Installed an RCD socket for a customer who needed it for a new fridge freezer. Fully tested the RCD, times fine, ramp test came up at 29mA. Customer called to say the RCD keeps tripping.

Advised her that the new Beko fridge freezer must be faulty. The fridge has been replaced but the tripping is still happenning. Any ideas? Two faulty fridges in a row seems a bit unlikely.

Can i ask why an RCD socket was installed and if there was any leakage between live and earth conductors?

I installed the RCD socket as there were no RCDs in the board and I was able to spur off the downstairs ring using surface trunking. No leakage between live and earth conductors.

Friges and freezers are not the best appliances to have on RCD protected circuits,if all the new wiring is surface then no RCD required for that and if the socket is dedicated for the fridge freezer,why not put a fused connection unit in?

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Regards

Dave(not Cockburn)

I did think about an FCU, but then cutting the plug off could be problematic if she needs a warranty repair? She asked for a twin socket, so maybe I'll replace the RCD twin socket with a single socket and label it for Fridge use only.

That would be the best thing to do i'd say! Also check that you have wired the socket correctly,

Dave.

It would be worth a quick check on the fridge too. We came across one a while ago that had a neutral - earth cross in the moulded plug of the mains cable fitted in the factory! I don't recall the make after all this time.

Regards,

Alan.

? ?

I have had both my fridge and freezer on a single 30mA RCD in my last three houses (total about 20 years) and never had either of them responsivle for a trip.

As before, check the circuit is wired properly, and check that the earth pin on the fridge's mains lead is actually connected to the earth terminal on the fridge!

Regards,

Alan.

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Those who make no mistakes do very little work!!......

I`d be tempted to try a few more appliances (assuming you`ve done all the metered tests) .

It`s either a faulty RCD socket (but if you`ve tested that is less likely) or its the fridge(s) or its a poor connection to the RCD socket and its the active (or do I mean passive?) type so with power loss it becomes unenergised and stays that way.

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Regards,
Ebee (M I S P N)

Knotted cables cause Lumpy Lektrik

Just a thought, I was called to an office where the SRCD was tripping now and then and it was found to be a mobile phone that was being charged from the socket,when it was being charged the phone was resting on top of the socket and when the phone was called the SRCD tripped. The small handshake that was transmitted when the phone was called was inducing a current into the coil of the SRCD and tripping it. Luckily I was there when the phone rang or I would have been searching forever.