Wylex RCD measures the current flowing in the live and neutral cables and if there is an imbalance, that is current flowing to earth above the RCD sensitivity, the RCD will trip and cut off the supply. All of these points above are worth investigating as one or more of them could be causing your RCD to trip. Most of us don’t give RCD’s a second thought. We only ever pay them any attention when the RCD trips and the lights go out! As frustrating as this is, RCD’s are a life-saving device. Let’s take a look at what might be causing an RCD to trip. Why is my RCD is tripping when nothing is plugged in?

If your RCD is regularly tripping and you can’t immediately see an issue with your washing machine, get a tradesperson to service it for you. Could my oven be causing the RCD to trip? When you have several of these appliances or devices connected to the same circuit, the amount of current leakage adds up and then exceeds the trip threshold, causing the RCD to trip. If your RCD is tripping intermittently, and you’ve ruled out any of the faults above, then the next thing that could be causing your RCD to trip is current leakage. Modern electrical appliances and items such as power supplies all have low levels of current leakage. Overcurrent – Fuses and circuit breakers are designed to protect people and devices from danger. Overcurrent occurs when the normal load on a circuit is overloaded, usually in response to an electrical fault, including a short circuit. The RCD trips as a form of protection to preserve safety.To help resolve the issue, it is advisable to get an electrician to test the earth leakage of your appliances for you. You can also take practical precautions such as not overloading circuits by plugging in lots of devices when not in use. If your RCD is still tripping, then the next place to turn your attention to is common faults with your washing machine, including: If you are trying to troubleshoot your RCD tripping, then here is a short and helpful video that shows you how to reset your tripped RCD. You might be noticing a common theme with all of these faults, in that something small could be the main cause of your RCD tripping. Why is the RCD tripping but not the MCB? All Wylex RCDs incorporate a filtering device to provide protection against transient surges in the supply to the unit, thus reducing the occurrence of unwanted tripping.

Similarly to the problems with your washing machine, your oven could also be the culprit. Possible causes could be:RCD’s and MCB’s have different jobs to do. MCB’s are there to protect against electrical faults that are due to load so that they will trip due to faults such as short circuits or overcurrent. RCD’s are very sensitive and are there to protect against the earth to neutral faults and issues such as current leakage. For example, the RCD might trip due to detecting even a small current leakage, but the load on the circuit wouldn’t be above the MCB rating; therefore, the MCB wouldn’t trip out. How to reset a tripped circuit breaker/RCD