Kettle or electrics?

ToneControl

crunchman said:

ToneControl said:

I've had humidifiers and an clothes iron trip the RCD when in use, in different parts of the house (when they are failing)
Anything containing heater elements exposed to water can develop this fault: try a new kettle
It may be that the RCD on the kitchen sockets is a different rating to the others, I assume you have RCD in all of the house

Didn't the OP say this was the second kettle that does this?

He also said that it doesn't happen in another room so it does like a problem with the wiring.

I think he also said that it does it on a different socket in the kitchen, so it's unlikely to be the socket.

Definitely get an electrician out.

has the second kettle triggered the RCD since new, or some months later?

shaunyshaun1234

Hattigol said:

Stove top kettles look cool but if you go down that route, be prepared to start pre-planning cups of tea by about 20 minutes - they take forever.

We've got an induction hob and a stove top kettle. I can have the stove top kettle boiling almost as quick as the electric kettle! 

usedtobe

Thanks for the input, guys. Ok, so this is the 2nd kettle that's done this. It was ok at first, for a little while, but it's got worse as time has gone on. Only happens with the kettle in the kitchen. It is getting worse over time, and gets worse through the day..

Sesh

Odd. Did you find your plug tester? Another thing to look at is what else is on the same ring main. It may be that something else plus the kettle together are causing the trip. Say for example the fridge when it's on a cooling cycle. In this weather the fridge will be working harder, and more so through the hotter day than night.
Otherwise, sparky or exorcist.

Rocker

Is it the Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) or a Minature Circuit Breaker (MCB) that trips? The earth cable from the consumer box to the external earth rod might be broken or corroded at the connection to the earth rod itself. Some houses use metal water mains piping instead of an earth rod, this can cause odd things, like the OPs situation, to happen. As an aside a poor earth connection affects the sound of your hi-fi system. So get it checked out by an electrician.

I am a retired electrician and I have come across some unbelievable wiring in houses in my time. The cost is negligeable for this work, everything works better as a result of the electrics being 'right'.

crunchman

Rocker said:

Is it the Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) or a Minature Circuit Breaker (MCB) that trips? The earth cable from the consumer box to the external earth rod might be broken or corroded at the connection to the earth rod itself. Some houses use metal water mains piping instead of an earth rod, this can cause odd things, like the OPs situation, to happen. As an aside a poor earth connection affects the sound of your hi-fi system. So get it checked out by an electrician.

I am a retired electrician and I have come across some unbelievable wiring in houses in my time. The cost is negligeable for this work, everything works better as a result of the electrics being 'right'.

Only @Rocker could turn this into a HiFi thread.  Cue the Russ Andrews comments....

grungebob

If it’s a two year old house isn’t this covered by the builders still?

Rocker

@crunchman goes to show that everything is affected by bad electrics

Hattigol

shaunyshaun1234 said:

Hattigol said:

Stove top kettles look cool but if you go down that route, be prepared to start pre-planning cups of tea by about 20 minutes - they take forever.

We've got an induction hob and a stove top kettle. I can have the stove top kettle boiling almost as quick as the electric kettle if you round it to the nearest month.

Fixed that for you.

jellyroll

Quookers are great. 

ToneControl

usedtobe said:

Thanks for the input, guys. Ok, so this is the 2nd kettle that's done this. It was ok at first, for a little while, but it's got worse as time has gone on. Only happens with the kettle in the kitchen. It is getting worse over time, and gets worse through the day..

does the kettle steam go anywhere near the mains socket or a light switch?

boogieman

Rocker said:

Is it the Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) or a Minature Circuit Breaker (MCB) that trips? The earth cable from the consumer box to the external earth rod might be broken or corroded at the connection to the earth rod itself. Some houses use metal water mains piping instead of an earth rod, this can cause odd things, like the OPs situation, to happen. As an aside a poor earth connection affects the sound of your hi-fi system. So get it checked out by an electrician.

I am a retired electrician and I have come across some unbelievable wiring in houses in my time. The cost is negligeable for this work, everything works better as a result of the electrics being 'right'.

Unless the OP is living right out in the sticks, there won’t be an earth rod. The earth will come in with the electrical supply wiring. 

usedtobe

ToneControl said:

usedtobe said:

Thanks for the input, guys. Ok, so this is the 2nd kettle that's done this. It was ok at first, for a little while, but it's got worse as time has gone on. Only happens with the kettle in the kitchen. It is getting worse over time, and gets worse through the day..

does the kettle steam go anywhere near the mains socket or a light switch?

No it doesn’t..

usedtobe

Found my socket tester. Seems to think everything is peachy..
We don’t have a hifi..
Stove top kettle ordered, and we’re looking for a local electrician..

usedtobe

It trips the kitchen sockets switch, and the bigger switch at the end of the row, but not the main red one.

usedtobe

From previous experience, I cannot see the builders being interested..

Rocker

boogieman said:

Rocker said:

Is it the Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) or a Minature Circuit Breaker (MCB) that trips? The earth cable from the consumer box to the external earth rod might be broken or corroded at the connection to the earth rod itself. Some houses use metal water mains piping instead of an earth rod, this can cause odd things, like the OPs situation, to happen. As an aside a poor earth connection affects the sound of your hi-fi system. So get it checked out by an electrician.

I am a retired electrician and I have come across some unbelievable wiring in houses in my time. The cost is negligeable for this work, everything works better as a result of the electrics being 'right'.

Unless the OP is living right out in the sticks, there won’t be an earth rod. The earth will come in with the electrical supply wiring. 

No earth rod! Houses are not double insulated yet. 

ICBM

In my house (built 1982) it comes in as the outer sheath of the armoured underground cable. No earth rod.

spark240

1.try said kettle in another house....neighbours?
2. The more it happens in succession, the more difficult it will be to reset the trip.
3. Turn off power at board, remove socket fixing pins, pull socket out and check first - loose connection ( does the socket face get warm?) , then see if the pins have caught the neutral cable or any pressure on cables in back box.

Unlikely to be a new appliance problem, especially 2 of them.

pics of board trips please.

Barney

It seems odd that it's only doing it with a kettle ...iff it was a fault on the ring main something like a microwave or toaster would cause it to trip ...iv seen sometimes when people fill kettles up they let water run down the sides and it goes inside the socket that the kettle sits on ...iff it's one of them type with the mains in the base and it just sits on top ...try unplugging it and blow into it and see if any water appears...

Iff you can get something else to trip it like a toaster or microwave or something in the same socket it will be a problem on the kitchen socket or sockets....off not I would still go with the kettle