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Today, out of the blue, our RCD tripped as I switched off our cooker. I tried resetting it but it immediately tripped every time. The RCD covers the first floor lighting, first floor power, water heater (never used - just back up immersion), electric garage door and the cooker. The RCD that tripped was the one for the ring, not the individual RCD for the cooker.
After a bit of fiddling (switching switches on and off, playing with the cooker controls that triggered the original failure etc) I got it back working again then went out with the family. When we got home the RCD had triggered again (and wouldn't reset) so I went through a few things (playing with the cooker controls as before) and got it working.
We haven't put anything new anywhere on the ring that may have been faulty.
So - is it likely it is the cooker that is at fault (but why didn't it trip the individual RCD) or an earth leakage somewhere on the ring? As it went again whilst the cooker wasn't being used I could only assume it would be the timer - and the part on espares is £400 :-O
Anyone with any ideas?
Buy a new hob.
You need to work out which appliance by switching them all off and then introducing one at a time. Chances are it's something with a heating element. If it's the cooker you may be able to replace the element that's shorting rather than the whole thing.
But the circuit tripped when we were out of the house which was weird (ie, it didn't trip when we switched the cooker on or anything like that.
I'd be suspecting a fault with a fridge and/or freezer since it's tripping the RCD randomly.
The fridge is on a different ring - this ring only serves the upstairs power.
I'd go with the oven. The heating element going pop tripped ours. Easy enough to replace.
But it still tripped after we 'fixed' it earlier whilst we were out of the house???
And just checked every setting on the oven (it's a multicook oven so has heating elements top, bottom and fan) and the separate grill one by one and it hasn't tripped again. I am confwesed.
Another thing - when I struggled to get the RCD to reset, the only way I could do it was to isolate the cooker (by switching it off on the cooker circuit switch) and when I switched it back on again it tripped the circuit so surely it must be the cooker that's at fault - but why is it not tripping now (and we've just cooked a family meal in it).
Maybe you've got a parallel path which won't trip the MCB, the MCBs trip on overloading. RCDs like whatever goes in to come out again, any leakage/variation they trip. That's my limited experience.
Could be wrong.
It's all very strange as when I managed to stop it from tripping, everything was working as normal (all rewired some 4 years ago with the oven installed then and had been working perfectly). Nothing new has been added to the ring recently.
IANAE
If it’s the RCD tripping it’s likely you have an earth to neutral or earth to live fault. Possibly a loose connection into the cooker isolator switch?
As said above, unplug everything that’s on that ring circuit and turn off all isolator / fused switches, put the RCD on and then reconnect/ plug in items one by one, that will help identify the culprit. In my limited experience, tripping the RCD indicates an issue with the wiring rather than an appliance.
Personally, I’d turn off the relevant RCD and whip the cover off the isolator for the cooker and check the connections there. Alternatively, there could be damp causing the short to earth.
Failing that, get an electrician in.
HTH
Before you do all that , replace the rcd switch, we had a faulty recently , worth a try
Yeah I did wonder if it might be that having developed a fault
What exactly have you got? A RCD with circuit breakers to individual circuits?
If the cooker is causing the fault then the heating element is most likely, although it's odd that it let you cook a meal, so maybe condensation is causing the problem.
Leave the oven off (EDIT: at the main switch) and see if you get a problem today while you wait for an electrician 🙂
So here are some pics - the RCD that is tripping is the one in the first image (the one in between the red main switch and the yellow buttoned tester (NOT the individual cooker RCD).
Here is a picture of the whole board in case it helps.
I left the cooker switched off last night (at the wall plate isolator switch in the kitchen) and have turned it on again this morning and all seems to be working.
Talking about moisture - mu daughters did cook several pizzas with tuna on under the grill (little 'five minute pizzas' that they like to make). Perhaps the moisture from the tuna and tomato sauce blathered all over the place got into the electrics????
FFS, get those gaps in the consumer unit covered up. Anyone can put their finger in there, and they'd get a 100 amp shock.
The RCD is the one with the yellow button. The ones with the black switches are circuit breakers.
If it doesnt happen when the cooker is turned off at the isolating switch, near to the cooker, then you will have a cooker fault.
The 4 circuits to the left of the RCD are connected to that RCD. Any fault on any of the 4 circuits will trip the RCD.
If the cooker isolation switch (near the cooker) was left on when you went out (and came back, the RCD had tripped), then you will have a neutral to earth fault in the cooker.
More than likely as above, one of the elements has got a fault. It is unlikely to be moisture, that generally only happens to a cooker when they are new, or not used for a long time. Inside the element is a dry sand like mineral. This absorbs water, and will cause a fault if it has got wet. As it has been used regularly, it is unlikely to be damp.
The RCD could be faulty. I have had numerous RCD's fail, with the same symptons as you have, just random tripping. Using my tester, they usually work and test out fine, but they still trip for no apparent reason. Changing the RCD for a new one has cured all of these faults.
But, for yours, I would suspect the cooker first.
Oddly it has been working fine today (switched it all back on this morning and was used to cook a homemade chicken pie tonight). In my heart I think it is an oven fault but, having just spent £100 on a new thermo shower cartridge (fitting still to pay for), I am hoping it isn't and it just works itself out. Otherwise I will be severely downgrading our holiday plans this summer 🙁
Alani - is the black switch to the right of the yellow button the RCD as that is what tripped? Thank you.
is the black switch to the right of the yellow button the RCD as that is what tripped?
Yes, the RCD is a double width unit, - twice the width of the circuit breakers. One side has the yellow test button, the other has the flick up/down switch.
Cheers - well it's that that has tripped. It's still working right now. All very odd.
Have you installed the blanks between the breakers yet? Breaker goes, lights off, feeling around trying to turn the breaker back on and put your finger in the wrong place...ouch!
(says me who also has a gap (albeit deeper so harder to shock yourself...) that I need to cover...
I haven't filled the gaps yet but will do. Odd that the electrician didn't do it as they are usually very thorough.
And it's still working - no further trips and has been used for cooking in again.
I've had a similar experience when an element in the oven was on the way out.