Motorhome Tripping Main RCD Unit in House (2 Viewers)

[Cavs]

I know I'm a cynic, but I immediately jumped to this conclusion. Chap works on your van and creates a fault. You take it back to the same chap (quite properly) who spends 30 minutes checking and says no fault found, but what he's actually done is found his silly mistake and rectified it.

 

[zac]

I know I'm a cynic, but I immediately jumped to this conclusion. Chap works on your van and creates a fault. You take it back to the same chap (quite properly) who spends 30 minutes checking and says no fault found, but what he's actually done is found his silly mistake and rectified it.

That had crossed my mind but he did seem honest. At the moment it still hasn't tripped but still early days.

 

[Gorse Hill]

Maybe, maybe not. If a bit of bare wire is shorting occasionally, like at a certain temperature when it moves a bit, it may have been disturbed and may come back tomorrow or next year.

A good question is, why does the house trip and not the van ? Is it just speed ?

All 30mA RCD trip at different levels and different times, however they all trip within the allowed parameters (30mA & 40ms) so the only way is discrimination van 30mA house 100mA
However there could be an issue with non-fault conditions, i.e. the accumulative of protective conductor currents developed by the switch-mode power supplies of computers, e.g. too many computers on in the house along washing machines, kettles etc and anything else that's plugged in on the van will add to this accumulation
Nearly all appliance have earth leakage to some degree and when eventually combined Is more than 30mA it trips as you say Brian it's likely to come back unless resolved

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[zac]

The next few days will soon tell as it has never lasted more than a few days before without tripping.

 

[Jaws]

Ummm.. have you plugged in a trailer board and confirmed that is all working ok ?

 

[zac]

Ummm.. have you plugged in a trailer board and confirmed that is all working ok ?

Yes, trailer board was plugged in when it was first done and when it was rechecked and all appears to be working.

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[zac]

Just a quick update.
So now been nearly 2 weeks and no more tripping so i can only assume the issue is now resolved as it was going within 3 days at a max before. no idea what resolved it unless the electrician found something but just fixed it (not likely) but the main thing is that it is now not tripping. I will be turning all the heating on later as getting prepared to travel Friday to Santander so this will also be a good test.

 

[The Wino]

? damp in the mains socket? just an idea.

 

[zac]

? damp in the mains socket? just an idea.

Could be but there was no sign of this when i checked it.

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[DBK]

Electrician checked it using large device with lots of buttons on it

Probably a Megger tester which puts a high voltage down the wires to see if the insulation breaks down. If it passed this test the cable should be fine.

 

[zac]

Just to update this, rcd is still tripping, 2 more call outs for home electrician, all mains circuits tested and all ok. tested the MH lead and all ok. All garage sockets ok.

Decided to buy and EHU adaptor with an RCD on it, this is connected to the outside socket from the garage and powers the MH and only the charging aspect within the MH as all other buttons turned off inside like water heater and another one i cant remember. Well last week it went again but this time not only did it trip the main RCD in the house but it tripped the EHU RCD as well. Now the electrician did say that the the RCD inside the garage would not trip if a fault outside as the main RCD in the house is more sensative as it is very old (16th edition or something). But this does prove that when that work was done on the 12v side, something has now affected the 230v side. Bearing in mind before this was done not an issue at all and on returning from having this work done it blew the rcd. The issue i have is that it can take any where between 2 days to 3 weeks to trip. If the MH was not going in 2 months time i would have to get this sorted but for now i have just disconnected the EHU and currently all is fine.

So i am in a stale mate as had the work checked on the MH by the electrician and he said all ok, had the house checked by 3 electricians and they say ok.

If we stay in our current property i will get the old fuse box swapped out for a 10 way rcbo fuse box and isolate the garage off to its own rcd as opposed to being on the same circuit as upstairs/downstairs sockets/garage sockets. Impossible to troubleshoot each individual plug socket given that it can be up to 3 weeks before it trips. very frustrating.

 

[DBK]

My guess, as already suggested by others on the first page is a neutral to earth fault somewhere. This won't trip anything until the neutral to earth voltage rises sufficiently and this won't happen until there is an unbalanced load locally. This would explain why everything is fine until say a farmer down the road on a different phase turns his arc welder on or whatever.
It should be possible for an electrician to find this if they have the right kit. Has anyone checked the 240v circuits in the MH?

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[zac]

I had the electrician check his work on the mh but he didn't find any issue. He checked the lead as well and no issue. I can't help but think he has created an issue on the 240v side as this didn't happen before this was done ever. If it weren't for the fact the mh was going I would have to get it checked out properly but it will be gone shortly. The dealer can then sort it out.

 

[DBK]

I had the electrician check his work on the mh but he didn't find any issue. He checked the lead as well and no issue. I can't help but think he has created an issue on the 240v side as this didn't happen before this was done ever. If it weren't for the fact the mh was going I would have to get it checked out properly but it will be gone shortly. The dealer can then sort it out.

Do you know how he checked it? A thing called a megger tester is what's needed I think.

 

[zac]

I don't know how he checked the mh, he was under it a while though and in the front under the mats. The house electrician had a special tester which may of been what you mention as it was quite big and he was testing all the individual circuits.

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[TheBig1]

i have seen this intermittent fault caused by a battery charger

 

[zac]

It is definitely the mh as the house never tripped at all whilst we were away for just over 3 weeks over Xmas. Since we have been back it has tripped a few times. I wondered if it was when the charge went from either leisure to vehicle or vice versa. No way of telling as never in the van at the time it goes so never know what it is charging when it goes.

 

[DBK]

I don't know how he checked the mh, he was under it a while though and in the front under the mats. The house electrician had a special tester which may of been what you mention as it was quite big and he was testing all the individual circuits.

It sounds as if the house bloke had the right kit but it is possible an automotive electrician wouldn't as he will work with 12V.
@TheBig1 It could well be the battery charger as that is likely to be connected full time to the 240V side of the MH.

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[zac]

It sounds as if the house bloke had the right kit but it is possible an automotive electrician wouldn't as he will work with 12V.
@TheBig1 It could well be the battery charger as that is likely to be connected full time to the 240V side of the MH.

Yes i think you are correct, if i was keeping it i would get them to check it as it is still under warranty (i think) but as it is going in April and i am now not using it i will just leave it. Strange how it is not straight away, very intermittent according to my texts i receive when it does trip. I have a garage alarm that sends me a text everytime it loses power to the alarm control panel which is how i know the exact times it has gone

 

[eddie]

It is definitely the mh as the house never tripped at all whilst we were away for just over 3 weeks over Xmas. Since we have been back it has tripped a few times. I wondered if it was when the charge went from either leisure to vehicle or vice versa. No way of telling as never in the van at the time it goes so never know what it is charging when it goes.

Did the van trip site electrics when you were away for three weeks over Christmas?

 

[zac]

Did the van trip site electrics when you were away for three weeks over Christmas?

Nope but then we were only on EHU the last 2 weeks, the longest it has gone before tripping is 3 weeks but at the moment it is going around 5-10 days. Also the house electrics didnt trip at all when we were away which was just over 3 weeks.

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[andy63]

You will be sick of all these questions lol...
Is there any consistency in the timing of these trips (ie when you receive your texts when alarm looses power )
And how is the alarm triggered.. could tow bar wiring have interfered with the alarm wiring if it's in garage... (I'm assuming alarm is mains fed from your above post...
Andy.

 

[xsparks]

You say that whilst away on ehu the supply did not trip ,did you use the same hook up lead?

 

[zac]

You will be sick of all these questions lol...
Is there any consistency in the timing of these trips (ie when you receive your texts when alarm looses power )
And how is the alarm triggered.. could tow bar wiring have interfered with the alarm wiring if it's in garage... (I'm assuming alarm is mains fed from your above post...
Andy.

Nothing to do with the towbar the alarm in the garage, it just so happens i know when the main rcd gets tripped in the house as i get a text from the alarm in the garage as it is on the same circuit as the plug that is outside charging the motorhome.

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[zac]

You say that whilst away on ehu the supply did not trip ,did you use the same hook up lead?

I have tried 2 ehu leads one old and one new and they both trip i am afraid.

 

[WillH]

Can you switch off the battery charger, use a portable one in the meantime, and see if it still trips. I think it may be your battery charger that is faulty/knackered.

 

[zac]

Can you switch off the battery charger, use a portable one in the meantime, and see if it still trips. I think it may be your battery charger that is faulty/knackered.

I think you are correct and if it was not going in April i would certainly do this as i would need it fixed, this is one of the few things that has not been checked. I will leave it unplugged now and if it goes till the new comes then i will no for sure. At present i am 99% sure it is this as it blew the rcd on the ehu plug so would have to come from the garage.

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[andy63]

alarm in the garage

..ah got it now.. I was thinking alarm in motor home garage .. I never pick it up correctly
Andy

 

[xsparks]

If your problem is a neutral earth fault unless your motorhome breakers are double pole you will also need to disconnect the relevant neutrals from the the common bar. You will then be more able to isolate the fault.

 

[zac]

If your problem is a neutral earth fault unless your motorhome breakers are double pole you will also need to disconnect the relevant neutrals from the the common bar. You will then be more able to isolate the fault.

I have no idea what this means hopefully now i have disconnected the MH from the house mains it will no longer trip. Of course it is now a waiting game but i am confident it will now not trip the house rcd.

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