UK New smart meter, storage heaters now trip RCD

[littlespark]

Due to the age of the installation, i'd have someone in checking the RCD works for a start.... There are a lot of circuits coming off it as it stands, and adding the off peak CU through it too, could push it over the edge regarding cumulative earth leakage.

The "meter installers" have cocked this one up, and they need to fix it before you need to use the heating.

 

[timhoward]

Due to the age of the installation, i'd have someone in checking the RCD works for a start.... There are a lot of circuits coming off it as it stands, and adding the off peak CU through it too, could push it over the edge regarding cumulative earth leakage.

That's exactly why I'd favour splitting the Neutral, coupled with my natural self-preservation tendencies to touch as little as possible so I can't be blamed for the next problem ... ?

 

[snowhead]

The Off Peak Live (and Neutral) and and Normal Live (and Neutral) can't both go through the existing RCD.

Either the Off Peak Live and Neutral need to miss out the existing RCD, which is how they must have been before the Smarties turned up.
Or the Off Peak needs it's own new RCD.

 

[Brian N]

Oh dear I've confused things even more....sorry....
1 - main things is that it has to work again, and splitting the N before the RCD is almost certainly how it was before, and this is how I'd put it back. Alternatively the L could be moved to other side of RCD. That works too.
2 - There's a secondary question of the earthing arrangements, if it's what we all think it is and what it looks like, there is no issue, and lack of RCD protection for storage heater CU is not the end of the world, just something that's advisable these days.
If on the other hand the earthing is really all from from the earth electrode then the lack of RCD protection would be a considerably bigger deal from a safety point of view.

I hope that clarifies things a bit! Basically let the meter people make it work again, and then best to get someone to check it over.

Makes things very clear - and the need to get someone who knows what they are doing in once the meter fitters have done their job even clearer.

 

[Brian N]

From all the comments
My thoughts are to try to get them to take the live and neutral (neutral coming from a split) direct to the Storage radiator CU. To have normal main and neutral split - so one lot goes direct to the newer CU (one with internal RCD) and another lot going via the external RCD to the old CU. Then presumably I need a proper electrician to come and check it all over - with a view to putting in a RCD for the storage radiators.

I feel I may need to draw them a diagram and maybe put string on to explain where things go - LOL

 

[GBDamo]

These not so smart smart meter installers clearly are not trained to install on anything but the simple jobs and also work to the if you don't know ask principle
I wonder how many smart meters are actually installed where there are issues with the DNO equipment like main earths missing that are never addressed, the installation of smart meters would have been a good opportunity to get an overall assessment of the state of the installed distribution throughout the UK but the quality of the installers means it isn't going to happen

They don't want to KNOW what they already suspect so they send out these "installers" as they are not going to raise too many issues.

 

[telectrix]

get a sparks to put the meter mong's work back right so it all works. then decide on the way forward.

 

[brianmoooore]

get a sparks to put the meter mong's work back right so it all works. then decide on the way forward.

And tell said sparks to send the bill to the meter installers?

 

[Brian N]

Thought I would update you on this. They have been out and rewired the storage heater CU - did take me having to stop the chap and telling him what to do - he then had to contact his manager to get permission to do the wiring. But I think he understood why it was tripping by the time I had gone through how a RCD worked and that they had miswired my CU. I have had a chat with a friend of mine who is an electrician and he tells me it is unusual to wire the CU for storage radiators through an RCD. He agreed that the main CU is fine but that he needs to move the wiring to the CU that has an RCD as it is more likely to trip and on minor bits rather than what it is built to pop on. I agreed to drop my case with the electric lot for £450 compensation - and I will pay to have the wires moved. So end of this saga! Thank you all for your comments - I think without them I could still be battling the electric company.

 

[snowhead]

Thanks for the update, hope all is (going to be) working O.K now.

 

[brianmoooore]

There is something very, very wrong when a DIYer has to give step by step instructions to the "professional"!

 

[Brian N]

I did explain to the Manager of the complaints lot that it seemed very strange they would not come out until my electrics had gone off two days in a row - he said he would look into that policy, as he agreed that seemed wrong. I pointed out that if it appeared that the wiring may be at fault then they should have an electrician who could come out and double check the wiring- as clearly I had 3 people out - the first failed to wire it correctly and the following two had no idea about electrics. I doubt anything will change - still I should be able to buy a good amount of wine even after paying my electrician friend for doing the rewire - especially as I removed a wasp nest for him a few years back.

 

[brianmoooore]

I went up into a loft on a new build once when the plumber was testing his newly installed heating system. Vent pipe over the header tank was gushing full bore, and splashing water everywhere.
Had to take a sheet of cardboard and a black marker pen, and draw out for him how he should have connected the tank. Pretty sure he didn't understand a word I said, but he changed it to my diagram anyway.