View Full Version : any electricians on here, i need help
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 05:38 PM
Right ive just moved house and my tumble dryer and bottle steriliser keep tripping the rcd in the electic cupbord in my new house but i never had this problem in my last house. This is happening if i use them seperatly
meritlover
17-12-12, 08:41 PM
are they the same appliances you used in your last place?
did your last place have RCDs?
The RCD trip protecting that circuit (kitchen sockets at a guess?) aint man enought to take the ampage your trying to put through it by the sounds of it.
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:03 PM
that is not what makes RCDs trip. They trip because they sense a 30mA leak through the earth of that circuit.
if its an MCB, then that will be due to the wrong curve type fitted or the circuit is overloaded.
or the circuit is overloaded.
aint man enought to take the ampage your trying to put through it by the sounds of it.
Kerchigga lol
Chances of a random earth fault would be slim IMO. Tumble dryers & sterilisers etc use lot of power hence the overloading reply.
I'd go with the slutty tumble dryer being a bit leaky when she switches in the heater. Similar goes for the steriliser
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:12 PM
Kerchigga lol
he said his RCD kept tripping not an MCB. O_o
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 09:13 PM
Its the same appliance as my last house and i had a rcd in my last place, we only have the coal fire to dry our clothes, no central heating here so it is an essential and i dont fancy shelling out for another dryer
he said his RCD kept tripping not an MCB. O_o
Im not a sparky, and never really listened to my old man (who is a sparky) when I worked with him as a kid, which would lead me to belive RCD & MCB are the same lol lol lol
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:15 PM
which would lead me to belive RCD & MCB are the same lol lol lol
no, much in the same way an elephant and a fire engine have different names....because they are different.
no, much in the same way an elephant and a fire engine have different names....because they are different.
Ah, but they both like water.
lol
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:20 PM
if it is the dryer, open the plug and disconnect the earth wire, run it with nothing in it for a while and hopefully the heater will dry out enough that you dont get earth leakage. then hopefully when you reconnect the earth, it will be ok.
do not do this unattended, and remember that if there is a genuine earth fault then the casing will be at a different potential to everything else in your house that is earthed, so dont touch it or pee on it.
or, get your Megger out and start looking for earthfaults. these next to nothing in a tumble drier, so it wont be hard.
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:22 PM
Ah, but they both like water.
lol
they also have large hoses, but they are considered different enough (not just by scientists) to justify having different names.
pottersrebel
17-12-12, 09:33 PM
only advice i can offer is get a proper electrician in to solve the problem, if you havent got a clue your self get some one in, sod running it with no earth wire attached, if it isn`t running its not running for a reason
As annoying as circuit breakers (trip switchs ) can be they are there for a reason, i cant run my air compressor off my garage electric as it needs upgrading so i run it off the house electric instead.
your probably overloading the kitchen loop on the fuse board
More importantly, if its a rental place, call the landlord and make him sort it.
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 09:41 PM
I spoke to the landlords dad today whos a spark and he pilut it downt to a fault with the dryer and just said i should pay to get someone out or buy a new one, its not a cheep unit its a 8kg indisit that cost me a weeks wage
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:49 PM
well that is your answer then if you do not want to do any of the above.
at the end of the day, if you had MCBs and no RCDs you wouldnt even know you had a fault and would be quite happy to run it. heaters often give issues, maybe theres damp fluff in the motor... drying them out often cures it. most likely happened if you moved it to your new place. take the back off and see if theres any obvious wires chaffing on the casing.
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:50 PM
......As annoying as circuit breakers (trip switchs ) can be they are there for a reason.....
...well that is generally the idea of fitting them in the first place.
D you need me to pay test them for you?
meritlover
17-12-12, 09:57 PM
PAT testing would through the onus back to the landlord if it proved that your appliances were ok.
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 10:00 PM
And were would i go from there?
Well, with a pat certificate for the devices you have proof they aren't funked and something in the house is....
I had a plug socket that couldn't be screwed into the wall properly because after 30 mins it would trip the rcd lol, ran new cable in and it was fine.
pottersrebel
17-12-12, 10:02 PM
thanks for restating the obvious,no wonder the green blobs have soon changed to red lollol
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 10:20 PM
Thanks for the advice guys al pull the back off it tomorrow and have a nosey round, will it make any differance with it being a condencer dryer?
meritlover
17-12-12, 10:21 PM
only if it was full of water or has soaked it internally.
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 10:24 PM
D you need me to pay test them for you?
You fancy a bit of trek do you matey lol, its up in our new house in cumbria
Do what any self respecting northern would do and run an extension lead from the lamp post out side then it wouldn't trip the house all the time
I'll wait until some parts come up for sake up that was or I finally talk the misses into going camping
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 10:37 PM
Do what any self respecting northern would do and run an extension lead from the lamp post out side then it wouldn't trip the house all the time
Knowing my luck someone would trip over it and put a claim in lol. That is how my mate has got power in his garage haha
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 10:38 PM
I'll wait until some parts come up for sake up that was or I finally talk the misses into going camping
I know a cheep site, you can get a nova on there and al even let you use my toilet £2 a go lollollollollol
Danny mul
17-12-12, 10:42 PM
Plug the appliances into one of the other socket circuits in the house.
If the RCD pops again unplug it and open it up.
A cable Probably came loose in the move.
If they dont trip the RCD in a different circuit.Leave the RCD off and open all sockets on the kitchen circuit.
Check that all socket terminals are tight.
Check that no cable was caught by the socket screws when Screwed up by the so called sparky that was there before you.
Once all are tight and screwed back up securely,put the RCD back up and try again.
If it pops again Check all cable connections in the fuse board.
If you dont want to go that far yourself dont call me..Im too dear.Do like a good mug of tea though!!!
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 10:48 PM
If your willing to travel from ireland for a mug of tea bargan lol, its a brand new circut that been put in the utillity room were the dryer is as there was never any power in there
Danny mul
17-12-12, 11:00 PM
It may be the circuit then.
Try the appliances in another circuit first though.
An RCD trips when it detects a voltage drop(Loose connection/Short circuit)
There is a separate neutral bar on the fuse board for the RCD.
Thats to keep light and any switch able supply away from the RCD as in theory the slight voltage drop in switching your lights on could trip the RCD.
A common mistake by DIYers and bad sparks.
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 11:05 PM
Thanks matey i will drag it into the kitchen tomorrow
Danny mul
17-12-12, 11:12 PM
No worries.
Keep us posted.
Make sure the power is off if your sticking your hand into appliances/sockets and fuse boards!!!!!!!
Just in case sure you would!
If your not sure of anything take some pics and pm them to me:thumb:
chrisd1986
17-12-12, 11:21 PM
Nice1 pal, i wouldnt dream of doing it if it was plugged in anyway hahaha.
no, much in the same way an elephant and a fire engine have different names....because they are different.
yet they both are able to squirt water quite a good distance.....hmmmmm
http://rureppin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/The_Day_The_Fire_Brigade_Went_on_Strike.jpg
OP, try a fully wound out extn lead to another socket in the house to see if the socket you are using is causing it.
if that doesn't sort it, then i'm afraid you need a sparky to make a house call.
chrisd1986
18-12-12, 04:52 PM
I plugged i a leccy lead from the kitchen to the dryer and all is well ive had it on a hour now full and no signs of tripping out
Danny mul
18-12-12, 08:03 PM
A circuit problem then not two bad.
What is an average call out fee for a sparky in UK.
Is there a difference from one end of the country to the other??
chrisd1986
18-12-12, 08:08 PM
Wouldnt know, landlords dad is a spark and that room was recently rewired. I will ring her tomorrow and tell her what ive done
Danny mul
18-12-12, 08:12 PM
Thats it at least it wasnt a faulty dryer so no cost to you.
Is it tripping the RCD and a breaker or just RCD??
chrisd1986
18-12-12, 08:13 PM
Just the rcd
Wouldnt know, landlords dad is a spark and that room was recently rewired. I will ring her tomorrow and tell her what ive done
even better.... no charge to you
Danny mul
18-12-12, 08:25 PM
Call out Mr Landlord so.
A good test to see If he is a good landlord that will get it sorted quick for you.
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