Kingspan septic tank not working

[devs]

Thanks and will do

Terry is U1 live or neutral?

Thanks, Steve.

 

[devs]

I have just checked the fuses within the Green Control Panel and one had failed. I've replaced this but it tripped out the consumer unit but did not blow a fuse.

Is there anything further I could do to trouble shoot before calling in the pros?

 

[Terrywookfit]

Is there any ingress of water on motor.
Disconnect l & N at pump MAKE SAFE. And see if trip still operates

 

[devs]

Great idea, thanks Terry. No visual signs of any water ingress.

 

[devs]

Okay so with the L & N disconnected from the motor the consumer unit does not trip.

Trust that this points to either the cap or motor.

I've got a new cap arriving today from amazon so will try that when it shows up.

 

[endecotp]

Is the “trip” in the consumer unit an RCD or MCB ?

If MCB, you could try measuring the resistance of the motor windings (with all power disconnected of course). The trouble is it’s not obvious what they should be (unless you have a “known good” twin to compare with, or took measurements when it was working). But a reading of zero would point to a fault.

Have you rules put damage to the cable?

 

[devs]

Hey endecotp and thanks for the help, the unit is RCD.

I've not ruled out damage to the cable but couldn't understand why it may have been damaged.

I received a new capacitor today a 3uf rather than the 2uf that was in the unit and when powered on the consumer unit didn't trip. However the disc still did not turn

I also called my spark as I realise that I'm running out of options however as expected he's not interested and referred me over to kingspan.. I can't afford there high call out charges and fees unfortunately. So must plod on.

I'm considering the following. Powering the motor directly via an extension. Just need to know whats live and neutral U1 / U2 on the below photo.

Or alternatively now that the unit isn't tripping I trust I could test directly via a meter. I would then know if power is being received / if the motor is a fault.

Whats your thoughts chaps?

Many thanks!!

 

[Terrywookfit]

It's A/C so it doesn't matter if l & N are reversed..
To check it measure volts on

L / N.......240
L / E.........240
N / E........0 or very low

 

[devs]

Thanks a lot Terry, will test tomorrow. Appreciated

 

[endecotp]

Look at the other end of the cable; it should connect to something with more conventional colours than what you have in the photo.

RCD tripping could simply be due to dampness somewhere. You could try disconnecting everything at the building end and measuring resistance between everything and earth.

 

[devs]

Thanks Terry, I'll need to figure out if I can measure resistance on my meter..

Something that I have just tested is: bypassing the green control panel to see if that was at fault but the RCD still trips when powered

 

[devs]

Okay I've just done another test.. and tried powering the motor directly in situ.

Firstly with the 2uf cap - motor did not turn. (I heard a slight electrical sound) > I then swapped the cap to a new 3uf cap and tested again. Still nothing and no sound.

Trust this would indicate that the motor has failed again?

Thanks, Steve.

 

[Terrywookfit]

Can you smell burning in motor JB.

Surely there is a local sparks with an insulation tester.
The one who has looked already is no Elect

 

[devs]

Can’t smell anything other than stench tbh

I live in a pretty rural area and trades people are few and far between and not interested in any tank issues they simply refer to Kingspan who have a hefty call out.

I’m the only person that has assessed this. Should it be worth me removing the motor totally and inspecting for damage / burning?

thanks again.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

May be worth your while removing the motor and dropping it to someone who deals with motors and/or rewinding and ask them to bench test it. I'd ask in the Electrics Forum first though, they may be able to help guide you through a test procedure to determine if the motor is faulty. Continuity test may be enough to determine if it's goosed or not.