Cooker switch tripping circuit

Discussion in 'Electricians' Talk' started by Ballistic, Nov 6, 2019.

  1. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    Hi there, we've recently been using this switch a lot to stop a toddler messing with the cooker knobs.

    Now switching it on trips the circuit. Can anyone say this is likely to be the switch rather than the 2 year old hotpoint cooker, and which screwfix switch will screw into the same box or be the easiest to fit? many thanks in advance[​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Comlec

    Comlec Screwfix Select

    When you say "switching it on trips the circuit" can you tell us what actually trips. Is it the Cooker circuit MCB or the RCD?
     
  3. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    Hi there, it's the RCD as opposed to the cooker circuit.
     
  4. FlyByNight

    FlyByNight Screwfix Select

    Des the RCD reset easily when the cooker switch is on?

    What if you leave the RCD tripped for say an hour? Does it reset immediately or need several attempts?
     
  5. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    You can reset the RCD straight away and it trips after about 2 seconds. I have also noticed a faint click from inside the cooker when it trips although it doesn't get to the point where the cooker lights come on.
     
  6. peter palmer

    peter palmer Screwfix Select

    Chances of it being the switch faulty 1%, chances of the oven faulty 99%. Only way to be sure is disconnect the cooker from the circuit as close to the cooker as possible, so not from the cooker circuit but from the cooker itself or maybe a flex outlet plate behind it, this will rule out any faulty or damaged cable in the wall or behind the cooker, its possible mice have damaged it or its been trapped by the cooker etc. but more than likely its a faulty heating element inside it, fairly simple to change these if you know what you are doing.
     
  7. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    Thank you for your replies, a cooker man was arranged and it is indeed the cooker, but it looks like a costly microprocessor controller board. It seems to me that older cookers without computers in them were easier and less costly to fix.
     
    seneca likes this.
  8. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    Bit of a turn of events. The cooker manufacturer hasn't been out yet, but I discovered when I turn on our other oven, which is in a side kitchen and different circuit, the RCD goes again. As far as I can tell these are separate circuits because they have separate switches in the consumer unit. There is a small pause of exactly the same length on time (about 2 seconds) then the RCD pops. The cookers are different makes, but both microprossesor controlled. The interesting things is, that there should not be any major current flowing when you turn them on because no oven control has been selected or switched on at that stage. Any ideas?
     
  9. seneca

    seneca Screwfix Select

    Possibly a N-E fault on one of the ovens, only way to tell which one would be to disconnect each in turn and then try them.
     
  10. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    RCD's don't react to over current. They trip when there is a small amount of current leaking out a circuit , and an imbalance between line and neutral.
    It would be a big coincidence for you to have two faulty ovens ,but not impossible. Has the second oven been left idle for any length of time ?
    Is it the same RCD that trips ,or has your consumer unit got two RCD's ?
     
  11. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    Or switch off the DP isolator on the first oven ?
     
  12. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    It's just the same RCD that pops. When I isolate the first cookers circuit at the consumer unit, the second cooker still pops the RCD and when I isolate
    the second cooker circuit, the first cooker still pops the RCD. The reason I don't believe it's the cookers at fault is they are AEG and Hotpoint but fail after exactly the same number of seconds.
     
  13. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    But you have had an engineer visit who diagnosed a fault on the first oven haven't you ? Or have I misunderstood your earlier post?
     
  14. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    As usual nothing is 100% straight forward. The cooker engineer was not the manufacturer who is booked to come out but a very experienced local appliance guy. He looked at every major component on the cooker and the electrical connection to the cookers and everything was good, but that left the controller board which could not be removed without taking off the internal hob gas pipes which you can't do. As a process of elimination, it was the control board but he could not see in situ if it had any of the usual tell tale signs of this. As we have a toaster running on the same outlet pictured above, then he knew the circuit / rcd was not popping with that load on it.
     
  15. peter palmer

    peter palmer Screwfix Select

    You need an electrician not an appliance guy, and by electrician I don't mean someone in Snickers trousers and an NIC sweat shirt. If possible get a bloke in over 40 who knows how to use a megger.
     
  16. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    That's fair enough Pete, I just need to know whether it's 2 cookers gone down or the electrics because I've already just signed up to an expensive plan to get the hotpoint cooker fixed, and while I'm unsure about the contract, I think there must be a cooling off period if it is infact the electrics. I'm happy to get the right guy in, just need to know for sure which one!
    Incidentally, it's very easy for me to run the second cooker off the ring main (NOTE not to run the oven), just to turn it on and see if it trips anything. That might prove one way or the other?
     
  17. peter palmer

    peter palmer Screwfix Select

    It will be an appliance, it just needs someone who is proficient in testing to find it, what I can tell you though is 100% its not the PCB.
     
  18. Ballistic

    Ballistic Member

    So I have plugged oven 2 into the ring main circuit and it still fails to boot past 2 seconds where it trips the rcd. Does this mean I really do have 2 ovens on the blink?
     

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