RCD tripping

[abdulrahman42]

Hi All,

I am a little bit confused, I have just bought a house and the boiler and whirlpool bath are connected together to a 16amp breaker, I know the boiler should have its own supply but this is what I got.

Anyway if the boiler or whirpool is turned on, it trips the RCD. Ive disconnected the boiler and turned the whirpool on and vice versa but still the RCD trips. Ive checked the resistance on the appliances and both are good but they are old and my metre might not be great.

Ive put the supply to a 32 amp breaker just to see if the RCD trips however it doesn't and both work. Im confused about the fact that if there was an earth leakage fault I assumed it would still trip the RCD even on a 32 Amp breaker.

Am I missing anything as I'm not sure what to do next. Please Help.

Regards.

 

[davesparks]

There is nothing to say that the boiler must have its own supply.

Can you post some pictures of the consumer unit where the RCDs and mcbs are so that we can see what you have?
Moving the circuit from a 16A circuit breaker and onto an RCD only could be extremely dangerous as a circuit breaker and an RCD provide different types of protection.

 

[abdulrahman42]

I have not put it onto an RCD i Have put it onto a 32 amp circuit breaker.

i have put it back to the way it As I'm not 100% sure it's safe to put a boiler or whirlpool bath on a 32 amp breaker.

 

[Leesparkykent]

I have not put it onto an RCD i Have put it onto a 32 amp circuit breaker.

i have put it back to the way it As I'm not 100% sure it's safe to put a boiler or whirlpool bath on a 32 amp breaker.

Is the 32A mcb that you changed it over to protected by an RCD?

 

[abdulrahman42]

Yes it is

 

[Octopus]

Do you have any proper test kit?

 

[abdulrahman42]

Just a multimeter

 

[Octopus]

Just a multimeter

That's no use with the fault you describe. Time to get a sparky in I'm afraid to say

 

[Davisonp]

Is the 32Amp breaker protected by the SAME RCD as the 16 amp?

 

[davesparks]

I have not put it onto an RCD i Have put it onto a 32 amp circuit breaker.

i have put it back to the way it As I'm not 100% sure it's safe to put a boiler or whirlpool bath on a 32 amp breaker.

It all depends on the design of the circuit and the particulars of the installation as to whether it is safe or not.
It is certainly not safe to move a circuit with a known fault on to a larger sized protective device just to see what happens.

 

[abdulrahman42]

Is the 32Amp breaker protected by the SAME RCD as the 16 amp?

As far as I'm aware it is, But I will double check, If it's not then I assume there is an earth leakage fault is that correct.

 

[NDG Elecs]

I agree with Murdoch, time to get someone in. The fact that you changed the MCB to see what happens i.e. will the RCD trip, says to me that your knowledge is a touch limited. Not having a go, but we all have our limitations.

RCDs do indeed detect earth faults, correct. Out of curiosity it was the RCD and not the 16A MCB that was tripping?

 

[Octopus]

As far as I'm aware it is, But I will double check, If it's not then I assume there is an earth leakage fault is that correct.

It's bit dangerous to assume anything! You need tools and expertise to identify such a fault.

 

[David M]

As far as I'm aware it is, But I will double check, If it's not then I assume there is an earth leakage fault is that correct.

As Murdoch said you cannot assume anything. If the rcd only trips when the circuits are connected to the 16A mcb and not the 32A mcb then why would you assume its an earth leakage fault?

No offense but from what you have posted so far it appears that you have little knowledge in how mcb's and rcd's work and what their functions are in an electrical installation. You could be putting yourself and family at risk if you attempt to correct the problem in the manner to which you tried.

Get a qualified spark in to test it properly and to check that the circuits have been installed correctly. (that's my professional advice)

 

[GMES]

Op I think it is time to get someone more experienced in and let them sort it for you, Fault finding on a circuit by presuming and guessing isn't the way to go about it.
Maybe offer up your location and one of our members may be able to come and sort it.