Washing machine is tripping the house RCD

[treezleef]

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Hi,
Do you know why our washing machine is tripping the RCD?......it works for a bit, then the RCD trips......the other L-N breaker doesnt trip.

 

[SJD]

First guess is lots of earth leakage on a certain part of the cycle, e.g. when pump starts, or heater starts, etc. Try it on another circuit (plug into socket on a different circuit & RCD, assuming you have more than one socket circuit). If it now trips the other circuit, then either have someone look/repair the machine, or just buy a new one (often cheaper nowadays).

 

[brianmoooore]

If it always stops at the same part of the wash cycle, then, as above. If it's more random, then it could be a minor internal water leak, dripping water into the electrics.
Another possibility is that there's nothing wrong with the washing machine at all, and the problem is a neutral to earth fault on a completely different circuit, served by the same RCD. Washing machine just provides the current surge to shunt enough current through the actual fault, to trip the RCD.

 

[timhoward]

Another thing you can try yourself is to try and trigger the RCD with the washing machine unplugged / isolated.
If you plug in a fan heater or hair dryer to a circuit protected by the same RCD, and the RCD trips then it proves the issue is elsewhere and the washing machine just happens to be the thing sending current through the fault to cause a trip. If the RCD doesn't trip then it's pointing to the appliance.
If you call a decent sparks in, then within hour 1 they should be able to discover whether the problem is with fixed wiring (and if so, which circuit) or the appliance.

 

[James]

Another thing you can try yourself is to try and trigger the RCD with the washing machine unplugged / isolated.
If you plug in a fan heater or hair dryer to a circuit protected by the same RCD, and the RCD trips then it proves the issue is elsewhere and the washing machine just happens to be the thing sending current through the fault to cause a trip. If the RCD doesn't trip then it's pointing to the appliance.
If you call a decent sparks in, then within hour 1 they should be able to discover whether the problem is with fixed wiring (and if so, which circuit) or the appliance.

Good idea, if possible try the socket the washing machine is plugged into