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RCD tripping...

Tomgunn
Last Friday, (the 4th). Worked hard on house... stopped at gone 7pm, shower, cook, eat by 8.30pm. DING DONG!!!


Duh, answer door and next door neighbour... "my kitchen lights, and other things, all gone out!!"


Checked out the CCU in his kitchen and narrowed it down to the SWA feeding the garage!


Went to garage, chest freezer... could it be that simple? NO!


Noticed a 32amp fuse. Mmmmm? Only socket was a foot under the CCU. Wrong fuse for a 'radial?' Never mind.... keep checking.


Switch CCU off, RCD stays in! Switch CCU on, RCD trips! 9pm now!!!


Took a long extension lead from my garage to his.


Saturday morning, grabbed some tools and a tester... met by him, "it's ok, I'm with British Gas and they are now coming out!" WHY didn't he tell me beforehand????


British Gas man turns up. I told him there wasn't a problem with the freezer... didn't believe me.


Side of the British Gas van read... "Looking After Your World" / similar.


(Trying hard to keep this as short as poss!!).


Garage CCU is an old, (but modern looking), 404 Wylex. 


Tell's neighbour... "it's your CCU!!"


I butted in saying... "I doubt it!"


"Oh yes it is"


"Oh no it isn't!!"


He tell's neighbour, "I'm going on my holidays for this week... then when I return I have a weeks lot of works ahead so, I'll see you in two weeks' time and I'll replace the CCU for you then!" 


British Gas van... "Looking After Your World" haha!!


I asked... "have you checked the gland as I don't think it'll be the CCU?" He said he didn't have the time!!


I said... "you know that RCD's, (now... if anyone is going to pull me up on this then I got this info, about the RCDs' from this forum!!), have a 6% failure rating?"


He replied... "what does that mean?"


Off he went leaving my neighbour running a 40ft long extension lead, from his bungalow to his garage for, TWO weeks'!!


NOW, how many have had this type of problem with a 4 way CCU??? I turned it off and left, the night before BUT, my neighbour told me that the lights went out again, when I'd turned the CCU OFF! I just cannot believe that the problem is with the CCU. The British Gas man disconnected everything inside the CCU. 


He also told me that the garage had a 'ring main' and I said it didn't but some fool had fitted a 32amp fuse to a radial BUT, it turns out the DSO, a foot beneath the CCU was wired as a ring circuit! My guess is.., (and I remember some 30 years' ago this being fitted), the chap who fitted the CCU only had a 32amp fuse with him so he made this DSO a, haha, RING! 


So, any ideas or have you come across this before?


I'm chomping at my bit to see what's wrong but I cannot do this now, damn!


Either way, good luck everyone, hope all's going well!


regards... Tom











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  • 0
    kfh:

    I am with Mike in suspecting the SWA, while I have found a few faulty RCDs they had failed completely rather than becoming too sensitive. You have two weeks to do the testing to find the cause or you can let the BG man change the CCU and then be confused why it has not resolved the problem?.  But why BG would find it acceptable to let the problem  continue for two weeks while their man is on holiday would be of concern to me if I had a contract with them. 


    I found a sensitive mA clamp meter to be essential when tracing RCD issues but mine has started giving spurious readings so I have to resort to dead testing on the very odd occasion I get involved these days. ?

     


    Sorry to hear about your clamp meter!! I have one for earth leakage too BUT... it was gone 9pm and then when I went there, the next day, his daughter said I should leave it alone... I said something sarcastic and left!


    I'm with you two too, about the SWA... but, I wondered about the gland as well? It can only be a simple fault and, like you, you shouldn't leave a customer with a 40ft lead from your house to the garage where cars are driven over it / rain / snow... well no snow yet! ?


Reply
  • 0
    kfh:

    I am with Mike in suspecting the SWA, while I have found a few faulty RCDs they had failed completely rather than becoming too sensitive. You have two weeks to do the testing to find the cause or you can let the BG man change the CCU and then be confused why it has not resolved the problem?.  But why BG would find it acceptable to let the problem  continue for two weeks while their man is on holiday would be of concern to me if I had a contract with them. 


    I found a sensitive mA clamp meter to be essential when tracing RCD issues but mine has started giving spurious readings so I have to resort to dead testing on the very odd occasion I get involved these days. ?

     


    Sorry to hear about your clamp meter!! I have one for earth leakage too BUT... it was gone 9pm and then when I went there, the next day, his daughter said I should leave it alone... I said something sarcastic and left!


    I'm with you two too, about the SWA... but, I wondered about the gland as well? It can only be a simple fault and, like you, you shouldn't leave a customer with a 40ft lead from your house to the garage where cars are driven over it / rain / snow... well no snow yet! ?


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