tripping intermittantly
bought a brand new washing machine and it trips all the electrics in my house. but not always. Have tested it in different circuits /sockets and sometimes it just did it by plugging in and not even on a cycle. kettles and other items do nothing -only the washing machine. trouble is cant tell when its going to happen - sometimes every time other times I can get a wash out and nothing happens. engineer says if it doesnt happen when he calls round he'll charge me - any ideas?
Solution Summary
AI-generated from this discussion
This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
New washing machine intermittently trips household electrics
- The problem
- A brand new washing machine intermittently trips the house electrics. It has done this on different sockets/circuits and has sometimes tripped simply when plugged in, not necessarily during a wash cycle. Other appliances such as a kettle do not cause the problem.
- Likely cause
- Most likely an intermittent fault with the washing machine if the electrics only trip when that appliance is connected. A less likely possibility raised was a fault with the RCD. Possible areas suggested in the discussion were a heating-related fault during wash, or an electrical issue associated with movement during spin, but no exact fault was confirmed.
- What fixed it
- Eliminate external causes first: do not use the washing machine on an extension lead or adaptor, and avoid running other high-load appliances on the same circuit at the same time. Observe exactly when in the cycle the trip occurs to help identify whether it happens on wash or spin. If the fault only occurs with this washing machine, further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
- Checks to try
- Tested on different circuits/sockets
- Noted that other appliances do not trip the electrics
- Advised to avoid extension leads/adaptors
- Advised to check whether other appliances with heating elements are being used at the same time
- Advised to observe at what point in the cycle the trip occurs
Safety: Do not continue trying to use the machine if it is tripping the electrics unpredictably. Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
1 Answer
The problem with this fault is that there's a slight possibility there could be a fault on the RCD rather than the appliance. However, you would expect other appliances to trip it or for it to trip randomly when the washing machine isn't on. If it only ever trips when the washing machine is on then it's likely to be the washing machine causing it. Make sure you are not using a tumble dryer or dishwasher, or any other appliance with a heating element in it at the same time if plugged into the same circuit - especially into the same extension or adaptor. Also make sure you aren't plugging the washing machine into an extension lead or socket too to eliminate potential problems there.
If after doing all that you are convinced it is only the washing machine that is tripping the electrics you may have an intermittent fault on it. Such a fault is rare though on a new washing machine. Try to observe where exactly in the wash cycle it tends to do it. Is it spinning at the time or on the main wash? If it's spinning is the drum banging about a bit (could be something electrical catching on something if the drum is swaying about a lot). If it's on wash it could be the heating element.
This article may also help if you are sure it's an intermittent fault on the washing machine Repair company want to charge if engineer can’t find fault
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