Frequnt ELCB tripping

<...If i am going for ELCB installation than what precheck shall i do i.e Earthing checking of my home ? etc. before installation....>

• Isolate the home from the supply, including the neutral.
• Measure the resistance from neutral to earth downstream of the main distribution point, so as to establish the correct connection of the downstream circuits.
• If the reading is low, disconnect the neutrals from the neutral bar one at a time to see which circuit(s) is(are) presenting the earth-to-neutral fault(s).
• Locate the earth-to neutral fault(s) and rectify it(them), bearing in mind that some pieces of equipment such as computer surge arrestors do send a few mA to earth as normal; these can be unplugged.
• Repeat until all the neutral faults are gone.
• Reconnect the home to the mains supply.

It is common in the UK to fit ELCB/RCCD/"Earth leak trip" on TT earthing systems in rural areas, so as to make up for the possibility of a poor earth connection at the home electrode. 100mA is a typical design value. It is not unknown for them to be fitted on other types of earthing arrangements, though perhaps unneccessary. Older installations may have a 500mA trip, which will become upgraded to 100mA using modern equipment when necessary.

The electrician needs to leave the householder with a copy of the Test Certificate upon completing the installation, under British Standard [BS] 7671.

Circuits downstream of the 100mA, such as kitchen sockets, cooker, shower, garage and any outside feed, need to have the protection of a 30mA device as well to be fully compliant with BS7671. There are a number of ways to arrange this, depending on the installation.

Domestic freezers should not, as a general rule, be fed downstream of a 30mA trip device, though it would be inevitable for them to be fed via the 100mA....

<...does it come with some bypass arragement if it trips frequently?...>

No, for such a bypass facility would defeat the object of installing it!

However, 'Vermin' has some horror stories to tell about the use of duct tape and insurance companies.....

Dear Friend,

I am from Bangalore-India. In india most of the homes do not have good earth point. I suggest you first set right earth connection to your home. If your earth connection is not good, ELCBs quite frequently trip. So Your electrician suggest you not to install ELCBs. If you are staying in apartment, builder would have provided you with good earth pit connection. If yours is independent house, ask your electrician to re-install earthing rod in earth pit( most of the times old earthing rods are eaten away by soil due to corrosion within few years of installation).

Dear Friends,

Thanks for your valuable reply. With this, I can work forward in installing ELCB after all necessary prechecks.

The earthing of your home doesn't affect the elcb. This device operates on the principle of differing currents on the two wires of the circuit. Your local electrician is only stating his experience. If your installation is faulty then the leakage breaker will trip. The answer is to get the installation in good order! This may of course mean a rewire if the wires are old rubber types or the junction boxes are subject to moisture.

I would recommend that you use 30mA trips if the earthing is in any doubt. It would be wise to separate your circuits into several sections, with the interior lights at least on a separate elcb circuit so that if, say, garden or laundry circuits give a problem and trip it doesn't trip the whole system.

Lastly of course you should comply with the relevant local regulations!

It is strongly recommended to install ELCBs for home and to that matter to all electrical networks. ELCB ensures safety of the residents by tripping-off in the event of current unbalance between Live conductor and Neutral Conductor. If wiring is proper and the ELCB selected is as per the application, there will not be any intermittent tripping.

The electrician suggesting against ELCB usage should be terminated and qualified knowledgeable electrician should be hired.

elcb is good and must be recommended for safety of the home, but check out your load for elcb selectivity, dis depends on elcb sensitivity, 30mA more sensitive than 100mA more sensitive than 300mA.

importantly, if you have flourescent fitting with capacitve starter in your home, elcb sees the stricking of it as earth fault anytime u switch on your light no matter how good your earth may be.

there/4, isolate all flourecent from your elcb system, then your system becoms stable.

never forget elcb sensitivity in your selection.

goodluck

ELCB more than 30mA is not recommended for home-user as above 40mA current human body is dead due to electrocution...

The purpose of the whole-house ELCB/RCCD is to protect against the risk of a poor earth connection and is largely there to protect the wiring. 100mA is today's standard in the UK for TT earthing systems. This particular ECLB/RCCD is not there to guard against personal shock risk.

It is correct to protect sub-circuits in water-risk areas with 30mA ELCB/RCCDs in addition to the above, for personal shock protection on some circuits where a higher risk arises, for example:

• power-shower
• kitchen cooker
• kitchen sockets
• garage/workshop
• outside areas, including outside lighting

To do the above brings the home into compliance with BS7671.

A hired electrician cannot add circuits to a home that are not in compliance with BS7671 without risk in civil and criminal law in the UK, and must leave a copy of the test record with the householder showing that the installation has been tested to BS7671. The original, of course, provides protection to the electrician in the unlikely event of a problem being caused in the future! "Look - it was OK when I tested it. Here's the record."

If the works are in connection with approved building alterations, then the test record forms a vital document in connection with Part P of the Building Regulations. Its omission will cause a failure by the Local Authority to raise the works Completion Certificate, which will effectively prevent the home-owner completing a sale on the property in the future.

Ordinarily, the lighting circuit is not fed via a 30mA ELCB/RCCD in UK installations, and so this problem doesn't arise.

A fluorescent fitting with a capacitative starter in a home nearby is fed from a 30mA RCCD, and does not exhibit the symptoms described.

PWslak! Pls, check it out the flourescent fitting in d nearby home is fitting wt electronic chock not balast with starter.

It cannot be seen from here.

Guru ... In India there is usually no requirement of compliance with BS7671 and to that matter to any standard so far. It is just the Local electrical shopkeeper's help with a Plier & Blunt screw-driver running the majority of the home-wiring, expert-consultation, technical advice and crisis-management support.

I apprciate your detailed and indepth reply and would look forward to have BS7671 document if you can send.

Copies of BS7671 can be obtained legitimately by purchasing them from the British Standard Institution's publishing house(s). They can be shipped worldwide on request. All that is needed to obtain a copy is a telephone call and a chargecard.

It would be a breach of copyright law to transmit one by other means.