New Wiring/Sockets/Switches Keeps Tripping :( Help Please

[Wrams]

Hi Guys n Gals,

I'm new here so have a couple of questions. Basically I had an electrician come out to my house and he ran power out to a concrette workshop I built a couple of years ago. Anyway I had 3 x fluorescent 5ft strip lights installed and 8 double sockets all running from an RCD consumer unit. The main supply comes from the house but passes through another 14ft x 16ft concrette shed. So in my infinite wisdom I decided I wanted to wire this shed up I know that the sockets need to be ran on a ring so placed all cables in the roof space leaving plenty hanging down to work with. I also added lighting cable at the same time. However my problem is this.

Everytime I plug something in the consumer unit trips, this happens with the sockets and lights. I've looked on the diagram on this forums and the sockets are wired correctly, however I can't work it out. The lights I am completely lost over. I have a single metal clad and double metal clad light switch but nomatter what I try they keep tripping the RCD. I am a complete beginner so need help that I will understand because the diagram that came with it puts me right off and looks to complicated.

I better add that I cut the main supply in half and connected it to a small consumer unit in shed 1 which works because my workshop (shed 2) is live and lights/sockets all work.

Hope I've made sense..?

Thank you for any help any of you can offer, appreciated

 

[securespark]

Sounds a bit of a lash-up...

Have you got your neutrals mixed up somewhere?

IE, a neutral on a non RCD busbar and a line from an RCD protected supply or vice-versa?

 

[Chri5]

Lets be clear.

You had a remote board/ cu with rcd in shed 2, you cut the feed to this in shed one and added another cu for shed 1.

So you have:-

Cable feed from supply (size and type please)
Cut cable feed on a junction box in shed 1 feeding new self installed cu with new light and socket (ring) circuit.
Shed as was / is

Is that correct ?

Please detail the volume and configuration of each shed cu regarding RCD type and size, mcb type and size,

Would you also confirm where the feed cable from the supply terminates and what earthing arrangement each shed CU has.

 

[Wrams]

Sounds a bit of a lash-up...

Have you got your neutrals mixed up somewhere?

IE, a neutral on a non RCD busbar and a line from an RCD protected supply or vice-versa?

I will be removing all boarding today what a pain thats gonna be. Once checked I can then get back to you on that question.

Thanks for your reply

 

[ricicle]

Sounds a bit of a lash-up...

Have you got your neutrals mixed up somewhere?

IE, a neutral on a non RCD busbar and a line from an RCD protected supply or vice-versa?

I will be removing all boarding today what a pain thats gonna be. Once checked I can then get back to you on that question.

Thanks for your reply

The mixed up Neutrals (if any) will normally be in the consumer unit !

 

[Wrams]

Lets be clear.

You had a remote board/ cu with rcd in shed 2, you cut the feed to this in shed one and added another cu for shed 1.

So you have:-

Cable feed from supply (size and type please)
Cut cable feed on a junction box in shed 1 feeding new self installed cu with new light and socket (ring) circuit.
Shed as was / is

Is that correct ?

Please detail the volume and configuration of each shed cu regarding RCD type and size, mcb type and size,

Would you also confirm where the feed cable from the supply terminates and what earthing arrangement each shed CU has.

Cable feed comes from a consumer unit in an extension on the side of my house which in turn comes from the main consumer unit from the house. The cable when measuring it 12mm thick and has very thick inner cable/copper inside in the shape of 2 core + earth. However I will double check that and get back to you.

You are correct regarding shed 2's supply being cut in shed 1 so I could take power from that main supply. I then installed a 2 fuse consumer unit from B and Q which has an RCD built in, when talking to the guy in B and Q what would work he did give me a rating and showed me which consumer unit would work and be enough for the sockets and lights.

Give me 10 minutes and I'll check it all out and get back to you on your specific questions OK.

Thanks for your help

 

[Wrams]

Sounds a bit of a lash-up...

Have you got your neutrals mixed up somewhere?

IE, a neutral on a non RCD busbar and a line from an RCD protected supply or vice-versa?

I will be removing all boarding today what a pain thats gonna be. Once checked I can then get back to you on that question.

Thanks for your reply

The mixed up Neutrals (if any) will normally be in the consumer unit !

The neutrals I've wired into the brass neutral block on the inside of the consumer unit, I hope you know what I mean by brass block...? Would that be wrong...?

 

[ricicle]

The neutrals I've wired into the brass neutral block on the inside of the consumer unit, I hope you know what I mean by brass block...? Would that be wrong...?

Is there circuits not protected by the RCD though. In that case you would have more than one Neutral block. If you connect to the wrong one you will always trip the RCD with an appliance attempting to operate as the current will not be balanced through the RCD.

 

[Wrams]

Is there circuits not protected by the RCD though. In that case you would have more than one Neutral block.

What do you mean in the post you just made, sorry my brain isn't working today, actually it's every day

 

[Wrams]

Here are some images to help in what I have installed. Hope this helps.

Let me know if anything is wrong, also the wiring in the conumer unit is messy but I would tidy it up one its corrct.

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Some of the images are blurry but my camera is playing up


If you want any other pics let me now.

 

[JohnD]

what wires are connected into the top of the RCD?

where are the incoming supply wires connected?

p.s. PLEASE isolate the supply to it NOW

 

[Wrams]

what wires are connected into the top of the RCD?

where are the incoming supply wires connected?

p.s. PLEASE isolate the supply to it NOW

Wires going into the RCD is brown which is coming from the main supply, blue is running into brass block which then has a factory fitted blue running to the bottom of the RCD and into the same brass block. Grey cable which is 12mm coming from left and right of the consumer unit is main power supply.

Other wires in the unit are sockets and lights I un-wired so are outside the unit.

When you sau isolate what do you mean...? I think I answered all your questions, if not I'll post or edit this post.

 

[JohnD]

Wires going into the RCD is brown which is coming from the main supply, blue is running into brass block

You say you have the supply brown going into the top of the RCD, and the supply blue going into the Neutral block?

That's wrong and can never work.

Both supply wires go into the top of the RCD. Nothing else goes into the top of the RCD.

In your pic it looks like you also have some other browns going into the top of the RCD, which is also wrong

 

[Wrams]

Here I have marked out more or less the diagram for you to see. Hope this helps.

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• Wrams
• 2 Nov 2010
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[Monkeh]

What you've done is wrong and will not work. I suggest you get an electrician to do the work properly.