Consumer unit trips but nothing is on (and house getting colder!)

Kernel_Sanders

I had a Volex Consumer unit fitted about 5 years ago which is very sensitive, in fact it tripped after an old microwave was switched on immediately afterwards. The electrician just said that was an indication the unit wasn't up to modern standards and therefore I shouldn't use it. Well, it's tripped over other things half a dozen times since but I've always managed to reset it, even 3 days ago when it happened in the night ( I thought it must be the freezer). However, last night it tripped again but will not reset. I'm talking about the switch that controls the power and lighting circuits, which is on when in the up position. It trips either immediately I push it up, or within 2 or 3 seconds. There's a small yellow springed button right next to it but it makes no difference if pushed. Every power socket and light switch in the house is off, as are the hard wired items. I must have tried 20 times since I got up and now I'm cold (no cavity insulation) and there's a freezer full of food. Is there anything I can do?
If I'm showing as offline it's not an indication of non-urgency, it's because I'm conserving the little power I have left in the laptop battery. I will log in every half-hour starting at 1.30.
Thank you for reading.

Grenage

Time to call an electrician.

If it's the Consumer Unit, you'll need one to sort it; if it's the cabling in your house, you'll probably need one to locate the fault.

cajef

Does it do it with all the switches in the consumer unit off?

If it is OK with them all off switch them back on one at a time until you find which circuit is causing the trip to operate.

Kernel_Sanders

cajef wrote: »

Does it do it with all the switches in the consumer unit off?

If it is OK with them all off switch them back on one at a time until you find which circuit is causing the trip to operate.

Thanks, I didn't even think of doing that! If the fault's on the downstairs power circuit then I could run the freezer via my 10m extension cable from the upstairs. I'll go try it now....

phil24_7

With all of the switches (MCB's presumably) off and the main switch (RCD) on. Push that yellow switch to check it operates correctly, it should make the RCD trip.

firefox1956

I had a similar problem a few years ago & it turned out by a process of elimination to be the freezer.
Seems that they a renown for causing this type of tripping.
HTH

Kernel_Sanders

It turns out it was the water heater circuit. This is very odd, because the immersion heater switch was definitely off when I went to bed and there was no one else in the house to turn it on.

firefox1956 wrote: »

I had a similar problem a few years ago & it turned out by a process of elimination to be the freezer.
Seems that they are renowned for causing this type of tripping.
HTH

I think it's because they draw a huge current for a couple of seconds each time the cycle fires up. I have a plug-in monitor that I believe to be accurate and it once recorded (as a maximum) over 5000 watts! Of course, it wasn't drawing it long enough to burn out the plug fuse, and the normal (start-up) current the fridge-freezer required was only a fraction of that.

ohreally

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

I have a plug-in monitor that I believe to be accurate and it once recorded (as a maximum) over 5000 watts! Of course, it wasn't drawing it long enough to burn out the plug fuse, and the normal (start-up) current the fridge-freezer required was only a fraction of that.

Is this an immersion element that's on a 13A plugtop?

Ectophile

It's may be that the casing of the heating element has failed and it is full of water. That would cause the breaker to trip as current leaks to earth through the metal casing of the element.

It's possible for an RCD to trip on a Neutral-Earth fault, even if the Live is switched off.

Heedtheadvice

Well Plus points for finding which circuit is causing the problem and getting heating and freezing back!

Not really a surprise as Ecto suggests as immersion heaters are prone to corrosion problems. It could still be the wiring to the heater though.

You are now in a position to get an electrician to investigate further and fix the fault. If it is the heater itself they are very cheap (plus labour/test charge).

Kernel_Sanders

ohreally wrote: »

Is this an immersion element that's on a 13A plugtop?

Hmm... when I mentioned the switch, why wouldn't you assume it's a corded one with glowing indicator?
Isn't it illegal to have it on a 13amp plug, even if it's on the water heater circuit? And even though it's drawing no more than a 3kW kettle would on the power ring?

Did you quote the wrong bit, which refers to a fridge-freezer?