Yesterday I woke up in the morning to find the ring mains all dead. A
process of elimination showed the fault to be the dishwasher, even when its
programmer dial and front-panel switch were at the off position - which
they'd been in since the machine was last used around a day earlier.

There was no fault with the 13A socket itself (it worked fine with something
else plugged into it).

Google suggested the fault might be in the dishwasher's mains RF suppression
capacitor, so I got the dishwasher out from under the worktop, and explored
it until I found the relevant wiring.

By then the machine was tipped up, for easy access, and because there's not
much working space in the kitchen at that point I had the dishwasher plugged
in (when needed) to a 13A extension cord running to a more convenient 13A
socket.

I couldn't then replicate the RCD trip. I also checked the wiring loom from
machine's body to door, and the water heater though I didn't think either
were likely to be the cause on a machine with switched off controller and
power switch (unless they were faulty too). I tried a bucket of water
tipped into the machine over the element as well. Still no RCD trip.

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

So, I feel like a fool for not checking the plug much earlier, but I also
feel some sense of victory for avoiding a call-out fee to a local repair
person whom I'm not convinced would have found the problem either.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to replacing "aaa" by "284".

In article id, Jeremy
Nicoll - news posts scribeth
thus
Yesterday I woke up in the morning to find the ring mains all dead. A
process of elimination showed the fault to be the dishwasher, even when its
programmer dial and front-panel switch were at the off position - which
they'd been in since the machine was last used around a day earlier.

There was no fault with the 13A socket itself (it worked fine with something
else plugged into it).

Google suggested the fault might be in the dishwasher's mains RF suppression
capacitor, so I got the dishwasher out from under the worktop, and explored
it until I found the relevant wiring.

By then the machine was tipped up, for easy access, and because there's not
much working space in the kitchen at that point I had the dishwasher plugged
in (when needed) to a 13A extension cord running to a more convenient 13A
socket.

I couldn't then replicate the RCD trip. I also checked the wiring loom from
machine's body to door, and the water heater though I didn't think either
were likely to be the cause on a machine with switched off controller and
power switch (unless they were faulty too). I tried a bucket of water
tipped into the machine over the element as well. Still no RCD trip.

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

So, I feel like a fool for not checking the plug much earlier, but I also
feel some sense of victory for avoiding a call-out fee to a local repair
person whom I'm not convinced would have found the problem either.


Look on the bright side your OK .. the Caterpillar bought it;(...

And as an additional bonus .. no repair call out fee...


--
Tony Sayer

Jeremy Nicoll - news posts wrote:
Yesterday I woke up in the morning to find the ring mains all dead. A
process of elimination showed the fault to be the dishwasher, even when its
programmer dial and front-panel switch were at the off position - which
they'd been in since the machine was last used around a day earlier.

There was no fault with the 13A socket itself (it worked fine with something
else plugged into it).

Google suggested the fault might be in the dishwasher's mains RF suppression
capacitor, so I got the dishwasher out from under the worktop, and explored
it until I found the relevant wiring.

By then the machine was tipped up, for easy access, and because there's not
much working space in the kitchen at that point I had the dishwasher plugged
in (when needed) to a 13A extension cord running to a more convenient 13A
socket.

I couldn't then replicate the RCD trip. I also checked the wiring loom from
machine's body to door, and the water heater though I didn't think either
were likely to be the cause on a machine with switched off controller and
power switch (unless they were faulty too). I tried a bucket of water
tipped into the machine over the element as well. Still no RCD trip.

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

Its the Underground Resistance! Bloody sabouteurs!


So, I feel like a fool for not checking the plug much earlier, but I also
feel some sense of victory for avoiding a call-out fee to a local repair
person whom I'm not convinced would have found the problem either.



--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

On Sat, 13 Oct 2012 21:29:58 +0100, Jeremy Nicoll - news posts
wrote:

Yesterday I woke up in the morning to find the ring mains all dead. A
process of elimination showed the fault to be the dishwasher, even when its
programmer dial and front-panel switch were at the off position - which
they'd been in since the machine was last used around a day earlier.

There was no fault with the 13A socket itself (it worked fine with something
else plugged into it).

Google suggested the fault might be in the dishwasher's mains RF suppression
capacitor, so I got the dishwasher out from under the worktop, and explored
it until I found the relevant wiring.

By then the machine was tipped up, for easy access, and because there's not
much working space in the kitchen at that point I had the dishwasher plugged
in (when needed) to a 13A extension cord running to a more convenient 13A
socket.

I couldn't then replicate the RCD trip. I also checked the wiring loom from
machine's body to door, and the water heater though I didn't think either
were likely to be the cause on a machine with switched off controller and
power switch (unless they were faulty too). I tried a bucket of water
tipped into the machine over the element as well. Still no RCD trip.

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

So, I feel like a fool for not checking the plug much earlier, but I also
feel some sense of victory for avoiding a call-out fee to a local repair
person whom I'm not convinced would have found the problem either.

I had something similar in the junction box that serves as a wiring
centre for my central heating. In my case it was a chain of ants
bridging live and earth.

--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%

Graham. wrote:

I had something similar in the junction box that serves as a wiring
centre for my central heating. In my case it was a chain of ants
bridging live and earth.

I had it with a slug that had climbed up the flexi from below the floor
into the back of a 13A socket.

Bill

Jeremy Nicoll - news posts wrote:
Yesterday I woke up in the morning to find the ring mains all dead. A
process of elimination showed the fault to be the dishwasher, even when its
programmer dial and front-panel switch were at the off position - which
they'd been in since the machine was last used around a day earlier.

There was no fault with the 13A socket itself (it worked fine with something
else plugged into it).

Google suggested the fault might be in the dishwasher's mains RF suppression
capacitor, so I got the dishwasher out from under the worktop, and explored
it until I found the relevant wiring.

By then the machine was tipped up, for easy access, and because there's not
much working space in the kitchen at that point I had the dishwasher plugged
in (when needed) to a 13A extension cord running to a more convenient 13A
socket.

I couldn't then replicate the RCD trip. I also checked the wiring loom from
machine's body to door, and the water heater though I didn't think either
were likely to be the cause on a machine with switched off controller and
power switch (unless they were faulty too). I tried a bucket of water
tipped into the machine over the element as well. Still no RCD trip.

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

So, I feel like a fool for not checking the plug much earlier, but I also
feel some sense of victory for avoiding a call-out fee to a local repair
person whom I'm not convinced would have found the problem either.


MM's black worms,must get around a bit.

Do you think it felt anything?

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________


"Jeremy Nicoll - news posts" wrote
in message nvalid...
Yesterday I woke up in the morning to find the ring mains all dead. A
process of elimination showed the fault to be the dishwasher, even when
its
programmer dial and front-panel switch were at the off position - which
they'd been in since the machine was last used around a day earlier.

There was no fault with the 13A socket itself (it worked fine with
something
else plugged into it).

Google suggested the fault might be in the dishwasher's mains RF
suppression
capacitor, so I got the dishwasher out from under the worktop, and
explored
it until I found the relevant wiring.

By then the machine was tipped up, for easy access, and because there's
not
much working space in the kitchen at that point I had the dishwasher
plugged
in (when needed) to a 13A extension cord running to a more convenient 13A
socket.

I couldn't then replicate the RCD trip. I also checked the wiring loom
from
machine's body to door, and the water heater though I didn't think either
were likely to be the cause on a machine with switched off controller and
power switch (unless they were faulty too). I tried a bucket of water
tipped into the machine over the element as well. Still no RCD trip.

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was
a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the
nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

So, I feel like a fool for not checking the plug much earlier, but I also
feel some sense of victory for avoiding a call-out fee to a local repair
person whom I'm not convinced would have found the problem either.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to replacing "aaa" by "284".

En el artículo id,
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts
escribió:

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

Wonder what the resistance of a charred caterpillar is? :-)

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

On Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:52:19 +0100, Mike Tomlinson
wrote:

En el artículo id,
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts
escribió:

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

Wonder what the resistance of a charred caterpillar is? :-)


My ants bridged the terminals in an arc, and I fancy if the current
wasn't limited to 30mA they would have glowed like an old carbon
filament lamp.

--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%

F Murtz wrote:

MM's black worms,must get around a bit.

I thought of them, as soon as I found the victim.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to replacing "aaa" by "284".

On 14/10/2012 14:26, Graham. wrote:
On Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:52:19 +0100, Mike Tomlinson
wrote:

En el artículo id,
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts
escribió:

Hmmm. Surely it couldn't be a problem in the plug? But it was. There was a
cremated caterpillar, about 1/4" long between the earth pin and the nearest
edge of the fuse holder.

Wonder what the resistance of a charred caterpillar is? :-)


My ants bridged the terminals in an arc, and I fancy if the current
wasn't limited to 30mA they would have glowed like an old carbon
filament lamp.

The current isn't limited to 30mA ;-)

(an RCD has no ability to limit current, only the duration of connection
when the current imbalance exceeds its threshold)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article id,
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts writes:
Yesterday I woke up in the morning to find the ring mains all dead. A
process of elimination showed the fault to be the dishwasher, even when its
programmer dial and front-panel switch were at the off position - which
they'd been in since the machine was last used around a day earlier.

Very often caused by the interference suppressor connected straight
across the mains inlet. When you open up the back of a dishwasher
for some other reason, it's not uncommon to find the suppressor
has blown up at some time in the past (often without taking out any
fuses or anyone noticing).

Given the large number of machines in use which no longer have them
working, I would just remove it (safely).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]