Was selling my cement mixer yesterday, and when selling, tried to show
it to the buyer working in the shed. when plugged in and switched on,
it just tripped the RCD. I reset it and it happened again. Finally
when connected to the house supply via extension lead i was able to
show him it working.

Why did the RCD trip. It wasn't damp or anything yesterday evening?

I now want to put a washing machine in the shed. Will this cause the
RCD to trip?

Thanks for any assistance.

In article . com,
wrote:
Was selling my cement mixer yesterday, and when selling, tried to
show it to the buyer working in the shed. when plugged in and
switched on, it just tripped the RCD. I reset it and it happened
again. Finally when connected to the house supply via extension
lead i was able to show him it working.

Was it a 2-wire extension cable?

The lack of an earth wire could have masked an earth
leakage fault that really was present in the mixer.

If that was the case then mixer may be dangerous and
it might be prudent to contact the buyer asap.

--
Tony Williams.

wrote:

Was selling my cement mixer yesterday, and when selling, tried to show
it to the buyer working in the shed. when plugged in and switched on,
it just tripped the RCD. I reset it and it happened again. Finally
when connected to the house supply via extension lead i was able to
show him it working.

Why did the RCD trip. It wasn't damp or anything yesterday evening?

Moisture somewhere in the eelctrics would be the number one susspect,
followed by faulty/degraded wiring in the mixers motor or switch gear.

I presume the socket you powered it from in the house via the extension
lead was not RCD protected? If it was then you could have a fault in the
shed wiring.

I now want to put a washing machine in the shed. Will this cause the
RCD to trip?

If you power other appliances in the shed do they work ok? If not then
it may be a problem with the shed wiring. So long as the shed is dry and
waterproof then there is no reaon why you should not be able to use a
device with a RCD.


--
Cheers,

John.

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wrote:

Why did the RCD trip. It wasn't damp or anything yesterday evening?

If it's an single-phase induction motor with a starter winding and
centrifugal switch, then dirt in the motor in the region of the switch
(usually at the back end of the motor) can lead to earth leakage.
Stripping and cleaning the motor might effect a cure.

I now want to put a washing machine in the shed. Will this cause the
RCD to trip?

Not if the machine is in good condition.

--
Andy

thanks for the replies guys.

The shed is RCD protected and was connected directly to the mixer. The
house is NOT RCD protected and was connected with a 2-wire extension
cable. The mixer was quite old.

I have previously in the past connected electric heaters and power
tools via an extension cable with no problems in my shed, as well as a
kettle etc. The mixer was quite old which could have caused problems.

I am due to pick up my washing machine at the weekend so will need to
connect it up and give it a try.