spanner wrote on Tuesday (03/02/2004) :
It has been doing this with an increased consistency for some time and
now it's starting to bother me. I had always thought it was the
electrics in my house causing it. Doubt it is though as the electrics
were redone only a few years ago. I have tried it in different plug
sockets with no difference.

Just to make it clear first, an RCD will have a small test button on
the front of it a MCB eill not. Someone earlier mistakenly called an
MCB an RCD.

Assuming either tripping, the plug top fuse would not have any bearing
on the problem, though it should of course be the correct size for the
appliance.

Tripping of an RCD part way through the cycle could mean a small amount
of leakage from the live to earth within the machine. A water leak, or
even water being splashed about inside would be enough to trip an RCD.
It could equally well be an internal wiring fault or similar.

To trip the MCB, it would need to be a much larger flow of current and
a serious short between L and N to cause it to trip. MCB's tend to trip
much more easily/quickly than the fuse in your plug top under sudden
fault conditions. The fuses tending to blow under steady over load
conditions.



It doesn't always trip power, but I would say there is a 50/50 chance
of it happening every time I use it.

Looking at washerhelp.com it sounds like I need to get it electrically
tested as there is likely to be a short causing it. Is this most
likely? I wondered if the fuse in it might not be correct, what fuse
should it be using?

BTW after I restore power it continues to work and never trips the
power again on that cycle, even though it does reach the same spin
speed peak as before.

Thanks.

--

Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (Lap)
http://www.ukradioamateur.org