Can any RCD be used in any consumer unit?

jksmoonflower

Have had loads of trouble with electrics tripping out, everything to right of RCD goes off when it trips( which is everything but lights and boiler). Electrician came out and said socket in bedroom was problem and disconnected. It still happened though and so then he replaced RCD. Two weeks later tripped again and couldn't reset and they replaced RCD again. It started tripping again almost immeadiatly and now five months later RCD gone completly - it went midnight last night when almost nothing on. Normally trips when using electric shower. It was a CLICK 80A 2 pole RCD and was all burnt out. They've now said we need a 100A RCD as if you use electric shower and say kettle at same time it will trip on anything less BUT they say CLICK no longer available and so they can't get one and have instead put 63A one they had in stock in. The consumer unit has click stickers on it and was installed in Oct 2006.
So, three questions - 1. can you use a different make RCD - sch a hager - in a click consumer unit AND
2. Should they have told us when they first replace RCD that we needed a higher ampage AND
3. Is this just papering over the cracks and should we actually be trying to find out why the RCD keeps tripping?

Any help or advice much appreciated

brutus1983

im an electrician id suggest getting another electrician in to sort the problem out when an rcd it installed it needs to be tested with an rcd tester to test its functional and not going to nuisance tripping

also sounds to me you have an underlining problem i cant see how your using so much current with a shower and a kettle

ic

A shower might be up to 45A (assuming 11kW shower) I think, whilst a kettle will be 13A - so plenty of head room for other appliances around the house if the RCD was 100A. Sounds like a fault on the circuit or an appliance you're using when it trips. At 63A you don't really have much overhead before it'll trip for other appliances in the house (really anything that heats - hob, hairdryer, oven, washing machine, dishwasher, etc).

fluffpot

The answer is no 3 - but I'd sack your 'electrician' and find one who actually knows what he/she's doing
An RCD rated at 63A will not trip at 63A - this is the max current it can handle before being damaged. However even with 11kW shower it's unlikely to be this - more probably loose connections causing heat damage

jksmoonflower

Thankyou - can you tell me if any RCD can be put into any consumer unit. The old RCd is a lcik one and they've said they are no longer made so they put a 63 one in temporarily whilst theybtry and get a 100amp one but I don't see why a different make RCD can't be used.....can it?

jamesperrett

Different manufacturer's RCD's are physically different sizes so they simply won't fit.

A Google search turns up Click RCD's advertised at http://www.connectstores.com/P.E.D/sp_38279-10.html so it might be worth pointing your electrician in that direction.

I would also suggest that you call an electrician with better fault finding skills.

James.