rcd tripping on landing light!!

sparkyork · Sep 27, 2008

yeah i tried it again before connecting the new neutral from the board and it didnt effect it with the lampholder and been connected, i didnt use the old one tho it was a new one.

unless i was tripping out me self! im sure it did what ive wrote last night! with the bulb out it was still taking the rcd out, dont get it at all but hey ho its all ok now anyway! guess it was on of those un explained electrically mysteries!!

rumrunner · Sep 27, 2008

yeah bit strange ,all i can think of is the insulation in the flex or lampholder its self was breaking down ,and when you did ie test somehow it was clear ,had it happen with a motor once ,clear when cold ,dead short when running a few minuits,made me look a right tw@t ,because i insisted nothing was wrong with the motor ,never mind hey
it all comes out right in the end
well done anyway

tony.towa · Sep 28, 2008

Hi Rich

Glad the problem is solved. The other members seem to have covered every eventuality. Assuming that the cu is in a cupboard somewhere all I was going to say was that if you put all the lighting on one circuit you can stay in the cupboard and listen out for aircraft. If you hear any you know the landing light is on!!!!!!

Sorry just having a mad moment

jord35davies · Sep 28, 2008

I think I've got the answer to your problem. I had the same problem myself a couple of weeks ago. I did a consumer unit change and everything was working great until the landing light was switched on and off went the RCD. I had a faulty two gang switch to start with where as the brass screw wasn't really making a great connection with live(line) conductor. Secondly I had to remove the strappers that were there and run a new 3 core as a strapper. I then had to take a new supply off one of the bedroom lights to the landing light after that everything was fine. I spoke to an old spark friend of mine and He said it might have something to do with a junction box system and the junction box, chances are you would never find. Also be careful on the insulation resistance of the strapper. These new dual rcd consumer units pick up everything.

sparkyork · Sep 28, 2008

gotta say probably as well as whats been said in paul m's thread as well, that its a crap way of wiring stuff, fancy having 2 seperate lives in a ceiling rose, i mean fair enough they didnt have rcd's to worry about but what about the poor spark who's changing the fitting with the landing light switch off downstairs, he tests with his prooving unit and everything is dead, then someone turns switch on downstairs, followed by lots of swear words!

i couldnt find an easy way of getting down to the fuseboard under the stairs so had to put a length of yt1 in the kitchen to bring the neatral down and into the cupboard, dont look great but if they decorate they can always chop it in!!

i could of got to a feed under the landing floor boards but was more inclined to go straight to the board itself, what other solutions are there to this?? my understanding of the 17th and consumers is that lighting could do to be on seperate rcd's etc so if the customer didnt want remedial work doing to put it right then the board wouldnt comply with the regs?

also in some situations it may be easier to take a new twin n earth to the landing light switch and a 3 core down to the hall light switch, thus keeping things seperate.

ps Tony, i didny here any 737's approaching but i think that was cos i couldn hear out for the "clcik" "clciking" going on with the rcd's, was quite a cool break beat, if it was recorded and put on a loop, you could add some harmonics and there you have it a christmas numnber one!