Electric tripping

LunaD

We have a very strange thing going on.

I can have the dryer and washing machine on at the same time, run the hot water tap, have a dehumidifier on etc when my husbands in work and the electrics never trip. When he’s home at the weekend or working from home the electric trips off if we run the dryer and washer together. It makes no sense. His computer is on another ring he says so it can’t be that tripping if and even when we’ve turned his computer off if still does it when he’s at home.

When I run the hot rap upstairs it’ll trip the electrics if the washer and  dryer are also on. Again only when hubby is home, when I’m home alone doing loads of laundry the electric doesn’t trip even if I run the tap. 

The boiler, fridge, washer, dryer and dishwasher are on the same electric ring or whatever you call if. It doesn’t trip when the heating is on. 

I’m so confused. How can it only be tripping when my husband is home? Lol. I blamed his computer at first but it still does it when that’s turned off. But just now I used the hot tap upstairs while the washer and dryer are on and it tripped so it has to be the boiler when I run the tap even though that’s only happened since my husbands been working from home again, prior to that it never tripped off when I was at home alone with everything on. 

If it is the boiler doing it whenever I run the hot tap do I need a boiler engineer out or electrician? I’m falling behind on my laundry, I can only have the washer or dryer on now, not both at the same time. If 1 is on it’s all fine, nothing trips. 

Bendy_House

The only items common to all this tripping are the washer and drier? Ie, it never trips when one or other of these is not on?

Does it ever trip when only one of these is on? If so, which one? Or does it not matter?

Do you always have both running together?

You need to explain what you mean by 'trip'. What 'trips'? Is it an MCB or an RCBO? If you don't know the difference, could you post a photo of the tripper, please?

TELLIT01

If the only common factor is you husband, I'd consider trading him in for a new one and see if the electricity still trips :-)  Seriously though, if it only trips when he is working at home the most likely culprit is either his computer or the socket he plugs it in to.

FreeBear

LunaD said: I’m so confused. How can it only be tripping when my husband is home? Lol. I blamed his computer at first but it still does it when that’s turned off.

A computer will still draw power even when it is switched off. To be absolutely sure that it isn't the guilty appliance, you need to unplug it from the socket.

Bendy_House

Your husband could be a red heron. (I know...). The tripping could be due to the time - evenings and weekends.

The NatGrid is being adjusted constantly, and the demands in the evenings and at weekends are usually greater, so the voltage could be slightly higher = slighter higher current = tripping over the edge.

Can you clarify, please? It's not ALWAYS the boiler wot trips things? Sometimes it trips without the boiler being run, if, say, the WM, TD and PC are running?

And we still need to know what is actually tripping.

Section62

Bendy_House said:

The NatGrid is being adjusted constantly, and the demands in the evenings and at weekends are usually greater, so the voltage could be slightly higher = slighter higher current = tripping over the edge.

It is true about the variations in voltage (and frequency), but the fluctuations are relatively small, usually well within the statutory range (on which electical design is based), and for example a type B MCB is designed to trip at between 3 and 5 times the rated current - so if these appliances are on a ring with a 32A MCB then (assuming the MCB isn't failing) it shouldn't trip until the current gets up towards the 90+ Amp range. A small voltage fluctuation shouldn't be enough to cause a trip, unless the circuit is already being run well over normal current levels.

Really we can't offer much advice without knowing whether it is an overcurrent or a leakage type problem. (as you pointed out)

LunaD

Bendy_House said:

The only items common to all this tripping are the washer and drier? Ie, it never trips when one or other of these is not on?

Does it ever trip when only one of these is on? If so, which one? Or does it not matter?

Do you always have both running together?

You need to explain what you mean by 'trip'. What 'trips'? Is it an MCB or an RCBO? If you don't know the difference, could you post a photo of the tripper, please?

Hi,

Its only when both are on but it’s only been doing this when my husbands at home, never when I’m home alone. Never when just 1 of them are on.

Sorry, I mean the breaker switch for that area of the kitchen comes down on the wctdic RCD box is it called? We then lift that switch back up and it comes back on. 

LunaD

Bendy_House said:

Your husband could be a red heron. (I know...). The tripping could be due to the time - evenings and weekends.

The NatGrid is being adjusted constantly, and the demands in the evenings and at weekends are usually greater, so the voltage could be slightly higher = slighter higher current = tripping over the edge.

Can you clarify, please? It's not ALWAYS the boiler wot trips things? Sometimes it trips without the boiler being run, if, say, the WM, TD and PC are running?

And we still need to know what is actually tripping.

Sorry I meant to say it’s the switch for that ring of electrics on the RCD box I think it’s called. The switch trips off. I then have to lift it back up and it lets me, but later it’ll flip/trip off again on the breaker box. Just that 1 switch not the whole box of switches.

LunaD

TELLIT01 said:

If the only common factor is you husband, I'd consider trading him in for a new one and see if the electricity still trips :-)  Seriously though, if it only trips when he is working at home the most likely culprit is either his computer or the socket he plugs it in to.

I know, I’ve told him this never happens when he’s in work. I’m sending him back and requesting a new model, I think this one has faulty wiring: 😂

LunaD

 Well I just put the washing machine and dryer on, then went upstairs and washed my hands and it tripped the electrics as soon as I ran the hot tap. Photo shows what I mean, the switch for that ring of electric goes down so washer, dryer, fridge etc all go off. Boiler is on the same one too I think. 

If I have just 1 on, say the dryer and I run the tap it’s fine. But like I said I can run both and have the tap on and it never trips the electric box when I’m home alone lol. 

The photo shows one switch is down, it’s not that one that always goes down it’s the one to the right of it that switches down when the electric trips off. That one is always down as it’s unused. 

Section62

LunaD said:

The photo shows one switch is down, it’s not that one that always goes down it’s the one to the right of it that switches down when the electric trips off. That one is always down as it’s unused. 

The one to the right is only 16A. Which could easily be tripped by the combined loads you have on that circuit (but the OH shouldn't have any impact on it  )

You need to get an electrician in to work out why that circuit only has a 16A MCB, and then work out the best way to change things to stop the problem in future.

Edit: There should also be 'blanks' covering the empty MCB ways in the front cover of the consumer unit (next to the one tripping) - there are live parts just behind the cover which could be touched due to the blanks being missing.  Be really careful not to put fingers or anything into that hole, and ask the electrician to sort that out as well.