rcd socket

[richardmm]

hi i have the washing machine trip the rcd at the consumer unit it is normal rcd with 2 inside and all kitchen sockets together so this is mean the fridge also went off so i dont know if there is any power supply Is there a switch with built inside RCD I can add to the washing machine switch (the one above the counter)?electrician came inside and say nothing wrong this is earth leak which happens you will need new consumer unit? thx

 

[Jurassicspark]

The RCD will trip at the board first so it won't really help.

What other devices are plugged into the kitchen sockets?

 

[Murdochcat]

?electrician came inside and say nothing wrong this is earth leak which happens you will need new consumer unit? thx

Er what ?

 

[richardmm]

whatsapp i did to him he said "Multiple devices on the circuit causing earth leakage" so i need to replace the consumer unit but for renovation i was thinking this before as its old but i said no because i have other work carried out by people so i was just wanting to know if it okay for the additional rcd

 

[Murdochcat]

whatsapp i did to him he said "Multiple devices on the circuit causing earth leakage" so i need to replace the consumer unit but for renovation i was thinking this before as its old but i said no because i have other work carried out by people so i was just wanting to know if it okay for the additional rcd

Still a bit puzzled

Can you post a photo of your cu?

 

[ericmark]

You can get 10 mA RCD's, the general idea is they go up 3 times the value, so 10, 30, 100, and 300 mA, but I found a fault would often take them all out. Also, the test button on the 10 mA (Old MK) would also trip the 30 and 100 mA trips, and so many people used the test button to turn it off.

30 mA is required to protect personal, and 300 mA for fire, it is rare to see other valves today.

One can test the background leakage but, the meter cost me £35, so not every electrician has invested in one. We are required to test tripping times, so most electricians will have an RCD tester, mine also measures loop impedance, and will also have an insulation tester as the figures have to be entered in the paperwork raised, so can't get away without one, but for some reason I fail to understand, other than the model I have, most cheap clamp on meters will not measure 1 mA or DC, there was it seems to be a huge jump price to get a meter to test RCD leakage, this is changing, this first one

goes down to 0.1 mA at £40, but no DC and rated at 60 Hz, the second one 1 mA £27.54, so prices are coming down, but if you already have a clamp on, it's a lot of money just to check background leakage when you are not required to record it, it should be no more than 1/3 of the RCD's rating so 9 mA, but if you have bought one of these

which cost an arm and a leg, over £100 one can see why they would not want to return to using a cheap meter, never really worked out the advantage of a open jaw meter, my cheap one (£35) does me.

So to stop the freezer tripping with a fault with another appliance, cost me a lot of money, I have two double RCD sockets, supplied with SWA (steel wire armoured) cable around the outside of the house from my solar panel inverter which can use solar, battery or grid power to keep my freezers running.

It may be possible to have a dedicated RCD, be it in the consumer unit, or else where, but it needs to come from a non RCD supply in the first place, never understood the name, but the CU was called high integrity, and it had three neutral bars inside.

What we need to look at is if the old consumer unit has the bits available to get up to a better standard, in some cases, you can buy a whole new consumer unit for the cost to upgrade existing. And you also need to look at the background leakage, my whole house minus central heating and three freezers is being measured with first picture at 8 mA and that is spread across 14 RCBO's (MCB and RCD combined) I never upgraded the old house, and yes shortly before moving I lost two freezers full of food, which is why this house has 14 RCBO's installed.

But as it stands we have no idea what you already have, so can't look at cost to upgrade. Spare slots etc.

 

[JohnD]

When testing RCDs, I found the little ones in sockets, FCUs and garden adaptors tripped faster than the ones in CUs.

I hypothesised it might be because the parts were smaller and lighter and had less inertia

But you can't rely on it.

You could buy a garden adaptor, as used with lawnmowers and power tools and give it a try, they are not expensive.

But it is possible that your washing machine has a fault, typically an eroded heating element but sometimes carbon dust in the motor or general dampness on the circuit board. How soon after starting it does it trip?

Changing the CU will not repair that.

But it's possible that fitting RCBOs will reduce the effect of cumulative earth leakage throughout the house. What other circuits and appliance go off when it trips?

Your "electrician" does not sound very convincing. How did you find and choose her/him?

 

[ericmark]

The Isolator is a simple two pole switch, the MCB is an overload, the RCD checks in and out match so unlikely any current goes to earth, and the RCBO combines both MCB and RCD together.

The consumer unit (CU)

has progressed over the years, today few would use RCD's the RCBO is now normally used, that means you gain 4 slots, although two often used for the SPD (surge protection device, but to change the CU needs to be current. The kit

costs £26 and although these can be got to get all the bits, will likely cost more than a new consumer unit. And a Powerbreaker IP40 White RCD Twin Switched Socket 10Ma - Passive Type A comes in at £38.32 the 30 mA may be cheap but not 10 mA.