sockets trip fuse box

[JohnW2]

Perhaps it would be a good idea to be able to isolate the washing machine without having to pull it out for future emergencies? regardless of whether it is the fault.

I suspect that the OP would now be one of the first who would agree with that - particularly given that it rather sounds as if isolation currently probably involves a lot more than 'just pulling it out'!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Adam_151]

It is still all a bit odd. For a washing machine (or anything else, come to that) to result in intermittent tripping of a non-faulty MCB (but not the RCD also in the circuit) would be pretty unusual.

I had one the other week where one of the rings was reported to be tripping the breaker, between that and me going to look at it, he also reported that it started tripping the RCD as well, when I got there RCD would not hold in at all.

Confirmed which circuit had low IR, disconnected it and re-energised the rest and went round and found what did not work. After some more digging traced it to a fused spur off the ring for the lights in the garage conversion, got the rest of the circuit back on after taking the outgoing out of this. Fault was found to be a cable to an outside light which had become damaged where it passed through the brickwork.

Spur for the lighting had 13A fuse instead of 3A

Multiple cores of the 3+E were damaged and blackened and the original fault must have been L-N before repeated resets caused copper deposits to build up to give a L-E fault.

Actually when I first tested the circuit, the insulation to earth was not a direct short, quite a few K ohm, and I did I admit attempt to briefly power up the circuit from a non RCD way, but it tripped off straight away.

So just shows how you can sometimes have faults which trip things off in a way which initially do not make sense

 

[ted666]

Blast. looks like i shall have to dismantle kitchen units and check the socket behind washing machine after all.....

Perhaps it would be a good idea to be able to isolate the washing machine without having to pull it out for future emergencies? regardless of whether it is the fault.

You could have sent this message earlier! I have checked the washing machine and guess what? Its not that. Everything is disconnected and its still tripping. what's worse, i put the damned thing back again and have just realised we are without a washing machine! I should have left the cable out to plug into extension lead. Its a bad day. I have arranged for an electrician to check it all out. I cannot believe its a wiring fault but something in the box. Otherwise they're going to be chiseling through the walls to get to the wires...what a pain. At least they're not tiled I guess.

 

[JohnW2]

It is still all a bit odd. For a washing machine (or anything else, come to that) to result in intermittent tripping of a non-faulty MCB (but not the RCD also in the circuit) would be pretty unusual.

I had one the other week where one of the rings was reported to be tripping the breaker, between that and me going to look at it, he also reported that it started tripping the RCD as well, when I got there RCD would not hold in at all .... Multiple cores of the 3+E were damaged and blackened and the original fault must have been L-N before repeated resets caused copper deposits to build up to give a L-E fault.

Sure, it's not impossible, but I would still say (as I did ) 'pretty unusual'. Indeed, in the sort of case you're talking about, unless the damaged cable is flapping about in the breeze or being constantly disturbed, it's hard to see why the 'initial' L-N fault should repeatedly clear itself, only to re-appear fairly soon.

What you describe is presumably far more likley (even if rare) with 3C+E (if there is an N and L 'on the same side' of the CPC) than with T+E - since, with the latter, it's pretty hard to get a L-N fault without the ('bare and waiting'!) CPC also getting involved and resulting in an RCD operating!

Kind Regards, John