Consumer unit keeps tripping

[Benchwayze]

My Consumer unit keeps tripping the main on-off switch, for no apparent reason. I am aware there must be some reason, but whenever this has happened before it was only the lighting circuit that went off; especially if the fault was a blown bulb. Twice during last night, it tripped both lights and plug circuits; and this us unusual.

I am calling in an electrician to check and ,if necessary, fit a new consumer unit. However, is there anywhere i can start, to check appliances myself, for faulty equipment; and will my 'multi-meter' show up any such faults?

I disconnected the latest addition to my home, (Table lamp) just in case.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Racers]

You need to switch each circuit in turn to find out which one is causing the fault, we have had things like the microwave grill element, a small leak in one of the central heating valves causing ours to trip.

Pete

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks Pete.

I think I will arrange for a new Consumer Unit right off the bat. This one is about 30 years old! Then I can safely leave it to my electrician pal to do the necessary checks as he completes the work.
As an aside, I am also thinking of having the unit moved into the porch, where I can get at it more easily in the early hours! Should have done that years ago!

Thanks again

J (hammer)

 

[sunnybob]

A very common cause of this kind of problem is simply a loose connection in the unit. Most often a neutral. But oi its 30 years old, bin it and start again.

 

[No skills]

I think new/upgrade household consumer units need to be of the metal variety as of the start of this year. Make sure your not getting a plastic one.

 

[n0legs]

Could you not just have the rcd module replaced and save a few quid?
Then get El Sparko to test the installation looking for faults.
If he finds nothing you've narrowed it down to an appliance.

 

[mind_the_goat]

As an aside, I am also thinking of having the unit moved into the porch, where I can get at it more easily in the early hours! Should have done that years ago!

That might be a big job, how many cables are running from it? Not sure if you are even allowed to add junction boxes to each cable to extend them, but even if you did you'd need to build something to hide them all. Good idea to upgrade it though so you get individual circuit breakers and RCDs. If you don;t have those already.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

What's tripping, an RCD or MCB ? i.e, is the problem earth leakage or overload ?

I second Pete's advice to try and track down what is causing it. It could be the breaker itself, but also quite likely the consumer unit is doing its job just fine, and you have a genuine fault on installed wiring or a faulty appliance, in which case a new consumer unit is wasting your money.

When I had a similar problem, it was the tumble drier; the insulation of the heating element had broken down. Thinking of what was on at the time it tripped may get you there.

 

[OLD]

The usual procedure is to determine which circuit is causing the trip so switch off all but the lights and if no trip, on with the ring main if that trips unplug everything if good, start plugging back in till trip. there are other possibilities/circuits that i am sure you can work out. So if its not an appliance you can point the electrician to the faulty circuit and save time and money .One last thing have you drilled the wall recently and maybe caught a cable.

 

[Dee J]

Its now considered bad practice to have the whole house on one RCD - its very inconvenient as you have found. BUT it is far more likely that it is tripping because you have a fault in the house rather than the trip or consumer unit is faulty. Switching off individual circuits doesn't always isolate the fault... individual MCBs (trips) or fuses only isolate the live, not the neutral - and neutral-earth faults can still cause the tripping. So you need to physically unplug appliances to remove them from the equation. Switch-fuse outlets with flex coming out will switch off live and neutral - so things like immersion heaters can be isolated as does the typical cooker switch.
Frequent fault types - cooker elements (even with the dial in the off position), immersion elements, water in any accessory (cracked outside light?)
If with everything disconnected you still get the fault the next favorite is animal damage in lofts and cavities. Only yesterday I was dragging out a mouse chewed cable from a customers house.
Anyway - you local friendly electrician can test the RCD and each circuit as well as any suspect appliances and should be able to identify the fault fairly quickly.
It's unlikely that you need a new consumer unit, but you may well chose to upgrade to avoid the total blackout situation. Re-positioning the unit may well add £200-300 to your bill though.
Dee

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks for the contributions. Touch wood, I haven't had a trip for 24 hours or more. I unplugged the new table-lamp I bought, (Which was on the ring main btw) So I think that might be a good place to start. The Sparks I use knows his stuff, it being his bread and butter, so I am confident he'll put me right. The last time I drilled a wall in this house was in dim memory!

Thanks again folks.

 

[Jacob]

We got brand new toaster from Sainsbury's but it trips the CB.
The fault with yours is almost certainly out there in the circuits or appliances - not in the consumer unit itself. But you never know!

 

[lurker]

erindoors moans when our ECB pops. difficult to persade her its probuably just saved her life.

 

[RogerS]

Sometimes I fervently wish we had a normal fuse on one of our lighting circuits. We have three lights in downstairs hall/upstairs landing and they use globe filament bulbs ...because aesthetically they are the right design. Trouble is that when they go, they usually do it in a spectacular fashion with the glass bulb dropping out from the metal part and then shattering all over the floor....duly tripping the MCB. So there we are, often in bare feet, glass all over the place.

I have sneaked in an LED globe bulb to see how it fares and Chief Designer has not noticed.

 

[mindthatwhatouch]

It's 30 years old, it's done its job, get a new one.

 

[Sheptonphil]

It's 30 years old, it's done its job, get a new one.

Referring to 'er doors or the consumer unit?

 

[Sheffield Tony]

It's 30 years old, it's done its job, get a new one.

It may well still be doing its job perfectly well.

What a throw away society we have become. I always hesitate to replace something old and still working. Most new things these days will never last be old ones !

 

[mind_the_goat]

What a throw away society we have become. I always hesitate to replace something old and still working. Most new things these days will never last be old ones !

I have to agree with the sentiment, except in this case, assuming there is no RCD protection, which I don't think we ever established. 30 years ago most appliance had switches that actually disconnected them from the supply, nowadays nearly everything has some sort of electronics that is often permanently connected to power, much of it built down to a price point. I wouldn't feel happy just relying on fuses or breakers.

 

[mindthatwhatouch]

It's 30 years old, it's done its job, get a new one.

It may well still be doing its job perfectly well.

What a throw away society we have become. I always hesitate to replace something old and still working. Most new things these days will never last be old ones !

I am not condoning a throwaway society, I repair and re use what many people throw away, if something isn't broke then don't fix it, but this is broke so needs fixing, the standards and normal practices/equipment 30 years ago were different to todays so may as well upgrade at the same time. These things do wear out and it is a safety device we are talking about. If the electrician is there checking/fault finding may as well change it.
Economically it has paid for itself, lets say the cost of a consumer unit is £100, or just over £3 per year so that seems reasonable to me. Technology (and what is acceptable to consumers) moves on. 30 years ago the norm was one pendant in the middle of the room, since then we have gone through fluorescent fittings to low voltage downlights, now the world has gone LED bonkers.

A 30 year old gas boiler would get changed even if it's still working properly. Would you drive a car if it was still on its original 30 year old brakes and tyres?

Most new things these days will never last be old ones !

I agree, (except for cars) but then economics plays a bigger part these days.