Washing Machine Trips RCCB

[BillyWillySilly]

For the last few weeks we've had intermittent issues with the washing machine tripping the RCCB. I isolated the problem to the Washing Machine - on the circuit (marked utility room in the picture) we have a washer, dryer, fridge-freezer and a few low power things like the Ring alarm keypad. The washing machine is the only thing plugged into its socket even though it's double.

The MCB does not trip and this appears to happen only when the machine is spinning (we think!) a good way through the wash cycle. There are lots of threads on here but I'm not sure if this is a leakage problem? If I move to another socket on the same circuit, it will trip. If I move it to the sockets on another circuit that does not have the RCCB, it continues to work. Washing machine is now about 8 years old (LG and has been very good till now).

Thoughts?

 

[JohnW2]

The MCB does not trip and this appears to happen only when the machine is spinning (we think!) a good way through the wash cycle. There are lots of threads on here but I'm not sure if this is a leakage problem? If I move to another socket on the same circuit, it will trip. If I move it to the sockets on another circuit that does not have the RCCB, it continues to work. Washing machine is now about 8 years old (LG and has been very good till now).

Almost certainly water getting to some of the electrics - may be due to something trivial, or an indication of an impending end-of-life of the machine!

Kind Regards, John

 

[BillyWillySilly]

Update - could be the heating element. I swapped it back to the original socket when there was 25 mins left, rinse then spin. The wash is progressing fine...

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

It could be the element, and/or carbon from the motor carbon brushes causing the tripping. Spin cycle tripping, points towards carbon dust inside the motor. The heater element is not used during the spin, but will still be connected to neutral.

 

[BillyWillySilly]

Update 2...we figured out, given that we bought it t from Comet it must be 13 years old!

 

[flameport]

The hole in that consumer unit needs to be filled by the appropriate blanking plate.
Live parts are exposed just inside that hole.

 

[ericmark]

One can by moving items around get a good idea which item is causing the RCD to trip. However only real was is to test items.

I often test neutral to earth, as micro switches and relays can switch off the line.

The cheapest tester I have found costs around £35 and it uses 500 volt to test, so depends on your skill, the question is if it's worth the money to test and repair if required.

With an inverter drive careless testing can wreck it, and the more the washing machine cost the easier to damage, and the more likely to be worth repairing.

I did pay out with my machine for repair, stripping them down is not that easy, and it has lasted another two years, but it is hard to decide if worth repairing.

 

[BillyWillySilly]

Update 2...we figured out, given that we bought it t from Comet it must be 13 years old!

Oh no its not! Found our Reciept but it is 6 years old. It's is the second lg we have bought in that timeframe

 

[JohnW2]

One can by moving items around get a good idea which item is causing the RCD to trip. However only real was is to test items.

I would have thought that the OP has established which item is causing the RCD to trip, wouldn't you?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Wayners]

Check Fused spur cables are tight and with no signs of burning or that oily liquid from plastic getting hot. Both can give random trips.

 

[ericmark]

I would have thought that the OP has established which item is causing the RCD to trip, wouldn't you?

Kind Regards, John

Not automatic, the old story of damp bread in toaster and the kettle trips the RCD, the washing machine is a high load, so if there is some thing else with a neutral to earth fault the washing machine may increase the potential difference between earth and neutral enough for the RCD to trip.

Very likely it is the washing machine, but to renew without testing does seem folly.

 

[JohnD]

Unplug the other things on that circuit. Fridge freezers in partucular can contribute to random-seeming trips because they stop and start according to the thermostat. Washers do the same as their heaters, valves, motors and pumps turn on and off.

Two or more appliances with small leakages can add up to enough to cause a trip.

Sometimes a utility room is cold and damp causing a bit more leakage.

Look out for a plug-in RCD adaptor as sometimes used with garden tools.

 

[BillyWillySilly]

Unplug the other things on that circuit. Fridge freezers in partucular can contribute to random-seeming trips because they stop and start according to the thermostat. Washers do the same as their heaters, valves, motors and pumps turn on and off.

Two or more appliances with small leakages can add up to enough to cause a trip.

Sometimes a utility room is cold and damp causing a bit more leakage.

Look out for a plug-in RCD adaptor as sometimes used with garden tools.

Out utility room is the opposite - I have noticed that when both appliances are going - especially after a cycle or two that it gets very humid (well - hot and damp then!). The noise of the washer when it's on a spin leads us to keep the adjoining door closed which increases the heat. Good point on the RCD adaptor although I would need to rewire the sockets on the back - very little room there. I was considering chasing the cabling into the wall...

As I know it is the washing machine that's causing the trips, we're doing a few cycles today to test. When it happened yesterday, I think my wife was on her 3rd cycle of washing, the room was humid and I ended up opening the back door to air the place. But the tripping continued as soon as the washing machine came back on so I think there is some moisture leakage internally to the machine.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[JohnW2]

Not automatic, the old story of damp bread in toaster and the kettle trips the RCD, the washing machine is a high load, so if there is some thing else with a neutral to earth fault the washing machine may increase the potential difference between earth and neutral enough for the RCD to trip.

Yes, that is a theoretical possibility ...

Very likely it is the washing machine, but to renew without testing does seem folly.

As you say, very likely. One of the first things which was drummed into me during my professional education was that "common things are common" - since students have a habit of first thinking of the very rare and esoteric!

However, if one wants to 'test' in order to (probably) eliminate the ('unlikely') possibility you mention, it can be done very easily without any test equipment - by simply plugging some other 'high load' (e.g. a fan heater) into the circuit. If trips are arising because of an N-E fault in 'something else', then doing that should bring about a trip.

Kind Regards, John