Fuse keeps tripping.

[mhic]

We had an aircon unit installed last week run it for an hour to test it and about 30 minutes to show off to friends, no problem worked great.. but. Tuesday morning got up to find the power circuit had tripped during the night same again Wednesday and Thursday, flick the switch and back on all day no problem. Yesterday evening though it tripped out 9 times and again during the night having been fine all day. My computer has shut down several times with a warning message about a power surge.
Had no problems prior to the new unit going in, we have potencia of 6.5 and at night only the fridge and freezer is running.
Would appreciate any advice before calling in a sparks.

Mhic.

[gerryh]

Are you saying the main breaker has tripped or just one of the individual breakers?
Who installed the aircon?
Cheers
Gerry

[mhic]

Hi Gerry.
It's the house power that trips, lighting garden and pool all fine.
Highly recommended company fitted the unit and I can't see them making a cods of it, waiting to see how things go this evening before calling for help tomorrow.

Mhic.

[gerryh]

Is it the RCD, the trip with a test button on it, that is tripping?
Cheers
Gerry

[ebbnflow]

We need more detailed information here.
Ideally the air-con should be on its own MCB of the correct rating and in the correct order on the main board.
Is your pool filter/pump running at the same time?
It could be the way the power is distributed over the various MCBs.

Unless your electrical installation is very new it has a 50/50 chance of being a dogs dinner so that adding a high consumption unit without sorting out the way power is distributed across the board, literally, could upset the balance.

When we purchased our place we had the same problem with the new pool pump and that is on a 9.5kw potencia. The pool people had not a clue but re sorting the board did the trick.

[gerryh]

We need more detailed information here.

Entirely agree with you, trying to get more information as to whether it is a RCD or MCB tripping.
Shouldn't be the ICP as other circuits are powered up, BUT, if it is the ICP tripping then there is something seriously wrong with the wiring.
I believe the OP had a rewire a few years ago. The OP recommended, to me, the electrician who did the work.
I did my own rewire but needed an electrician who was authorised by the Spanish electricity suppliers to connect the new main supply cables to the pylon and issue a boletin.
Cheers
Gerry

[mhic]

The one that trips is the only thing on the board that has nothing on it but a switch and it controls the power sockets in the living area only, power downstairs in the garden and the pool all run of their own switches as do the living area lights. Only two fridges and a freezer are running when we lock up for the night and we have had no problems when the pool pump is running even if the kettle dishwasher etc are going. The new aircon unit is wired directly to the socket but as I we only ran it for a short time the day it was installed and there was no problem. We had the house re-wired about three years ago by qualified electricians and today the board has not tripped out.

Mhic.

[carrowcrin]

You did'nt saywhat kw your unit is i am guessing 3kw but it will be on the metal plate on the unit,
Its clear you have earth leakage which can be difficult to trace, it seems the new item is more sensitive to this. You also said that you have fridge/freezer in same circuit, these items generally have capicators for start up and the surge may trigger the earth leak.
Ideally this unit should be wired to a trip/isolator of its own which can be done easily enough but first i would suggest you get an extention lead from the unaffected area for a few days as a trial and this will confirm or not what i am saying, the extension lead is just to test as the cabling in same are not strong enough for the kw capacity needed and will burn up with long use.
I am guessing it is either the fridges or distribution problem, anyway it is not a serious problem, i only have a potencia of something like 3.45 and you want to see moving the chairs on the deck

[knowal]

Using "Occam's Razor", as the occurrence coincides with the installation of the aircon, either:
1. The installation is faulty.
2. The unit(s) are faulty.
Can you get the installers back in to check it out?

[gerryh]

By Mhic's description it is a MCB that is tripping, so earth leakage isn't the cause of the problem.
Mhic, what is the number on the MCB that trips?
It will be a number like C6 or C10 or C16 or C25.
Cheers
Gerry

[ajtg1952]

There are two very contradictory statements in this thread; "Highly recommended company " and "wired into a socket".

Good company's don't wire into the socket but lead back to the consumer unit and to a dedicated MCB.

My guess is it is wired into a low MCB circuit that has something else on it, like the fridge/freezer, and this is tripping.

Switch off the MCB in question and then go round the house and find out what else is not working. You may be surprised as circuits in Spanish houses can go anywhere.

[mhic]

Morning All
Gerry. There is nothing written on the thing at all it's the only blank plug on the board.

ajtg. Every socket in the upstairs living area is wired to that particular mcb if mcb it be, when it trips
every appliance upstairs is killed apart from the lighting.

White horse. I think you may be right so I'll give the people a call and see what they say.

Meanwhile thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

Mhic.

[gerryh]

Morning All
Gerry. There is nothing written on the thing at all it's the only blank plug on the board.
Mhic.

??????
I am totally confused.
Are you you saying that a "blank plug" is tripping?
Sorry, but not sure what a "blank plug" is.
If Periana wasn't so far away I'd drive up and have a look to see exactly what you have.

Cheers
Gerry

[mhic]

All the other plugs have details written on them the one that's tripping has nothing on it at all.
It has not tripped now for over 24 hours.

Mhic.

[ajtg1952]

I would take it out and try a 16 in it's place. If the wiring is 2.5mm then you should be okay.

[mhic]

Whatever was causing the trouble seems to have been sorted itself out it's not tripped since Thursday morning.

Mhic.

[peteroldracer]

On the basis that problems should be tackled with the supplier as early as possible, maybe it is worth you setting it to 'heat' and make sure that function works - better now when it won't make it feel any hotter, than it plunging your circuits out of action first time you need warmth in the winter?

[mhic]

Good idea Peter, Thanks. It's not tripped at all since last Thursday and we have been using the aircon, I can't see it being the cause.

Mhic.