switched in a 2 way system along a corridor, that really was one I wish I'd taken pics of.

In which case, I would be wondering if they were in the wrong job..