Discuss 6KW Sauna tripping main breaker in house! - HELP? in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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Selena Francis

OK guys, I will give you as much info as poss so that you can offer advice:

I brought a second hand sauna, re-assembled it at home and wired the heater into 13a just to test it worked, which it did.

Ran a 6mm cable into a seperate RCD in our consumer unit - the heater kept tripping the GFI as soon as the unit was turned on. Upon the advice of an electrician we scrapped the heater and brought a new one.

Wired the new heater in (still 6kw) - same problem, the seller said this is an inherent problem with Sauna heaters and to replace the breaker with a 40a non GFI type, which we did.

A brief "Hallelujah" moment as everything seems fine, but sadly whenever the sauna starts to get warm, the main house RCD now trips.

Is this actually an inherrant fault with Sauna heaters? i did not expect a brand new heater to present the same fault, thus logic (of an electrical dumb----) dictates that maybe the fault present is in the wiring / earth itself. However this has been checked by an electrician and they say everything seems ok.

Hope you can all understand why i am baffled, annoyed and frustrated! lol

Any help or advice would be VERY much appreciated - i didn't buy the sauna to loo at it! ha ha :mickey:
 
needs a thorough testing. maybe the new element is breaking down when it gets warm. maybe you have some earth leakage on the installation and the sauna is just adding enough to cause tripping. a spark with thorough knowledge of fault finding is required. if you post your location, one of us may be close to you.
 
Be very careful using electrical equipment outside with no rcd protection. As above sounds like an earth fault get yourself an electrician who specialises in saunas and such like.
 
well this is the second heater, the first was old, so i didn't mind replacing it but it seems off for a brand new replacement to arrive and present the same problems?
any ideas?
for reference there is a junction box on the side of the sauna - heater wires into that and then the 6mm wire comes from that too the consumer unit.
Obviously i will send the unit back for a refund if you guys are sure its the unit?

- - - Updated - - -

needs a thorough testing. maybe the new element is breaking down when it gets warm. maybe you have some earth leakage on the installation and the sauna is just adding enough to cause tripping. a spark with thorough knowledge of fault finding is required. if you post your location, one of us may be close to you.

I am in Pembroke, West Wales - i don't fancy my chances of anyone being close but will live (post) in hope :D lol
 
ah yes, i should have noted that the sauna is located inside, not outside.
I am having trouble finding a specialist in yokalville (thats stupid for West Wales):(
 
if you can prise des56 away form his beloved sheep, you are in with a chance.
 
or try smoke signals. SOS = sheep, oh sheep.
 
a goat? now you're spoiling him
 
or you could try rolling a couple of lumps of coal down the valleyyyyys.
 
OK guys, I will give you as much info as poss so that you can offer advice:

I brought a second hand sauna, re-assembled it at home and wired the heater into 13a just to test it worked, which it did.

Ran a 6mm cable into a seperate RCD in our consumer unit - the heater kept tripping the GFI as soon as the unit was turned on. Upon the advice of an electrician we scrapped the heater and brought a new one.

Wired the new heater in (still 6kw) - same problem, the seller said this is an inherent problem with Sauna heaters and to replace the breaker with a 40a non GFI type, which we did.

A brief "Hallelujah" moment as everything seems fine, but sadly whenever the sauna starts to get warm, the main house RCD now trips.

Is this actually an inherrant fault with Sauna heaters? i did not expect a brand new heater to present the same fault, thus logic (of an electrical dumb----) dictates that maybe the fault present is in the wiring / earth itself. However this has been checked by an electrician and they say everything seems ok.

Hope you can all understand why i am baffled, annoyed and frustrated! lol

Any help or advice would be VERY much appreciated - i didn't buy the sauna to loo at it! ha ha :mickey:

Hi Selena , what make of heater and controller have you got ? Also you mention it now knocks the main RCD out when it warms up , do you know at what temperature this happens ? And at the risk of getting a good ribbing from the others ! What do mean by GFI ?
 

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