Finding fault on socket ring

[SJD]

In reply to questions;
- it was tested with appliances still plugged in
- I wasn't given any test results
- Don't know if a ramp test was done or not

In terms of reconfiguring the consumer unit, any indication how successful that is likely to be and roughly how much it would cost?

If testing was only done with everything plugged in, it could just as well be an intermittent wiring fault, there is no way of knowing. Hopefully you didn't pay too much for what appears to be quite limited testing and no results.

My preference would be to locate the fault(s) - in either the wiring and/or appliances - and fix - but sometimes when intermittent, a fault can prove quite elusive. If you have a freezer full of food you don't want trashed, it might be more pragmatic to have that circuit on it's own RCBO - separate from the other 5 circuits - though if the fault is actually on this circuit it won't help, the RCBO will trip instead of the RCCB. An RCBO costs around £30 or so, depending on the brand, plus 1 hours labour might be enough to reconfigure this.

 

[Octopus]

If testing was only done with everything plugged in, it could just as well be an intermittent wiring fault, there is no way of knowing. Hopefully you didn't pay too much for what appears to be quite limited testing and no results.

My preference would be to locate the fault(s) - in either the wiring and/or appliances - and fix - but sometimes when intermittent, a fault can prove quite elusive. If you have a freezer full of food you don't want trashed, it might be more pragmatic to have that circuit on it's own RCBO - separate from the other 5 circuits - though if the fault is actually on this circuit it won't help, the RCBO will trip instead of the RCCB. An RCBO costs around £30 or so, depending on the brand, plus 1 hours labour might be enough to reconfigure this.

A very good point.

Fault finding like this should never be conducted with L&N connected together IMHO

 

[camerabloke]

Did he just test the sockets or the whole lot.?

 

[nickblake]

Agree with murdock here bet the RCD's goofed

 

[Pete999]

Do you have a boiler for the hot water/ C.H that comes on at on at pre set times? and does the RCD trip during the heating cycle????? can you try leaving the heating off and see if the RCD trips, could be you have a fault on your boiler, that is if you have one, or maybe the immersion heater is gone ----- up