UK RCD Fuse Box Keeps Tripping - Cooker Ring

[MarlinMarlin]

Hi,

We have an old cooker on the mains with a cooker mains red switch with a normal plug next to it.

The red switch is in the off position as is the plug switch.

Whenever I reset the RCD for the cooker ring in the fuse box, the entire RCD trips again - even if the cooker's red switch on the wall is OFF and there is nothing else plugged in.

The cooker is old and is dual fuel (gas hob, electric grill and oven). It did trip the mains occasionally when the grill was switched on and then finally when the oven was on, but I am wondering if its a problem with the wiring not supporting the current anymore?

I can't see that it's a problem with the cooker because the switches are off but I don't know a lot about electrics so wondered if you could advise please?

I suppose I am asking if the cooker is off and the mains is still tripping, is it likely to be a mains or a cooker problem or could it be both?

Thanks.

 

[loz2754]

This is probably one of those situations where we recommend getting a professional in to sort it out. There could one or more problems that cannot be diagnosed from a distance and without the necessary test equipment along with knowledge of how to use it.
For example, although the cooker switch is turned off, it's possible that the switch itself is faulty and still partially conducting current.
Or there may be damage or water ingress to some part of the wiring between the consumer unit and the cooker switch.

 

[littlespark]

It will be the cable from the fuseboard to the switch, or the switch itself.
Possibly a loose connection in the back or cable may be damaged elsewhere.

cooker switches are normally double pole, so isolated the outgoing cable completely.


edit; wot he said

 

[Lucien Nunes]

If the cooker control switch on the wall is off, the cooker itself should be completely isolated and should have no influence on the RCD. Therefore, if the breaker for the cooker cannot be reset, or resetting it trips the RCD, the problem is almost certainly damage to the cable between the consumer unit and the switch.

If you have had any building work done recently, or screwed anything to the wall near the switch, these are likely causes. A screw through a cable might not cause immediate tripping if it has penetrated the neutral and earth but not the line conductor, so it might have gone unnoticed for a while or indeed might be related to the previous tripping issues you had.

I would recommend diagnosis by an electrician. It might be an easy fix if the problem can be located visually or is at one end or the other. There is a possibility though that some access will need to be made to the rest of the cable run.

BTW cooker circuits are not normally wired as a 'ring' but rather as a radial circuit. Ring circuits are normally used only for socket outlets.

 

[MarlinMarlin]

Thank you for all of your replies.

What's the going rate for electricians at the moment, call out and hourly rates please?

Edit Location: Hastings

 

[Pete999]

Hi,

We have an old cooker on the mains with a cooker mains red switch with a normal plug next to it.

The red switch is in the off position as is the plug switch.

Whenever I reset the RCD for the cooker ring in the fuse box, the entire RCD trips again - even if the cooker's red switch on the wall is OFF and there is nothing else plugged in.

The cooker is old and is dual fuel (gas hob, electric grill and oven). It did trip the mains occasionally when the grill was switched on and then finally when the oven was on, but I am wondering if its a problem with the wiring not supporting the current anymore?

I can't see that it's a problem with the cooker because the switches are off but I don't know a lot about electrics so wondered if you could advise please?

I suppose I am asking if the cooker is off and the mains is still tripping, is it likely to be a mains or a cooker problem or could it be both?

Thanks.

Where in the UK are you situated?

 

[MarlinMarlin]

Where in the UK are you situated?

Hastings (South coast)