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HOW CAN I HELP
RCD Keeps Tripping Randomly – Heres what to do
RCD switch
There’s nothing more annoying than sitting there in the evening, watching the telly and suddenly. No power! Nothing! You struggle to get things out of the cupboard in the dark to find the fuse box. Flick the switches, and eventually, the power comes back on. Sound familiar? This could mean an RCD keeps tripping randomly.
Depending on how unlucky or lucky you may be, this could be a one-off or a regular occurrence. If it happens when you are not at home, this could even lead to the contents of your fridge or freezer becoming spoilt.
The culprit? Usually, the RCD keeps tripping randomly. RCDs tripping is very common due to their sensitive nature.
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What causes RCD keeps tripping randomly?
The most common cause of is something connected to the electrical system. Think appliances, immersion heater or boiler and so forth. Did you plug anything new in recently? Is there anything outside, like outdoor lights or sockets. Try to simply unplug one thing at a time and see if the problem persists. If your RCD doesn’t keep tripping, then you have found your problem. If it does persist and you have ruled everything out via the process of elimination. You could have a faulty or overly sensitive RCD. A very common cause of RCD keeps tripping randomly is computers. Especially old ones. They tend to have earth leakage current. Which is perfectly normal for their operation. Under different circumstances, earth leakage current could mean a serious fault.
I’ve ruled everything out, I still have the problem!
Okay so at this point you’ve ruled out any faulty appliances or equipment that may be causing your RCD to keep randomly. Therefore the issue is going to be your electrical wiring or your RCD. This is when it’s time to call a qualified electrician such as myself. They will have the appropriate test equipment to check the RCD which can show whether it’s overly sensitive or faulty. Also, they can perform tests on your electrical wiring.
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Should I be worried?
An RCD (Residual-current device) is a piece of safety equipment. Therefore if it is tripping, this must always be taken seriously. Whether it is an unwanted tripping or a serious fault is causing this must be determined and not ignored.
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