Insinkerator 45 electrical problem

[davidjhope]

Hi all,
I'm turning to you lot to help me out with some help/suggestions.
My 3 year old Insinkerator 45 keeps fusing the house every time I switch it on. I'm suspecting the motor might be the problem or the switches. I know it's vague but I'm at my last straw with it.
Before you ask, it's not jammed.
Any help or pointers would be very gratefully received.
David

[Calnefoxile]

Is this a new manufacturer, who has decided to cut their teeth (cut their teeth - get it?? eheheh!!! ) on a new Peak?? 

Is it any better than Farish's effort???

I'm not being much help here, am I David??? 

I'll shut up now and go to bed 

Regards

Neal.

[Griffo]

Visible water leaks? Seals can fail over time.

As an entry level waste disposer they can be uneconomic to repair - replacements can be sourced well below £100 .... check EBay for examples.

[Pete Mc]

Hi,I am a plumber by trade and have a limited amount of knowledge on these things.I have more experience with maceraters fitted to bathroom and shower room applications however.
The problem with these pieces of equipment is that they have an immediately high current drain so may be triggering the tripping out you are experiencing.What you may want to try is the RCD on the consumer unit.These can become a problem as time goes by.Kind of like when an incandescent bulb blows,they consume a high amount of current and either trip out the lighting circuit or indeed the whole electric circuits.Generally they are connected to the mains under the sink by way of a standard electrical socket and plug.If this is the case check that there is no leaks under the sink or close to this socket as once water enters,it will cause this to occur.
If the muncher has worked trouble free until recently this is most likely to be the problem.Leaks can occur in the most unlikely of places,such as the seal around the sink top where it sits in the worktop material,or perhaps the little o-rings that seal the pipe tails into the monoblock taps.Even the overflow can cause sufficient water ingress to cause electrical woes.
So as a start,check for leaks under the sink.If there are water marks under the sink this will indicate there is or has been a leak.Yhe problem with leaks is that they may not be a persistant problem,what I mean is that it may not be a continuous drip but one that occurs when the sink or appliances connected to it are in use such as a dishwasher or auto washer.The waste connections are only a push on affair with a taper on to stop them from leaking in many situations so all connections of any type have the ability to pass a bit of water,its just that the path into the electrics is made easy by the appliances wiring.
If you disconnect the plug to the sink muncher and place the plug from a washing machine or dishwasher in the socket,and the electrics trip out,then that will be the source of your problem.Next it is time to find the source of the leak.
Hope this helps.

Pete

[Tank]

Following on from Pete Mc's post of a fault with the unit:- 

Do you know how many Watts the unit uses? 
Is the unit plugged into a plug socket, or wired to the consumer unit?
If the unit is using a high wattage, then the cable might be too thin, causing the consumer unit to trip.

If you've been using it for all of this time though, I would think the unit itself is faulty.  Try plugging it in to a different ring in your house and see what happens.

[edwin_m]

If it is drawing greater than 13 amps (about 3000 watts) then it shouldn't be plugged into a 13 amp socket, and the plug fuse should blow.  Cable too thin won't trip the consumer unit or blow any fuses but it might start a fire. 

Is it the individual circuit in the consumer unit that trips out or the RCD?  A partial short between the neutral and earth could trip the RCD without blowing the plug fuse or tripping the circuit.  Water on the plug/socket could cause this, but I suggest you turn the circuit off at the consumer unit before playing around with plugs and sockets that might be wet.  If they are wet, or appear to have been wet, then it's probably a good idea to get them moved somewhere less likely to get wet in the future. 

[davidjhope]

Hi all,
Thanks for all your replies.
My RCD is separate to the main consumer unit and it's the RCD that is tripping.
I have tried plugging the unit into another socket with the same result which eliminates the socket under the sink unit.
I think that my RCD might need checking, I've got a friend who is an electrician who should be able to help with the check.
I'm just hoping that it's not going to be a whole new consumer unit to bring it up to date. If so my class 70 saving fund might disappear. 
Thanks again
David

[edwin_m]

The RCD is probaly OK and doing its job by cutting the power when it sees a fault (but a good idea to check it anyway).  Sounds like the fault is in the Insinkerator - can you get your friend to check it over as well? 

[davidjhope]

Latest update.
RCD faulty.
It hasn't been replaced yet but it's a start.

[Malc]

The RCD may not be faulty, just the wrong type. There are 3 types A,B and C. The letter is an indication of the response time. If i have a bit of kit with a high inrush current, I use type C as it waits a little longer before tripping

[davidjhope]

All been sorted.
RCD not faulty.
I had caught a neutral cable with a socket screw after tilling the kitchen.
This caused a neutral to earth leak and the waste disposal unit was too much for the board.
David

[Malc]

Easily done....glad it's sorted.

Malc