Why rcd tripping

These examples are just some of the appliances that can trip your RCD and continue to do so, until the problem becomes constant and apparent.

Nuisance tripping is a hard fault to find as they often do not present themselves. Faulty Electrical Wiring. Faulty wiring can be another issue if you have ruled out electrical appliances being the cause of your safety switch tripping; faulty wiring could be another issue.

Old electrical wiring deteriorates over time and the insulation around the wiring becomes brittle and unsafe.

This is more common to occur in older houses that have black rubber insulated cables, split metal conduit or the old type cotton cables as the electrical system.

Most of the time the problem circuits can be repaired or replaced by a licenced electrician, Though in some situations the only solution to this problem would be to have the whole household rewired. If your home is only 10 to 15 years old, rodents eating into cables could be another source of the problem. If that was to happen in some cases it can then become unsafe. It is recommended that every month you check to make sure that your RCD switch is working so that you and your family continue to be safe.

If lights are also affected make sure to turn off all lights if possible. Circuit Breaker. Typical RCD. Blue TEST button at top right. Switch is in ON position, UP. All outdoor power outlets such as pool, water features, spa, sprinkler reticulation etc. All concealed power outlets dishwasher, gas stove, alarm, fridge etc. After all appliances are unplugged, try to reset the RCD by firmly pushing the switch up.

If it resets, great, now just plug your appliances back in and you may find the faulty one causing the trouble as the RCD trips off, for example as soon a kettle is plugged in and switched on. If you are still having problems resetting your rcd then I need to explain a few technical things to help you get it back on:.

Remember I mentioned you needed to unplug everything when sockets are involved, not just switch it off? This is because rcds trip when the live and neutral conductors are imbalanced. Some socket outlets only remove the live when turned off — leaving the neutral still connected. John Ward explains why rcds can trip when the circuit has been switched off. Look for Fused connection units which remove the live and neutral from accessories like bathroom heating, central heating and outside accessories.

Sometimes there is no isolation for electrical items. RCDs trip when they see an imbalance of appropriately 30 milliamps of current. The more items one protects; the more current is likely to be leaking. With this in mind, it can be a red herring for people when troubleshooting tripping problems without the test gear electricians carry.

If you turned the kettle on and the rcd trips; you would understandably believe there is a fault with the kettle. But, it could be you have two faults; you could have a leak on the oven and a leak on the kettle. When both in use it is enough to trip the rcd but not when used by themselves.

Intermittent tripping is the most difficult to diagnose. Sometimes electricians cannot find a fault whilst on site. Even thou the rcd has tripped that day. When did the tripping first happen? What happened around that time — if anything? The first thing I do is check earth leakage. I have a clamp meter which measures very small amounts of current. When clamped on the meter tails it measures the imbalance exactly the same way your rcd does.

If none of the above sounds like they apply to you, then you could have a nuisance trip problem. However, if it is something that happens constantly, even after the electrician has been out and given you the all-clear, then a good quality leakage clamp meter and some background knowledge can save a lot of time and frustration, not to mention your wallet. This becomes a problem when there are several appliances connected to the same circuit and their leakage currents combined exceed the trip threshold of the RCD protecting the circuit.

This causes the power to cut out unexpectedly, even when there is no actual problem to speak of.