RCD tripping straight after smart meter install

[jlisco]

Hello,

Firstly, I'm aware other people have posted similar topics on this forum, I'm not trying to create a duplicate, but more looking for advice as to the distance between my smart meter and the tripping RCD.

I had a smart meter fitted yesterday, and straight after the installation, the engineer called me in and said I had a faulty RCD or a faulty appliance in the kitchen that the RCD box feeds (I'm not an electrician so apologies if my terminology is off here).

Anyway, I flipped the switch back and it seems to be totally random on when it trips. This ranges between minutes to hours.

I decided to start trying to isolate the problem. I unplugged and turned off EVERYTHING in the kitchen except the fridge. This worked for about half an hour then it tripped. So I unplugged and turned off the fridge socket and plugged in the washing machine at the other side of the room. The same thing happened some time later.

I was then told if the appliance was faulty it would trip straight away.

Anyway, I'm currently trying to get in touch with SSE who fitted my meter to get them to check before I pay money to an electrician.

Why I wait, I was hoping to get some advice. Is my meter too far away from the RCD box to cause the trip? Also, does anybody know what RCD make/model I have? I'll attach a photo (smart meter highlighted in yellow, tripping RCD in red)

Thanks in advance

Edit: one other thing to add, the gas smart meter is about the same distance away off to the bottom right of the tripping RCD.

 

[pc1966]

There are two possibilities, first is that something has gone wrong with the wiring off the pink-highlighted RCD and this has only become apparent after the main power was cycled during the installation (or the RCD was stuck and now is free to report it by tripping). Given swapping the fridge for the washing machine made no real difference, it seem VERY unlikely both have similar faults.

The second likely explanation is the RCD is being tripped by the radio transmissions from the smart meter. Some older ones are known to be prone to this problem but I don't know which ones (not something I normally do).

That one is a Proteus, an own-brand from the CEF electrical wholesale outlet. They are not exactly top of any spark's preferred list though they are legitimate brand.

My suspicion is you will need to get in an electrician to check the circuits (for any insulation faults and/or too high leakage), but probably they would replace that RCD with a newer version of the same brand (to avoid replacing the unit - as such assemblies are designed and tested for the same brand's models). I would expect all new units to be better able to deal with RF transmissions!

 

[jlisco]

There are two possibilities, first is that something has gone wrong with the wiring off the pink-highlighted RCD and this has only become apparent after the main power was cycled during the installation (or the RCD was stuck and now is free to report it by tripping). Given swapping the fridge for the washing machine made no real difference, it seem VERY unlikely both have similar faults.

The second likely explanation is the RCD is being tripped by the radio transmissions from the smart meter. Some older ones are known to be prone to this problem but I don't know which ones (not something I normally do).

That one is a Proteus, an own-brand from the CEF electrical wholesale outlet. They are not exactly top of any spark's preferred list though they are legitimate brand.

My suspicion is you will need to get in an electrician to check the circuits (for any insulation faults and/or too high leakage), but probably they would replace that RCD with a newer version of the same brand (to avoid replacing the unit - as such assemblies are designed and tested for the same brand's models). I would expect all new units to be better able to deal with RF transmissions!

Thanks for the reply, that's really helpful I've had no luck getting through to SSE due to high volumes of calls (waited for 2 hours) but they've asked me to book a smart meter appointment before booking an Electrician.

Thanks for identifying the RCD brand. I actually work for CEF But my skillset ends with software engineering, lol. Appreciate the reply, I will update the forum once I get this resolved.

One last question, do you know if a faulty appliance would always trip straight away or can a fault with an appliance trip after certain durations? I know with it happening on 2 appliances like you said it's unlikely.

 

[pc1966]

One last question, do you know if a faulty appliance would always trip straight away or can a fault with an appliance trip after certain durations? I know with it happening on 2 appliances like you said it's unlikely.

Some are notorious for that, typically freezer de-icing heaters that only switch on occasionally so if they develop an insulation fault then the RCD is tripped at odd times and nothing looks untoward when the wiring or appliances are tested.

The fact that two appliances would need the same sort of random fault makes it unlikely it is them. There can be other explanations for bizarre RCD trips such as a N-E fault where it only shows up when something draws a lot of current, but not necessarily on the faulted circuit!

Your check so far in switching off appliances is a very sensible start, beyond that an electrician should do an insulation test on the wiring there (checking both L and N) as one of the first things to rule out.

What you could also try is to put off the two MCBs to the left of the RCD as that would isolate the L side of all related wring. If it still trips then it is either a N-E fault or more likely the RCD picking up the smart meter's RF. But that also removes some of the antenna effect, so if it stops tripping it is not the same as proving it is not RF, if that makes sense.

 

[jlisco]

Some are notorious for that, typically freezer de-icing heaters that only switch on occasionally so if they develop an insulation fault then the RCD is tripped at odd times and nothing looks untoward when the wiring or appliances are tested.

The fact that two appliances would need the same sort of random fault makes it unlikely it is them. There can be other explanations for bizarre RCD trips such as a N-E fault where it only shows up when something draws a lot of current, but not necessarily on the faulted circuit!

Your check so far in switching off appliances is a very sensible start, beyond that an electrician should do an insulation test on the wiring there (checking both L and N) as one of the first things to rule out.

What you could also try is to put off the two MCBs to the left of the RCD as that would isolate the L side of all related wring. If it still trips then it is either a N-E fault or more likely the RCD picking up the smart meter's RF. But that also removes some of the antenna effect, so if it stops tripping it is not the same as proving it is not RF, if that makes sense.

Thanks very much for that. You've been very helpful!

 

[suffolkspark]

Who's lashed that God forsaken SY in there I tried to stay on topic and ignore it but I'm not strong enough

 

[FUSEServices]

What happens a lot is loose connections after a smart meter install. They rive about on the cables and they can come loose at the opposite end of where they were working. They are not obliged to test "your" side of the tails so they don't bother. A loose connection like this can cause your RCD to trip. If this has only started happening since the meter install, it COULD be just coincidence, but more LIKELY its down to something they have done. Their work isn't always up to par believe me. They are on a fixed time / price so they don't hang about. Like others have said, if it is an appliance and you want to use a process of elimination, you MUST withdraw the plug fully from the socket outlet. Just switching the socket off could leave the earth and neutral conductors connected and still cause an issue. Appliances can still cause tripping even if they are switched off. It's only when the plug is fully withdrawn that the appliance is fully isolated from the system. When the RCD trips, it's only dead items that could cause a fault so anything that is still working such as your cooker won't be causing the issue. Finally NEVER let a kitchen fitter loose with your electrics. Sockets in cooker hood tunnels, sockets behind appliances that you cant get to, 4g extension leads under the plinth with the plug cut off and wired directly to the 32A ring final are far too common things we see, as is sockets left facing upwards, collecting water under a sink.

 

[FUSEServices]

Hello,

Firstly, I'm aware other people have posted similar topics on this forum, I'm not trying to create a duplicate, but more looking for advice as to the distance between my smart meter and the tripping RCD.

I had a smart meter fitted yesterday, and straight after the installation, the engineer called me in and said I had a faulty RCD or a faulty appliance in the kitchen that the RCD box feeds (I'm not an electrician so apologies if my terminology is off here).

Anyway, I flipped the switch back and it seems to be totally random on when it trips. This ranges between minutes to hours.

I decided to start trying to isolate the problem. I unplugged and turned off EVERYTHING in the kitchen except the fridge. This worked for about half an hour then it tripped. So I unplugged and turned off the fridge socket and plugged in the washing machine at the other side of the room. The same thing happened some time later.

I was then told if the appliance was faulty it would trip straight away.

Anyway, I'm currently trying to get in touch with SSE who fitted my meter to get them to check before I pay money to an electrician.

Why I wait, I was hoping to get some advice. Is my meter too far away from the RCD box to cause the trip? Also, does anybody know what RCD make/model I have? I'll attach a photo (smart meter highlighted in yellow, tripping RCD in red)

Thanks in advance

Edit: one other thing to add, the gas smart meter is about the same distance away off to the bottom right of the tripping RCD.View attachment 96647

Oh, and the use of SY cable (the silver braded see through cable) highlights a bad installer. SY cable is NOT approved for use in BS7671 and is completely inappropriate in your situation there. I suspect a rogue electric charging point company?

 

[jlisco]

Hello,

I promised I’d give an update in hopes it would help somebody else one day.

So, after much back and forth with SSE they finally sent out an engineer. Straight away the engineer said that it’ll be the smart meter causing the RCD box to trip.

He proved it by calling head office and asking a colleague to take a reading. When they did, it tripped.

He ended up moving the smart part of the meter as far away on the board as he could and it hasn’t tripped since.

It did take me filing a complaint to get this resolved as SSE were telling me I had to pay for my own electrician first. Eventually they agreed to look into it. I was also awarded £130 compensation as this went on for a good couple of months.

Hope this helps somebody one day.

Thanks

 

[pc1966]

Thanks for the update!
random words

 

[DPG]

Hello,

I promised I’d give an update in hopes it would help somebody else one day.

So, after much back and forth with SSE they finally sent out an engineer. Straight away the engineer said that it’ll be the smart meter causing the RCD box to trip.

He proved it by calling head office and asking a colleague to take a reading. When they did, it tripped.

He ended up moving the smart part of the meter as far away on the board as he could and it hasn’t tripped since.

It did take me filing a complaint to get this resolved as SSE were telling me I had to pay for my own electrician first. Eventually they agreed to look into it. I was also awarded £130 compensation as this went on for a good couple of months.

Hope this helps somebody one day.

Thanks

Many thanks for letting us know.

 

[swaRRR]

Is that a gas or water pipe? Cables have to be at least 25mm away if it's gas.

 

[jlisco]

Is that a gas or water pipe? Cables have to be at least 25mm away if it's gas.

Do you mean the pipe along the bottom that has the greenish yellow cables attached? I think that’s gas. The gas meter is off to the right where those pipes go.

I rent the property so not sure on the exacts, but my landlord does send out somebody to service my boiler and he does go into that area.

 

[LastManOnline]

He proved it by calling head office and asking a colleague to take a reading. When they did, it tripped.

Hope this helps somebody

Extremely helpful post.Smart meters have long been suspect.

 

[LastManOnline]

Is that a gas or water pipe? Cables have to be at least 25mm away if it's gas.

That 25mm distance is another meaningless regulation.The gas pipe is already part of the electrical system by virtue of been bonded to the MET.