Cannot get RCD test to work?

[HappyHippyDad]

Evening chaps..

I have just fitted some downlights in a bathroom and needed to give them RCD protection as there was none. I fitted the following:



The test button works fine and the unit trips when a fault occurs (touching neutral to earth) but I cannot get the MFT to test it for trip times which I need for the MWC. Its a fairy decent MFT and I've never had any trouble with it testing RCD's before but I have never tested this sort of RCD before, it has always been in the CU. I make contact with the live/neutral/earth of something which the RCD is feeding, I get the little 'tick' on the MFT and then it just wont test.

Am I missing something simple here? Is this unit tested in the same way as you would an RCD in a CU?

 

[iamelectric]

I agree with what you are saying , and this is a ridiculous question , I personally would feel ashamed of myself if I couldn't resolve such an issue myself ,

you will end up with a ban writing stuff like that

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Interesting thread which can be viewed in two ways.
1. It's an electrical forum and therefore there is no such thing as a stupid question,we all have to start somewhere.
2.Anyone selling their services to the general public should be able to fathom out a simple RCD testing issue.

Take your choice but each are equally valid points of view IMHO.

 

[Silly Sausage]

In addition to Howards post above ^^^^ Have you tested the ELI prior to fitting the RCD ?, because if the earth loop is high resistance/non-existent, the tester will inhibit the test if the CPC rises above a pre-set touch voltage, usually set @ 50V, some testers allow this to be set @ 25V, so check this too.

What, in your opinion, would be the top limit for the ELFI need to be, to cause the tester not performing the test?
I'm thinking along the lines of how would you test an RCD on a TT installation.

 

[Knobhead]

I’ve questioned the OP’s competence before. The fact he’s going in to unsuspecting peoples homes makes my blood run cold.

If any of you care to check on his history on here you will see and agree with Glenn.

Nice fella or not, he’s a liability.

 

[spark 68]

What, in your opinion, would be the top limit for the ELFI need to be, to cause the tester not performing the test?
I'm thinking along the lines of how would you test an RCD on a TT installation.

I was thinking on the lines of the CPC of the circuit in question being open circuit altogether Archie, or certainly higher than the 1667 ohms (assuming 30mA RCD and a Ut of 50V) before the meter inhibits the test @ X1, about 3.4 k ohms would inhibit the test at 1/2 Idn, also some meters allow Ut to be set @ 25V.

Sometimes it is easy to miss the obvious, especially if you get into a "one track" thought process.

 

[Silly Sausage]

Hmmm, cheers SixtyEight.
I think I need to look into how an MFT actually performs an RCD test!

Sometimes it is easy to miss what one is actually doing!

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I’ve questioned the OP’s competence before. The fact he’s going in to unsuspecting peoples homes makes my blood run cold.

If any of you care to check on his history on here you will see and agree with Glenn.

Nice fella or not, he’s a liability.

You are wrong Tony.

I am not a liabilty. I have the balls to ask the questions when many do not. My customers rate me highly and ask me back because I am a stickler for getting it right and doing a good job. My first priority is to do a good, safe job which adheres to the regs, second priority to enjoy it, third priority to make some money.

There are many silly questions asked by many members, you and Glenn then scare them off because you are both unpleasant people, they then do not post any more, hench I'm in the limelight because I stay. The ones that you have scared off then have noone to ask and may become dangerous or simply not progress. The electrician I sometimes work with has asked me to work full time with him in his fire alarm business as he says I do a much better job than other employees he has had, but I am interested in domestics.

You and Glenn should take a leaf out of MDF's book, he can see both sides. I would very much like to work alongside someone like MDF for a year or 2, I would then progress much faster but in the meantime the limited work (single phase) I carry out is safe and legal.

You are more than welcome to come and meet me rather than hiding behind a computer screen and I'll take you out on a few jobs if you like and then I'll take your comments seriously. Until then your blood can boil as much as it likes.

ps.. Bit disappointed I allowed myself to get drawn in.. grrrr

 

[Meggerman]

You are wrong Tony.

I am not a liabilty. I have the balls to ask the questions when many do not. My customers rate me highly and ask me back because I am a stickler for getting it right and doing a good job. My first priority is to do a good, safe job which adheres to the regs, second priority to enjoy it, third priority to make some money.

There are many silly questions asked by many members, you and Glenn then scare them off because you are both unpleasant people, they then do not post any more, hench I'm in the limelight because I stay. The ones that you have scared off then have noone to ask and may become dangerous or simply not progress. The electrician I sometimes work with has asked me to work full time with him in his fire alarm business as he says I do a much better job than other employees he has had, but I am interested in domestics.

You and Glenn should take a leaf out of MDF's book, he can see both sides. I would very much like to work alongside someone like MDF for a year or 2, I would then progress much faster but in the meantime the limited work (single phase) I carry out is safe and legal.

You are more than welcome to come and meet me rather than hiding behind a computer screen and I'll take you out on a few jobs if you like and then I'll take your comments seriously. Until then your blood can boil as much as it likes.

ps.. Bit disappointed I allowed myself to get drawn in.. grrrr

I reckon if I worked with "MDF" for a year I would become a lot better too....... at carpentry

 

[jackhammerJIM]

remember to wear a mask

 

[Marvo]

Okay, here's how it's going to work.

When a thread descends into handbag swinging and general bickering I'm going to go back through the thread and identify the posts that started it and the posts that caused it to escalate. The members responsible for those posts will be dealt with accordingly.

If you feel someone is out of their depth or doing something dangerous you're welcome to say, but, and this is a big 'BUT', keep it civilised and keep it polite. Insinuating you'd 'feel like a dick' if you'd asked this question is not acceptable. Calling them an 'idiot' is not acceptable. There's also lots of threads about the deskilling of the industry so keep general discussions about domestic installers or Electrical Trainee's in those threads.

Iamelectric, you need to stop addressing members directly with personal comments. If your 'bait' contributes to an already contentious thread going South then you'll get banned for trolling.

My best advice to one and all is read my signature and follow the advice in it.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Okay, here's how it's going to work.

When a thread descends into handbag swinging and general bickering I'm going to go back through the thread and identify the posts that started it and the posts that caused it to escalate. The members responsible for those posts will be dealt with accordingly.

If you feel someone is out of their depth or doing something dangerous you're welcome to say, but, and this is a big 'BUT', keep it civilised and keep it polite. Insinuating you'd 'feel like a dick' if you'd asked this question is not acceptable. Calling them an 'idiot' is not acceptable. There's also lots of threads about the deskilling of the industry so keep general discussions about domestic installers or Electrical Trainee's in those threads.

Iamelectric, you need to stop addressing members directly with personal comments. If your 'bait' contributes to an already contentious thread going South then you'll get banned for trolling.

My best advice to one and all is read my signature and follow the advice in it.

My apologies Marvo, I have added to the above by getting drawn in and calling 2 members 'unpleasant' which I regret.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Steve, remember, rhino skin unk:

 

[Richard Burns]

Not a particularly helpful post but I have had my Metrel fail to test an RCD before, I seem to remember there were no error signs up and was stumped for while, the bad bit about this post is that I cannot remember why it was not testing:sad:. It may have been to do with failing to get contact with the probes, but I do not think it was to do with the circuit. (though I have had it fail to test when the EFLI is too high on a TT).

 

[uksparks]

Flipping heck, what a thread!

MDJ, look on the bright side, you could have been really dense, but instead you are only medium density being MDF ;-)

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Thats not true, Glenn thinks the OP should Shadow a spark for a while to get more experience. Personally I really like Hippy he is a great fella, but glenn is right and Hippy would probably agree, nice fella.

yep..

Trust me guys...thats all it is..

it isn`t a vendetta against Happyhippydad....(see i even got his name right)...its just that some of this from him is base.

Look Hippy....if you were in the north ...round here i would have you along for a few days as & when .....

there....said it now.