This discussion is locked.
You cannot post a reply to this discussion. If you have a question start a new discussion

Earth Leakage Current – How much is too much?

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
Hi All, I’ve recently started out and have my first customer with an intermittently tripping RCD and relatively high earth leakage current.  I’d appreciate some opinions on my diagnosis and thoughts on a solution that will guarantee to fix the problem and also be cost-effective.   Here are the details…
Installation:
Domestic, overhead PME supply
Consumer unit configuration:
80A Main Switch/30mA RCD combined (MK 7880s) feeding 11 MCBs i.e a single 30mA RCD protects all 11 circuits, date fitted estimate 1990.
Fault Symptoms: 
(1) RCD Main Switch trips intermittently, randomly (i.e not coincident with equipment or appliances switching on/off, often when no-one is home), infrequently but frequently enough to be a real nuisance as it disconnects the whole installation.  On average the trip occurs once every two weeks, but a month could go by with no trips then, for example, it may trip three times in a weekend.  Tripping has occurred in all weather conditions but more often in stormy weather.  This has been happening since the customer moved in six years ago.
(2) RCD trips very occasionally when garage lights (5x fluorescent tubes) or tumble drier are turned on – this is much less frequent than the random tripping described in (1).
Investigation:
Earthing Conductor and Main Equipotential Bonding all present and correct.
All circuits have Zs within spec, measured at far ends of circuits.  Insulation resistance test of the whole installation (L & N to E at 250V) gives 37kohms. 
There are no obviously faulty accessories or equipment and the installation is generally in good condition.
The RCD operation seems to be good; with all circuits disconnected it passes the no-trip test at 0.5I-delta-n and the disconnect times are 15.6ms and 11.1ms at I-delta-n and 5I-delta-n respectively; ramp test shows that the RCD trips at 23mA.
Earth leakage current (measured with an earth leakage clamp meter around the tails) with all MCBs closed and the installation “as found” (i.e nothing explicitly turned on or off) is 17mA.  A repaired ring circuit in the kitchen draws 6mA of the earth leakage, a garage circuit draws 3.3mA and the remainder is divided roughly equally between the other nine circuits (0.5 – 1.5mA each).
My Diagnosis: 
The installation is not unsafe.
The RCD is (quite severely) sensitised by the 17.0mA standing earth leakage current, it will trip when a further 6mA of leakage current is drawn. 
The fluorescent lights and tumble drier are likely to draw a transient earth leakage current >6mA when they start which explains symptom (2).
The random tripping, symptom (1), is being caused by supply side transients (or maybe even an intermittent fault in the overhead cable) and/or a high impedance neutral-to-earth fault somewhere in the installation.
Question 1:
What is the maximum level of earth leakage acceptable in any given circuit for it to be considered safe?    The 30% limit (9mA in this case) of 531.3.2?
Question 2:
How should I proceed to be sure of resolving the problem, and in a cost-effective way?
  1. Change the consumer unit for a split load dual RCD configuration – with careful assignment of the circuits each RCD will carry roughly 8.5mA of standing earth leakage, but will this give immunity to further tripping, maybe a three-way split required?

  • Change the consumer unit to all-RCBOs – this is expensive for the customer and I can’t give a 100% guarantee that the tripping will cease… how much earth leakage could a mains-borne transient or fault cause?  It has the benefit that, if I have missed a circuit fault, it will be isolated by an RCBO when it next occurs.

  • Get the DNO to check the overhead cable before changing the consumer unit.  Will they do that?

  • Chase down and reduce the earth leakage current?  Would you consider this a “faulty” installation? 

  • Any other ideas?

Any thoughts will be gratefully received, and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Parents
  • Also note the make and model of the consumer unit - you may (or not  ?)be able to get an RCBO to retrofit  for it, if say you find that it is just the outbuilding power that is touchy,

    Mike.
Reply
  • Also note the make and model of the consumer unit - you may (or not  ?)be able to get an RCBO to retrofit  for it, if say you find that it is just the outbuilding power that is touchy,

    Mike.
Children
No Data