RCDs tripping during heavy rains

[ruston]

Nice selection.

 

[Mike Johnson]

So who is going to be first to tell him he needs a new CU because it has different manufactures units in it. ??

 

[westward10]

That's an interesting consumer unit not one of those protective devices should be fitted at that board.

 

[brianmoooore]

Nice selection.

Just what I was going to post! In a newish metal board as well.
Someone's been a bit naughty.

 

[meu10140]

It would be nice to know exactly what's causing the tripping, and whether a bodge can be done to stop it happening, but the basic problem here is electrical equipment of insufficient IP rating for the environment that it's operating in. IP20 equipment in a place that requires a minimum of probably IP43.
The solution is to change the environment, not the equipment, then the problem will go away.
It would be different if MCBs were tripping. That would be causing permanent damage, in the form of carbonisation somewhere.

Thanks Brian - and this is kind of what I was keen to understand also, as in the next 6-12 months I'm going to be adding an extension to the roof which will cover this area and change the environment as you say, so the more I can understand the actual problem and consequences, the better decision I can take on how to tackle it in immediate term. For example, if the problem is solved in 6 months when I've got it covered and watertight by new structure, and there are no other issues, then I'd be minded to just suck it up and deal with 1-2 short term outages in that time, rather than rip the place apart for fault finding or rewire.

And looking forward again, when the time comes that I do the extension, I'll likely change the CU for a bigger one anyway, one that meets 18th edition (I think metal enclosures are no longer required), add some more discrimination, AFDDs, etc. That's something I need to look at closer to the time, but with this issue now maybe it starts to become more pressing.

 

[meu10140]

Just what I was going to post! In a newish metal board as well.
Someone's been a bit naughty.

I live in Gibraltar. And although we work to British Standards, BS 7671 18th Edition, etc. the standard of the trades here is poor to say the least, with workforce coming from all over and poor regulation. So showing this to experienced tradesmen from UK, I'm not surprised at all that there are bodges.

 

[brianmoooore]

I think metal enclosures are no longer required),

You wish! We're stuck with them for the foreseeable, until someone comes up with an affordable plastic that meets the requirements.
One of the stupidest reg. ever introduced, IMHO. Much more sensible to have addressed the quality of the bits fitted inside the CUs, so that more reliable connections could be made. Never had poor connection trouble with old rewireable Wylex CUs.

 

[telectrix]

sort it all out with a tube of magic xpanding foam. messybut effective. ????

 

[telectrix]

You wish! We're stuck with them for the foreseeable, until someone comes up with an affordable plastic that meets the requirements.
One of the stupidest reg. ever introduced, IMHO. Much more sensible to have addressed the quality of the bits fitted inside the CUs, so that more reliable connections could be made. Never had poor connection trouble with old rewireable Wylex CUs.

agree. it's not the box is the problem.it's what's inside.

 

[buzzlightyear]

Nice selection

what a quality street box ,nice soft centres .

 

[buzzlightyear]

it's not the box is the problem.it's what's inside

I'm a Cadburys man me self .lol.

 

[Mike Johnson]

But may contain nuts.

 

[ruston]

I'm a Cadburys man me self .lol.Me

Me too. I used to love Cadbury's Whole Nut, full bar at a time.

 

[buzzlightyear]

Me too. I used to love Cadbury's Whole Nut, full bar at a time

stick a bag of Cadbury's eclairs if front of me ,gone in 6secs ,mmmmm.

 

[Pete999]

stick a bag of Cadbury's eclairs if front of me ,gone in 6secs ,mmmmm.

As Sloth in the Goonies would say "CHOCLOLATE MMMMM"

 

[Mike Johnson]

I thought that was "Chunk" ?

 

[buzzlightyear]

I thought that was "Chunk"

goonies fan then ,throw mamma of the rain .

 

[Pete999]

I thought that was "Chunk" ?

Nah Mate Sloth "Baby Ruth" Sloth loves Chunk

 

[pc1966]

For anyone that's interested, attached are a few images. The wall on which the CU is mounted is internal (bedroom behind), and roof terrace is directly above. Main water ingress can be seen at the top, and these are solid masonry

For a top floor apartment I am surprised to see outside lights and upstairs sockets listed!

While the underlying issue is clearly related to water getting in somewhere, you are right that an all-RCBO board would minimise the inconvenience of the fault by restricting what trips (and help identify where to look). Also that board is not pretty, and odd mix of devices that might be OK, but not all have the same bus-bar fixings, so you can have issues of poor connections if mixed.

If you have plans for extra things that would be best serviced by dedicated circuits then a new board with enough room for additional RCBO would be a good idea, also they usually have surge protection now (UK 18th regs) so that helps protect the increasing amount of electronics in a home.

The usual approach would be typical electrical detective work - insulation test each circuit to see if any look suspiciously low, then inspect switches / sockets / light fittings for evidence of water.

In many case PVC wire (once dry) is fine for a long long time, so you probably don't need a rewire if no damage to the cables has occurred (not usually water, more often rodents or DIY/builder damage, or occasionally overheating if badly designed/installed/modified).

But any accessories that have got wet are best replaced as they won't last long once corrosion has set in.