I have had a good quality consumer unit fitted within the last 18
months. Before then I used to have an old fashioned one, first fitted
when the house was built in 1989. The new one was fitted by a qualified
electrical engineer who I have known and trusted for years.

With the old one using the iron would now and again blow the entire
circuits.

The iron was replaced roughly at the same time as the consumer unit.

With the new one, which is fitted with MCBs and an RCD, when using the
new iron, the RCD will trip intermittently. Sometimes the iron can be on
for half an hour or so before it goes and sometimes it will trip almost
as soon as it's switched on.

Nothing else in the house causes this to happen

Before I call my electrician back, does anyone know if there is a simple
possible reason for this? It's such a pain having to reset all the
clocks/timers etc. Still I suppose it's better than dying painfully!!!
--
Kevin Sills

In article ,
Kevin Sills writes:


I have had a good quality consumer unit fitted within the last 18
[...]

Didn't you like the answers you got when you posted this yesterday?

--
Andrew Gabriel

On 29 Jan 2004 12:54:11 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Kevin Sills writes:


I have had a good quality consumer unit fitted within the last 18
[...]

Didn't you like the answers you got when you posted this yesterday?

Obviously not. Maybe they haven't taken the time to learn how the CU
operates and consequently,
(like most ignorant customers and dopey 2nd rate electricians), assume
that when the RCD trips then it must be at fault and can't possibly be
the appliance that's faulty.


SJW
A.C.S. Ltd.

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article ,
Kevin Sills writes:


I have had a good quality consumer unit fitted within the last 18
[...]

Didn't you like the answers you got when you posted this yesterday?



I'm sooo sorry, The original post, which was done on a hotmail account
which turns out was defunct, didn't appear marked up in my newsreader .
I wrongly assumed it didn't get through. Being an "ignorant customer"
I'll make Lurch's day I'll punich myself by testing the live circuit out
by putting a screwdriver in the socket...... oooh that smarts a bit!!!

Thank you for all the answers though.
--
Kevin Sills

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 14:56:04 +0000, Kevin Sills
wrote:

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article ,
Kevin Sills writes:


I have had a good quality consumer unit fitted within the last 18
[...]

Didn't you like the answers you got when you posted this yesterday?



I'm sooo sorry, The original post, which was done on a hotmail account
which turns out was defunct, didn't appear marked up in my newsreader .
I wrongly assumed it didn't get through. Being an "ignorant customer"
I'll make Lurch's day I'll punich myself by testing the live circuit out
by putting a screwdriver in the socket...... oooh that smarts a bit!!!

I'll let you off, this time!
That's the sort of thing that happens when you're involved with
Hotmail!


SJW
A.C.S. Ltd.

Kevin Sills wrote in message ...
I have had a good quality consumer unit fitted within the last 18
months. Before then I used to have an old fashioned one, first fitted
when the house was built in 1989. The new one was fitted by a qualified
electrical engineer who I have known and trusted for years.

With the old one using the iron would now and again blow the entire
circuits.

The iron was replaced roughly at the same time as the consumer unit.

With the new one, which is fitted with MCBs and an RCD, when using the
new iron, the RCD will trip intermittently. Sometimes the iron can be on
for half an hour or so before it goes and sometimes it will trip almost
as soon as it's switched on.

Kevin,

We've had the same problem for a few years now. Modern comsumer unit,
the trip would go about 1 in 3 times the iron was used. Nothing else
seems to throw the trip apart from the iron. I consider the iron to be
at fault. I've asked the ironong person to use it without any water
and the trip stays on. I can only assume that a faulty seal or
something similar has caused water to short the internal wiring. The
ironing person is apparently not happy at having to manually spray
water on the ironing but if it saves me having to go all the way down
to the garage to reset the RCD it has to be worth it.

Rgds

Noel

noel dot hegan at virgin dot net

On 29 Jan 2004 09:16:48 -0800, (Noel
Hegan) wrote:

Kevin Sills wrote in message ...
I have had a good quality consumer unit fitted within the last 18
months. Before then I used to have an old fashioned one, first fitted
when the house was built in 1989. The new one was fitted by a qualified
electrical engineer who I have known and trusted for years.

With the old one using the iron would now and again blow the entire
circuits.

The iron was replaced roughly at the same time as the consumer unit.

With the new one, which is fitted with MCBs and an RCD, when using the
new iron, the RCD will trip intermittently. Sometimes the iron can be on
for half an hour or so before it goes and sometimes it will trip almost
as soon as it's switched on.

Kevin,

We've had the same problem for a few years now. Modern comsumer unit,
the trip would go about 1 in 3 times the iron was used. Nothing else
seems to throw the trip apart from the iron. I consider the iron to be
at fault. I've asked the ironong person to use it without any water
and the trip stays on. I can only assume that a faulty seal or
something similar has caused water to short the internal wiring. The
ironing person is apparently not happy at having to manually spray
water on the ironing but if it saves me having to go all the way down
to the garage to reset the RCD it has to be worth it.

Our iron, (or should I say all our irons), have done done it. I've
managed to stop it now by using a steam iron with the remote
water\steam unit. It's a lot less likely to go faulty if it's sat
still.


SJW
A.C.S. Ltd.

We've had the same problem for a few years now. Modern comsumer unit,
the trip would go about 1 in 3 times the iron was used. Nothing else
seems to throw the trip apart from the iron. I consider the iron to be
at fault. I've asked the ironong person to use it without any water
and the trip stays on. I can only assume that a faulty seal or
something similar has caused water to short the internal wiring. The
ironing person is apparently not happy at having to manually spray
water on the ironing but if it saves me having to go all the way down
to the garage to reset the RCD it has to be worth it.

Rgds

Noel

I trust that the 'ironing person' you refer to is your better half and you
don't employ any servants. Why bother with ironing anyway. I never do any.
Polyester/cotton shirts are just fine when tumble dried and why bother
ironing your undies/socks. I must admit however that I do like a nice
crisp, freshly ironed folded hankie :-)

Terry D.

"Terry D" wrote in message
...

We've had the same problem for a few years now. Modern comsumer unit,
the trip would go about 1 in 3 times the iron was used. Nothing else
seems to throw the trip apart from the iron. I consider the iron to be
at fault. I've asked the ironong person to use it without any water
and the trip stays on. I can only assume that a faulty seal or
something similar has caused water to short the internal wiring. The
ironing person is apparently not happy at having to manually spray
water on the ironing but if it saves me having to go all the way down
to the garage to reset the RCD it has to be worth it.

Rgds

Noel

I trust that the 'ironing person' you refer to is your better half and you
don't employ any servants. Why bother with ironing anyway. I never do
any.
Polyester/cotton shirts are just fine when tumble dried and why bother
ironing your undies/socks. I must admit however that I do like a nice
crisp, freshly ironed folded hankie :-)

Terry D.



Surely, if a steam iron leaks steam to the extent that it gives a 30mA
electrical leak, then it's not fit for purpose and should be returned to the
shop as defective.

Andrew Mawson