Cooker hood trips other circuits on fuse board: what's going on?

[Tom Oxford]

The hob igniter... is it a big (relatively) push button or is it a touch control?

Neither, it automatically sparks when you turn the know for the gas ring.

 

[Octopus]

I'll try again.

Op has it worked properly since the kitchen works?

 

[Tom Oxford]

I'll try again.

Op has it worked properly since the kitchen works?

The extractor has tripped those other two circuits for as long as I can remember but I can't swear whether it started as soon as we had the kitchen fitted or not, sorry. I can't think of any work that's been done or anything that's happened since the fitting that may have triggered the phenomenon. Ditto the hob sparking thing.

 

[Octopus]

So that's a no then!

Can you post a picky of your fuse board?

 

[Pete999]

Don't know if anyone else has asked, and my head hurts when I try to read back through the posts, but these 3 Electricians that have looked at your problem, did they leave any reportsafter they hAD

 

[Des 56]

A appliance on circuit 4 tripping circuits 5 and 6 sounds implausible
You have a cooker hood outlet that trips the up and down sockets,because it is located in the kitchen may not mean it is part of the kitchen ring

If it was wired into both the up and down ring (bridging both)it may be possible to operate a very low current appliance much of the time and perhaps cause tripping of one or both the Up and/or the Down Rcbos on occasion only,the imbalance of the trip may be within its threshold with just a fan

The hob igniter operating when it feels like doing so is very strange and other than guessing its some sort of capacitive charge across a faulty item then I would be at a loss to even consider this is real

 

[Tom Oxford]

So that's a no then!

Can you post a picky of your fuse board?

I did this already but it looks like the server move may have lost it so here it is again.

 

[Tom Oxford]

A appliance on circuit 4 tripping circuits 5 and 6 sounds implausible
You have a cooker hood outlet that trips the up and down sockets,because it is located in the kitchen may not mean it is part of the kitchen ring

If it was wired into both the up and down ring (bridging both)it may be possible to operate a very low current appliance much of the time and perhaps cause tripping of one or both the Up and/or the Down Rcbos on occasion only,the imbalance of the trip may be within its threshold with just a fan

The hob igniter operating when it feels like doing so is very strange and other than guessing its some sort of capacitive charge across a faulty item then I would be at a loss to even consider this is real

If I manually flick off the fuse for circuit 4 the extractor fan stops; not so with circuits 5 & 6.

When you say you would be at a loss to even consider this is real (hob sparking), do you mean you don't believe it happens? Cos it does!

 

[Tom Oxford]

Neither, it automatically sparks when you turn the know for the gas ring.

Obviously I meant "when you turn the knoB"!

 

[Tom Oxford]

A appliance on circuit 4 tripping circuits 5 and 6 sounds implausible

PS That's kind of the whole point! I imagine that's why 3 electricians have not been able to work it out...

 

[Tom Oxford]

Don't know if anyone else has asked, and my head hurts when I try to read back through the posts, but these 3 Electricians that have looked at your problem, did they leave any reportsafter they hAD

No, I don't think so, sorry.

 

[Midwest]

OP from what you've described, your faulty (possibly) cooker hood is tripping circuits 5 or 6, when logic suggests it should be tripping circuit 4, i.e. kitchen sockets? Unless the kitchen fitter, pinched a supply from the upstairs ring to feed the cooker hood?

Think the sparking hob thing is artistic licence, and too much wine when cooking

You could unplug your cooker hood temporarily, and see if that stops the fault.

Why don't you first try disconnecting the cooker hood by turning off at the wall switch you mention. This should be a double pole switch, which should electrically disconnect it from it's supply. If the fault not longer manifest itself, then you could start looking at having the appliance tested for faults.

This does not explain why the hood on circuit 4, is tripping circuits 5 & 6. Sometimes with the best or worse intentions, kitchen fitters deputise themselves as electricians, and can make a right hash of things, this of course is not true of all kitchen fitter electricians. If, as it already has been suggested, these circuits have been cross connected, may be one possible line of inspection.

I note that your fuse board is populated with MEM ALB321 mcb's. I don't believe you could purchase an MEM ALB321 RCBO (Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent)? You can however, I'm told, convert them to an RCBO, using a field fit RCD Pod. MEM are no more, but spares are obtainable from EATON, well not spares but replacements. Clutching at straws, perhaps these kits have not be assembled as per manufacturers instructions?

You seem to have some confidence & trust in the electrician who originally rewired your property. Why don't you see if he/she will come back and investigate these faults?

It is difficult to carry out fault finding from afar. The label on your fuse board suggest you are due an inspection anyway.

 

[Tom Oxford]

Why don't you first try disconnecting the cooker hood by turning off at the wall switch you mention. This should be a double pole switch, which should electrically disconnect it from it's supply. If the fault not longer manifest itself, then you could start looking at having the appliance tested for faults.

This does not explain why the hood on circuit 4, is tripping circuits 5 & 6. Sometimes with the best or worse intentions, kitchen fitters deputise themselves as electricians, and can make a right hash of things, this of course is not true of all kitchen fitter electricians. If, as it already has been suggested, these circuits have been cross connected, may be one possible line of inspection.

I note that your fuse board is populated with MEM ALB321 mcb's. I don't believe you could purchase an MEM ALB321 RCBO (Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent)? You can however, I'm told, convert them to an RCBO, using a field fit RCD Pod. MEM are no more, but spares are obtainable from EATON, well not spares but replacements. Clutching at straws, perhaps these kits have not be assembled as per manufacturers instructions?

You seem to have some confidence & trust in the electrician who originally rewired your property. Why don't you see if he/she will come back and investigate these faults?

It is difficult to carry out fault finding from afar. The label on your fuse board suggest you are due an inspection anyway.

Thanks, Midwest: all sound advice. I think I will get our original sparky back and run everyone's suggestions past him. I'm pretty sure he tested to make sure that the three circuits in question were properly independent of each other bu there might be something he hasn't thought of. You're quite right about an inspection being due too: I only noticed that when I posted the photo! Slightly embarrassing...

 

[Octopus]

You won't diagnose and fix this on a forum. You need a competent local spark with time, a mft and a clamp. Meter......

And money to pay them

P.s. I'm sure those are rcbo's

 

[Tom Oxford]

You won't diagnose and fix this on a forum. You need a competent local spark with time, a mft and a clamp. Meter......

And money to pay them

Fair comment. It's just that after having had 3 competent* local sparks draw blanks I thought I'd try a different tack for some input. Which I've got
* Though I guess some might measure competency by the ability to sort out the problem...!