Nightmare of a day. RCD tripiing under any load

[brizospark]

Have had one of them days. I had a board change to do and a few other bits and bobs so everything was going great until I tried to put power back on.

Basically I have replaced a 3036 board with a split load Wylex board. One half of the board is working fine but the other half's RCD is tripping as soon as anything is plugged into it.

If I remove all plugs from sockets then the RCD holds but as soon as I plug anything in, kettle, sky box, TV, it trips instantly. On this side of the board is the cooker, 1 x lighting circuit and 2 x ring mains, funny enough the RCD isn't tripping when the lighting circuit or cooker is on.

Now I have checked that I have neutrals from correct circuits going to the correct neutral bar, several times and these are OK. I tried replacing the RCD itself with the one that was OK and it still tripped. What else is strange is that the kitchen ring is on the side of the board which is fine but if I plug anything into a kitchen socket the RCD which isnt even protecting this is tripping!! I opened up sockets and everything looked OK but it was getting late on so I replaced the offending RCD with a main switch I had in van just so the couple have power on tonight before I go back again tomorrow. Switched on with RCD removed and everything fine.

Anyone had experience with this problem before? Any advice much appreciated

 

[richy3333]

I only ever provide estimates for work. In the last few years only one customer insisted the estimate be agreed as a quote. (He was a nob). The job ended up being cheaper so I billed him the full amount. Glad I did as getting paid was a ball ache cox he's a tight wad. His CU needs upgrading - old Proteus job. Looks like I've taken the thread full circle.

 

[iamelectric]

a made the same mistake as the op the other week , ---- happens as long as you learn from the mistakes , ie: do all the test before and after cu change or dont mention any problems on here as you will get more abuse than help , the guys on here where pros all their life they didnt learn as they went , they just came straight out of college knowing everything there is to know . am sure nxt time you do a change you will do all the tests as its not worth the grief when it goes wrong

 

[Des 56]

Whether you do testing beforehand or not is entirely your own decision and two fingers to anyone who demands otherwise

The contention comes along when no testing has taken place,problems arise,which they can,and the installer then poses questions on a forum for faults that may have become apparent had prior tests been made,that action angers many


I can honestly say I never test anything before arriving on the job and giving a price.if problems arise.I sort them as part of the job
On the other hand,virtually all of my work is for people who are customers and friends or long term select builders,so trust is not in question

If you are doing work for customers who may be unaware of necessary work that may accompany a cons unit change,then it becomes very important to do some basic tests,both for you and your customers benefit

Surprises,both in work required,then costs incurred.it can be a very big bone of contention

 

[oldtimer]

The thing is when you do the job you pat yourself on the back as a good job done but in reality i call this a front end change so its the standard of the spark who did the job 20-25 years earlier so for me when I survey the job i takes some tests for me alone as one customer wanted a copy he said for his records but in reality it was to give other sparks to help cut costs .

Plus I got a few CU changes because as the customer put it you took the time to ensure it was ok so I don't mind paying extra

 

[Thefailsafe2012]

That's the way it should be oldtimer, wish more of our customers were like that!

 

[oldtimer]

That's the way it should be oldtimer, wish more of our customers were like that!

Thing is I am upfront and honest about it and the customer appreciates that plus for me its uneconomic to compete with the "Well this guy can do it £120 cheaper than you and he has not even seen it" comment so I say well ok looks like you have selected him then and sometimes the reply is well I would have preferred to give it to you but I don't bite and thank them for asking me

 

[Guitarist]

As I've said before, most of my work comes from people being happy to have me in their homes, even though my quotes are often higher than the other guys. I truly believe that spending a few minutes showing the customer that you are competent with your test equipment pays dividends, and 9/10 jobs I get are given to me there and then, accompanied by the words "well, you seem to know what you're doing, so when can you start?".