Why does my electric keeps tripping

[Tan1992]

Hi, I'm hoping you can help me as I it's driving me insane!

So my electric keeps tripping when I plug my dryer in, now I know it's not a faulty dryer because it's the 3rd we've tried and it worked perfectly fine at a friend's for a week. My partner plugged a drill in last night and it tripped but worked after resetting the fuse board. The fuse board has an rcd if that helps any?

I have just un plugged everything and then tried plugging dryer in and it still tripped, whyyy is it doing this? I've tried it in different sockets, even a different room and still the same turn it in wait a few seconds and the whole electric has tripped.

Any help would he great appreciated. Tia

 

[Pete999]

Have you had the dryer checked out? or the electrics in your house.

 

[littlespark]

If it worked at your friends, maybe they don’t have an rcd?

rcd’s are much more sensitive and work differently to circuit breakers and fuses.

 

[Tan1992]

Have you had the dryer checked out? or the electrics in your house.

I had the electrician come out who said electrics are fine but the dryer was at a friend's at the time so wasn't checked over but it was working fine at my fiends.

 

[telectrix]

colild be a N-E fault on a different circuit. soon as a load is applied, even on a different RCD, the relevant RCD trips.

 

[Tan1992]

colild be a N-E fault on a different circuit. soon as a load is applied, even on a different RCD, the relevant RCD trips.

Errmn I have no idea what that means ? none of the individual switches go down its just the main one at the end

 

[telectrix]

any fault can cause a RCD to trip if for some reason it sees an imbalance. leakage could be on a totally different circuit, maybe through parallel paths ( gas/water. bonds.)

 

[Tan1992]

any fault can cause a RCD to trip if for some reason it sees an imbalance. leakage could be on a totally different circuit, maybe through parallel paths ( gas/water. bonds.)

Right OK, is there a way I could figure that out myself or will I need to get electrician back in?

 

[hosepipe]

Sounds like the RCD is tripping, which could be a fault in the wiring or the appliance. The only way to tell for sure is to get electrician in to test the circuit/RCD.

 

[Zerax]

Sounds like the RCD is tripping, which could be a fault in the wiring or the appliance. The only way to tell for sure is to get electrician in to test the circuit/RCD.

Post #4 says that she's already had an electrician out... who said "electrics are fine"

 

[DefyG]

Could just be a faulty RCD. Had one myself last couple of weeks that was tripping under 9mA
Or
It could just be that the accumulated earth leakage currents on the system is excessive for the RCD and that no particular item is faulty!

 

[Wilko]

Hi - if the appliance is not faulty then you have an electrical fault. Exactly what electrical fault I’m not sure from here, but testing on site would reveal it pdq I reckon. If a number of different appliances cause the trip then it’s not likely they’re all faulty at once (!), so you’re going to need another Electrician.

 

[static zap]

First thing , find out if your friend even has an RCD ,
try plugging the device into a seperate RCD socket if it trips for just that 1 device ..the finger of blame is currently pointing at the drier ,especially if it missed the test.

 

[Tan1992]

If it worked at your friends, maybe they don’t have an rcd?

rcd’s are much more sensitive and work differently to circuit breakers and fuses.

I will find out thank you.

 

[Tan1992]

First thing , find out if your friend even has an RCD ,
try plugging the device into a seperate RCD socket if it trips for just that 1 device ..the finger of blame is currently pointing at the drier ,especially if it missed the test.

I'm not sure what an RCD socket is but I've plugged it in different sockets and even a different room (I draw a line at trying to carry it upstairs ?) and the main switch tripped. Not sure if that's what you meant?

 

[littlespark]

an rcd socket is what it sounds like... an rcd built into a regular wall socket... so that oinly what is plugged into that socket is protected by the rcd.

An rcbo is basically an rcd built into a circuit breaker. The entire circuit is protected, but not the rest of the installation.

An rcd mainswitch is fitted into your distribution board and that one rcd protects a group of circuit breakers. You may have one that protects all sockets in your house, or you may have a spliut board, where there are two rcd 's covering half the house each.

It would be helpful to know what you have in your house, and what your friend has as well. From there we can maybe suggest some fault finding procedures

 

[Tan1992]

Could just be a faulty RCD. Had one myself last couple of weeks that was tripping under 9mA
Or
It could just be that the accumulated earth leakage currents on the system is excessive for the RCD and that no particular item is faulty!

I did have a dryer that was working fine until it broke but it was 10 years old so can't grumble. But that would mean the circuit isn't being overloaded right?

an rcd socket is what it sounds like... an rcd built into a regular wall socket... so that oinly what is plugged into that socket is protected by the rcd.

An rcbo is basically an rcd built into a circuit breaker. The entire circuit is protected, but not the rest of the installation.

An rcd mainswitch is fitted into your distribution board and that one rcd protects a group of circuit breakers. You may have one that protects all sockets in your house, or you may have a spliut board, where there are two rcd 's covering half the house each.

It would be helpful to know what you have in your house, and what your friend has as well. From there we can maybe suggest some fault finding procedures

an rcd socket is what it sounds like... an rcd built into a regular wall socket... so that oinly what is plugged into that socket is protected by the rcd.

An rcbo is basically an rcd built into a circuit breaker. The entire circuit is protected, but not the rest of the installation.

An rcd mainswitch is fitted into your distribution board and that one rcd protects a group of circuit breakers. You may have one that protects all sockets in your house, or you may have a spliut board, where there are two rcd 's covering half the house each.

It would be helpful to know what you have in your house, and what your friend has as well. From there we can maybe suggest some fault finding procedures

Thanks for the reply, I have one rcd in my house and my friend has a split with 2.

 

[Ziggie]

Just unlikely but my least favourite thing is a freezer. While you unplugged everything - did you unplug fridge/freezers.

most of your sockets will be on a ring.
Did you try upstairs as well as downstairs as they are often on separate ring circuits?

Another circuit - could be an outbuilding e.g. garage.

 

[Tan1992]

Just unlikely but my least favourite thing is a freezer. While you unplugged everything - did you unplug fridge/freezers.

most of your sockets will be on a ring.
Did you try upstairs as well as downstairs as they are often on separate ring circuits?

Another circuit - could be an outbuilding e.g. garage.

Hi,

Yes I unplugged the fridge freezer and turned all upstairs off too as well as the loft. I have disconnected the outside sockets from the fuse board at the junction box.

 

[Ziggie]

Another thing that may be easy to try.

I had a socket RCD near a freezer and it tripped when I used a drill and it tripped the main RCD for the house.

replaced socket with a non rcd one and used the drill plugged into an extension cable with an RCD plug into the same socket.

all worked fine and no RCD tripped.
If you happened to have an extension cable with an rcd , it might be e we orth trying.