Occasionally, owners of differential protection devices are faced with spontaneous shutdowns protective circuit breakers, after the re-inclusion of which, the circuit continues to function as if nothing happened. However, sometimes it is not possible to turn on the device again after turning it off. Let's try to figure out why the difavtomat works and what to do in this case.
Content:
- Reasons for triggering
- Without load
- When closing the ground and zero
- When the load is turned on
- With a power surge
- Troubleshooting
Reasons for triggering
Without load
Older housing stock, in which wire insulation is on the verge of wear (and in some places is even absent), can cause spontaneous leakage current, which depend on the humidity in the premises, the presence of foreign objects and small animals nearby.
In houses where the wiring was replaced by the tenants, as a result of a negligent attitude to the installation rules, a difavtomat in the dashboard may be triggered. Also, the main reasons for disconnection include damaged wire insulation during installation, hidden twist in the wall when building up wires (gross violation), miscalculation in insulation and location of junction boxes, as well as electrical accessories.
To understand why the difavtomat works without load, you will have to do revision of electrical wiring. In this case, first you need to determine which wiring group is problematic: sockets or lighting, because these are separate lines. For example, if the differential protection knocks out when the light is turned on, then the matter is in the lighting line, and if at connecting the plug to the outlet, probably the matter is in the outlet group (just first make sure that the connected device itself serviceable).
When closing the ground and zero
Sometimes, if the PE and N wires are incorrectly installed and connected in the junction box or outlet, the differential machine turns off. It would seem that zero and ground are connected at the same PEN terminal in the switchboard. If we turn to the principle of action of the protection, we see that the conditions of equality are not met because the outgoing current is divided into two conductors and only one of them passes through the differential transformer. Therefore, the protection is falsely triggered.
IN=IN1+IPE1
IL ≠IN1
Novice home craftsmen are often caught on this, tk. they do not have proper experience and do not deeply delve into the principle of operation of a differential automaton. How to do separation of the PEN conductor read our article!
When the load is turned on
If, when the consumer is connected, the difavtomat is constantly triggered in the apartment, then there is a problem with insulation in it. This is a signal that it is not safe to continue using this device. It is necessary to take measures to find the malfunction on your own or call a specialist to diagnose and eliminate the cause.
Ignoring this fact is dangerous for the life of the consumer and his loved ones, and it is also a common cause of fire. Therefore, if your difavtomat works when you turn on a washing machine, water heater, vacuum cleaner or other type of household appliances, we advise you to immediately proceed to repair or take the problem device to a service Centre. About, how to repair household appliances with your own hands, we tell in a separate section of the site. If the differential machine works on a warm floor in a private house, then the matter is in the heating cable, which needs to be ringed and, if necessary, repaired.
With a power surge
The built-in protection of the electronic circuit of the differential circuit breaker can turn off the power to the circuit when the voltage is exceeded. True, not all devices have this ability, but only with an electronic control circuit. Also, the protection can be disabled during switching on due to a short circuit inside the consumer itself, because The difavtomat can turn off in case of a short circuit.
Another reason for the operation should be highlighted - the poor quality of the device itself. If the protection in the dashboard knocks out some time after switching on, or, for example, only at night, try replacing the machine with a new one. However, first, check all the other likely factors that we described above.
Troubleshooting
If the differential machine has worked, you can try to turn it on again. This will eliminate the case of triggering when power surge. If the attempt was unsuccessful, then you need to disconnect the consumer from the outlet, which is controlled by the difavtomat, and try to turn it on again. Did you manage to turn it on? So the problem is in the isolation of the consumer.
In the event that the attempt failed and the device works as before, you need to look for the cause further. Now you can unscrew the outgoing wires L and N from the device and thus check its performance, without load. A working device should turn on and work when you press the "TEST" button.
The algorithm for finding the cause of the differential automaton operation is shown in the diagram:
We also recommend watching the video, which clearly demonstrates frequent errors when connecting differential protection, as a result of which the device knocks out:
So we examined the main reasons why the difavtomat works in the dashboard. We hope you now know what to do to fix the problem!
Be sure to read:
- Errors in the installation of electrical wiring
- Why does the circuit breaker work?
- Reasons for the operation of the RCD in the dashboard
- How to connect difavtomat
