Strange issue - Who can solve my 'tripping' challenge?

mainline · Feb 29, 2024

gingerrubix said:
Really? I feel like we may be onto something. If it turns out to be that combo causing the trip, what type of action would I take? Is it a fix from the energy supplier side or do I need a new board that's not susceptible to this smart meter triggering?

As @davesparks
You really need to do some testing first it could be there's a fault and without that fault being there it may not trip.

It this meter recent ?

gingerrubix · Feb 29, 2024

mainline said:
As @davesparks
You really need to do some testing first it could be there's a fault and without that fault being there it may not trip.

I appreciate that @mainline, but as it's been consistently tripping at exactly the same time each evening, if shoving an RF barrier between the two devices prevents it tripping then surely it points towards that theory of the smart meter triggering it.
Of course, from there we'd then redirect the focus to the suitability of the RCD/Consumer unit/smart meter.

littlespark · Feb 29, 2024

Its a dated MEM consumer unit... so likely the RCD has become more sensitive over the years. The electrician can perform a "ramp" test to find the threshold... ie, a 30mA RCD should not trip at half that... (15mA) but many of them are in the 20's

Rockingit · Feb 29, 2024

littlespark said:
Its a dated MEM consumer unit... so likely the RCD has become more sensitive over the years. The electrician can perform a "ramp" test to find the threshold... ie, a 30mA RCD should not trip at half that... (15mA) but many of them are in the 20's

I had some weird thing years ago with two RCD's on the same rail where a fault on the one would also trip the other. I finally put it down to them not having great internal shielding and as the field was collapsing in the coil of one the hysteresis was inducting into the other next to it. Something about how all those electrons gotta go somewhere...... But I find it hard to imagine that the regular cellular system would able to do that otherwise it'd be widespread and very much a known thing.

James · Feb 29, 2024

If you have an electric cooker / hob it is worth turning it off at the big isolator switch next to the cooker, see if the fault goes away.
it is one of the common causes of faults like yours.
as above, some testing really needs to be done but you might get lucky on that one.

snowhead · Feb 29, 2024

Rockingit said:
But I find it hard to imagine that the regular cellular system would able to do that otherwise it'd be widespread and very much a known thing.

It is a very well known thing.

There have been several similar ones over the years posted on here, originally Energy supplies wouldn't accept it was a fault, but if you search MEM RCD and "Smart" Meter fault you'll see some suppliers now remove the meter and replace with old type.

(P.S, you don't need the apostrophes on smart, that's just me refusing to accept something that's actually dumb and only responds to set oinstructions / commands being called smart)

mainline · Feb 29, 2024

gingerrubix said:
I appreciate that @mainline, but as it's been consistently tripping at exactly the same time each evening, if shoving an RF barrier between the two devices prevents it tripping then surely it points towards that theory of the smart meter triggering it.
Of course, from there we'd then redirect the focus to the suitability of the RCD/Consumer unit/smart meter.

It could very well be the smart meter but, If you have a fault that's causing high earth leakage, say 5ma below the trip threshold then yes you could very well cure the timed tripping by shielding the meter, but you still wouldn't know if you also have a fault with the installation.
Personally, I would check the installation first, but that's just me

timhoward · Feb 29, 2024

My only other observation is that PRS legislation requires the installation to be inspected in rented properties and according to the sticker on the board it's overdue anyway. So getting it tested will kill two birds with one stone.
It tends to be older consumer units that have the smart meter proximity problem, and the Square D issue is fairly well known. Changing the consumer unit to a modern RCBO unit has a number of benefits (not least that the RCD 'trip' is per circuit not for the whole lot, so you don't lose everything in a fault).

baldelectrician · Feb 29, 2024

I have had conversations with smart meter installers and MEM RCD's have came up

It is a known issue.

If you call the supplier you can ask them to poll the meter while on the call and see if it trips

They could also send a signal to the meter to put it in to dumb mode (no communications)

Require them to either move the meter or replace the meter with a dumb one

Vortigern · Mar 1, 2024

Slight aside but vaguely of interest/relevance. I installed an emergency/microwave sensor light in hallway 1m from a smart meter. Customer complained of the light switching on and off all night. Various tweaks resolved it was the smart meter. So there is definitely a strong EMI field coming from them. Had to ditch sensor light

Strange issue - Who can solve my 'tripping' challenge?

mainline

gingerrubix

littlespark

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Rockingit

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James

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snowhead

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mainline

timhoward

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baldelectrician

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Vortigern

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