Tripping circuit.

psd99

psd99

psd99

Soldato
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7 Sep 2008
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hi all,

I believe it is the washer that is tripping the circuit but I am not wholly sure. It is more apparent when the washer is in full flow that the bedroom and hall lights and all the kitchen appliances and plugs appear connected as upon tripping they all go off.

could the washing machine be on the way out, I've plugged the machine into a different socket

what else could be the issue here? any tips on what to look at on the circuit? (wiring is approx 5 years old and the washing machine is this age also) relatively new build too.
 
In my experience is water related. So ether you have a very dodgy washing machine but that seems unlikely given its age or do you have an outside socket? Does it happen after rain?

I had a proper outside socket but the seal had never been done properly, when removed it had rain water ingress and this would trip the circuit.
 
If you think it is the washing machine at full spin then that would make sense, they use a lot of power at max speed but only for a small periods of time. Do you have anything else plugged into the socket with the washing machine?
 
Mine did this when the element was on the way out - there was a tiny split in it that meant water could leak through and short the electric. They're usually pretty simple to get to, so you can pull it out and give it a look over / test it with a multimeter etc.

You can buy a new element pretty cheaply but then the replacement I bought didn't last that long either so I just ended up buying a new machine.
 
peige said:
In my experience is water related. So ether you have a very dodgy washing machine but that seems unlikely given its age or do you have an outside socket? Does it happen after rain?

I had a proper outside socket but the seal had never been done properly, when removed it had rain water ingress and this would trip the circuit.
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no socket outside and never noticed anything about rain.

200sols said:
If you think it is the washing machine at full spin then that would make sense, they use a lot of power at max speed but only for a small periods of time. Do you have anything else plugged into the socket with the washing machine?
Click to expand...

I will double check, I'm thinking of moving it to another location temporariyl like another socket to see what happens then.

Pho said:
Mine did this when the element was on the way out - there was a tiny split in it that meant water could leak through and short the electric. They're usually pretty simple to get to, so you can pull it out and give it a look over / test it with a multimeter etc.

You can buy a new element pretty cheaply but then the replacement I bought didn't last that long either so I just ended up buying a new machine.
Click to expand...


I also think it might be a problem with the machine but for 5 years old it shouldnt really be like this.

if it is a problem with the machine then I don't think its worth repairing.
 
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I feel your pain with stuff tripping in the house, we had an issue where a shower was slightly leaking behind the tray into the wall which was trickling down into the hall light switch.

Took me months to figure that out, was causing all sorts of weird tripping problems all over the house.
 
If you have a socket circuit that is not RCD protected, you could run an extension lead to your appliance and see if it trips or goes away. Or, if the circuit is on another RCD, it'll trip that.
 
Unplug everything and run the washer, if it trips again the. You know where the problem is.

Washing machines are highly repairable and it’s normally very cheap to do so. The chances are it’s an issue with the heating element, even on a 5 year old machine. Hard water destroys heating elements.

An element is a £20 part on most machines and about an hour to swap. I had the exact same thing recently, washing machine tripped the power when it was ran. Swapped the element for a new one which fixed the issue. It’s an easy job and was only held in by one bolt.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Unplug everything and run the washer, if it trips again the. You know where the problem is.

Washing machines are highly repairable and it’s normally very cheap to do so. The chances are it’s an issue with the heating element, even on a 5 year old machine. Hard water destroys heating elements.

An element is a £20 part on most machines and about an hour to swap. I had the exact same thing recently, washing machine tripped the power when it was ran. Swapped the element for a new one which fixed the issue. It’s an easy job and was only held in by one bolt.
Click to expand...

yes i think its probably the element

did u replace it yourself?

how did u know it was the element
Was there water leaking somewhere? It seems to happen when the machine is running on full pelt spinning etc
 
lewism said:
If you have a socket circuit that is not RCD protected, you could run an extension lead to your appliance and see if it trips or goes away. Or, if the circuit is on another RCD, it'll trip that.
Click to expand...
lewism said:
If you have a socket circuit that is not RCD protected, you could run an extension lead to your appliance and see if it trips or goes away. Or, if the circuit is on another RCD, it'll trip that.
Click to expand...

Forgive me for my ignorance but surely wiring done 5 years ago prob means all circuits are on a rcd?

next time i wash the machine then i will use an extension and put the machine on a different circuit. That way if the issue happens again then i know its probably the machine
 
psd99 said:
yes i think its probably the element

did u replace it yourself?

how did u know it was the element
Was there water leaking somewhere? It seems to happen when the machine is running on full pelt spinning etc
Click to expand...

With mine when I took it out I could hear water sloshing around in it which was the first giveaway then I saw a little pinhole where it was leaking.

Also observe when the washing machine trips - e.g., if it only trips when it enters a heating phase that's most likely the problem. This is easier to test on an old style washing machine though with the twisty program selector knobs. If you have a more modern digital one you might have a spin/rinse or cold water only cycle that you could try.

if you have a multimeter check the resistance pretty simply:

 
psd99 said:
yes i think its probably the element

did u replace it yourself?

how did u know it was the element
Was there water leaking somewhere? It seems to happen when the machine is running on full pelt spinning etc
Click to expand...

Yes, replaced it myself. The hardest part was getting the old one you because of all the scale build up around the big rubber seal. There are loads of websites online to help you find a suitable part. Elements tend to be fairly generic between machines which means there is lots of choice. There was a choice of about 8 brands who make elements for my machine.

I didn’t have any water leaking but as soon as the machine engaged the element it tripped the RCD which happens right at the start of any cycle.

You mentioned yours didn’t trip until it went into full spin. Was this just once or have you replicated this more than once? Or does it just trip now anytime it’s turned on?
 
The RCD sees the combined leakage from every device that's connected to it.

I was getting nuisance tripping which I couldn't trace to an individual device. I suspected the washing machine, but it would never trip when it was the only thing connected.

I eventually fixed it by moving the breaker for the garage where the washing machine lived to the other side of the CU (both sides RCD protected).
 
psd99 said:
Forgive me for my ignorance but surely wiring done 5 years ago prob means all circuits are on a rcd?

next time i wash the machine then i will use an extension and put the machine on a different circuit. That way if the issue happens again then i know its probably the machine
Click to expand...

Most domestic consumer units will have two installed in a split. So one RCD will do half and another will do the rest so in the event of a fault you'll still have some power.

If the fault is an appliance you can prove this by shifting it to the other RCD which will give you the same result. Ergo, if the fault still happens with the appliance on another RCD you can rule out the appliance as the culprit.
 
Ok so plugged into a different socket and ring and the same outcome occured

this is a zanussi combined washer/dryer

It seems to trip when going into dryer mode also

so is it best to replace the whole thing or replace the heating element?
 
bremen1874 said:
How much is replacing the element going to cost you relative to buying a complete replacement? How painful would that cost be if it doesn't fix it?
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i looked online and that spare part is about £20

it looks relatively easy to replace
But i dont have a multi meter like i see them running tests

a new machine would be £380-450
 
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