Washing Machine Tripping RCD

[techeon]

my washine machine is tripping my rcd every time it is switched on. we had water taps changed and outdoor tap put in
about 3 months ago. there was water leakage down the back of the unit at the time. which is when it appear to start happening. when it happen before i wiggled the earth wire which i could see running behind the unit and problem went away.not sure if this was coincidental or not
but problem has come back and this is not working.
have some electrical experience and am comfortable with this type of job.

but would like to know what to look for and if i have to pull out my integrated washing machine to fix problem.
any help gratefully appreciated

 

[sparkyspike]

This sounds like an appliance problem rather than an installation problem. You could have damaged one of the circuit boards, but most likely there is moisture at the ac inlet. You can test between Live/Neutral and earth using the plug, if you can get to it - but this will probably only tell what you already know - that there is moisture or damage inside the machine.

So yes, pull the machine out and take a look. Any damage should be obvious. Once you have located where it is, you can then decide what to do about it. What is the earth cable you were fiddling with? Was it connected to the washing machine, or did it go somewhere else?

 

[techeon]

thanks sparkyspike. can see the plug just. so will try to get it out of the outlet and check. with regards to the earth it appears to be going floor direction and i think it is attached to the main water stopcock under the sink.which would make sense. washing machine is to the right of the sink and the plug is above the tap.

 

[securespark]

Have you unplugged the machine to see if the RCD resets/ stays on?

 

[sparkyspike]

I made the reasonable but hasty assumption that the problem is with the appliance. I concur with SS that you should try the installation with the appliance unplugged first.

 

[techeon]

managed to unplug the washing machine after cutting away some of the back panelling of the unit and low and behold found that the pins on the plug where a but damp. dried them off plugged back in again RCD not tripping anymore. thanks for all your input and help it has been greatly appreciated. Wife now thinks i'am a genius hope to milk it later.

if only all things in life were this easy.

 

[securespark]

But hang on...if the plug top pins are damp, where is it coming from? Inside the socket... You're best off checking that socket and if damp, finding out where it is coming from before replacing it.