Power keeps tripping in new building

[ace2109]

Hi Guys,
I am new to these forums so i hope you guys can help me out.

We recently completed a new build project that converted an old garage into an office. The office is used for film editing etc so there is a lot of equipment in it.

We moved in on Monday past and have been working away until yesterday when the electric started to trip off.

We are running approx 8 computers 6 monitors, 2 lcd screens, 3 printers, networking gear and a few other bits and pieces, the new office also has a kitchen with a cooker and dishwasher. There is also approx 35 50w mains voltage downlighters and 3 500w outsidde lights that only come on at night.

As i say we have working away all week until yesterday, the only thing we changed over the past few days was installed the outside lights and plugged in the big screen tv's.

Would anyone know why this keep tripping? In the house i believe its a 30amp fuse feeding the garage.

 

[londonboy]

What exactly is tripping?

(I cant beleive someones installed 35 GU10's in an environment like that!)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What is it that's tripping? i.e. an MCB or RCD?

With that much equipment I'd not be surprised if the leakage added up to enough to trip a 30mA RCD.

Did you tell the electrician how much equipment you would have? If so he should have spread it over more than 1 RCD.

Or it could be the outside lights, if they've got damp. Bit daft to have things like that on an RCD, IMO. Try disconnecting them for a while?

If it's the fuse that's going then you've simply got too much load in there, and you need to reduce it. You could start with those obscene downlighters.

Again, though, did you tell the electrician what the load would be? Did he ask? Did you get an idiot to do the wiring?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

(I cant beleive someones installed 35 GU10's in an environment like that!)

The world is full of selfish and ignorant fools.

 

[Steve]

Thats over 1.7kw of lighting inside and 1.5kw outside!

Are they on for long periods? Did you consider energy saving products such as fluorescent lamps? Fluorescents are the perfect work light. Halogen isnt.

 

[FrankE]

Blimey! What a wasteful and inefficient lighting design, inside and out. Are there any lighting controls inside or out?
One can achieve sufficient and more uniform luminance levels by use of fluorescents inside.
For film editing wouldn't task lighting with high Colour Rendering index Ra be appropriate?
For film editing wouldn;t you require low noise socket outlet wiring.

What overcurrent and or earth leakage protection fitted?
That's quite a load on what is possibly a domestic lighting circuit.

That's a fair amount of switched mode power supplies or in IET regulations parlance "equipment having high protective conductor current". There are (although introduced too late) regulations for circuits supplying such equipment.
Apart from neglecting the issue of nuisance tripping of socket outlet circuits, does whoever specified this know what they are doing? Has cable been uprated so there is a larger protective conductor so that leakage currents don't produce a problem voltage on the earth (operationally this affects your noise floor). Noise on the earth is not a good thing in film editing or any A/V studio work. Leakage currnt from SMPSes will produce audio and visual artefacts.

Are services such as the kitchen equipment on separate circuits? They can produce transients onto the electrics and noise and artefacts onto your film. Have you checked the CE marking of the domestic equipment and their EMC paramenters for the sake of quality of output of your film )?

Probably a completely inappropriate specification for fitness for purpose.

This article may explain.
http://www.theiet.org/publishing/wiring-regulations/mag/2008/26-5437earthing.cfm?type=pdf

If you require advice it better to seek it before installation, no?

 

[Taylortwocities]

C'mon ACE, its been several hours and we've asked many questions.

Lets get back to basics:

Who did the electrical installation?

What does he/she have to say about your problem??

 

[ban-all-sheds]

He's gone very quiet.

I'm starting to get a feeling about who it was who did the design and construction of the electrical installation, and that what that person says about the problem is "Durrr......."

 

[Taylortwocities]

Yes, I was leading him down the path to confession