RCD repeatedly tripping

This is exactly the sort of situation that puts landlords in prison. Grow up, and provide your tenant with something legal & safe. And do it now.

Re payment, I wouldnt pay the idiot a penny. What he's done is dangerous, illegal and remarkably stupid. I'd tell him to sue me, but point out that any court would be a lot more interested in what he'd done than any payment due.

The first thing I'd do is identify the unsafe circuit and disconnect it.

NT

It could be any number of things, but it is pretty certain to be related to the kitchen ring. Cable snapped/worn through, cable come undoen in a socket and touching another terminal. Even a fault at the CU end. A few tests on the circuit would soon pin down the fault, or the general area in which to look. £600 is way over the top in my view. That price would buy a consumer unit change, and new socket faces and switches in the kitchen.

Where are you? There are some electricians on here who may be able to help. Alan.

Tabby,

Thanks for your post, glad I went up to check now. I'll get another electrician first thing - just hope he's more reputable then the first one. Can I just clarify - how the other electrician left it (with nothing earthed). That is completely illegal? I'm not an electrician and certainly no expert, hence why I posted here.

Thanks for you advice

Charlie

Alan,

My postcode is AL5 if anyone wants to private message me. Otherwise I'll get someone in first thing. I appreciate the advice, at least I know what I should be expecting the electrician to do.

Do you think there are two separate problems (no power to the "island" & a separate earth to live/neutral somewhere) or is it most likely to be one fault causing both?

Thanks

Charlie

I would have expected the electrician to have discovered that the sockets were not earthed and isolated that circuit.

To be fair, he phoned an electrician. What more do you want him to do?

I presume the sockets were earthed prior to the fault arising. My understanding is that they are now not earthed following his visit. I'm not sure exactly what he did. Nothing visible on the CU. Did he just disconnect the circuit to prevent the RCD from tripping or did he just disconnect the RCD?

Charlie

there's

Alan,

My postcode is AL5 if anyone wants to private message me. Otherwise I'll get someone in first thing. I appreciate the advice, at least I know what I should be expecting the electrician to do.

Do you think there are two separate problems (no power to the "island" & a separate earth to live/neutral somewhere) or is it most likely to be one fault causing both?

Thanks

Charlie

For your own protection when solved you need a periodic inspection certificate, and renew it each year. Come the (hopefully never happening) fatality the court will look at you as having horns and a forked tongue - as a landlord you need to be whiter than white. I speak as a landlord myself!

AWEM

How can you justify having an annual PIR?

Without looking inside the CU I do not know!

He might have disconnected the earths from the kitchen ring inside the CU (and if he has I would like to see him shot)

Sure makes sense.

Ok, just interested to know what possible/likely. Presumably both possible.

Yeah, I was pretty surprised to find that the downstairs ring wasn't earthed. Didn't seem right.

A bypassed RCD would still leave the circuits that it powers ON if the RCD is turned off.

Just checking. Is there an RCD or is it an MCB that was tripping? There is a big important difference.

He said it was the RCD, agreed big difference if it was the MCB

Most of the usual causes of nuisance tripping of RCDs are covered here:

If the info you posted is accurate, what he's done is criminal and dangerous. An RCD tripping usually means there's a live to earth fault. What stops people getting fried in these situations are a) the earth wiring b) the RCD And IIUC this berk's simply disconnected/bypassed both those!

In all seriousness, if you dont act ASAP on this situation your tenant can get a nasty shock, and if they're unlucky die, and you could land in jail.

NT

Enter the property at the first possible opportunity and disconnect the faulty circuit.

NT

No. The electrician would go to jail.

That was the electricians job.