Surely many people are familiar with the situation: the lights in the apartment went out, the electrical appliances turned off, and when examining the meter, it turned out that the plugs were knocked out. Usually in this case, all electrical appliances connected to the network are inspected. And if there is a washing machine among them, then it is likely that the reason is precisely in it - in most cases, it is the washing machine that knocks out the machine. It is the most energy-consuming household device and also the most technically complex.
What is the reason for the triggering residual current devices (RCDs)), how to prevent knocking out and what could be the consequences of this situation? We will talk about this in this article.
Why do you need a machine gun?
To make the reasons for knocking out traffic jams clear even to an unprepared reader, we will tell you a little more about the protection devices and why they are needed.
Some people still remember the old electric meters with plugs on the fuse links. Later, automatic shutdown plugs appeared - they did not burn out like previous devices, but were simply knocked out of the network. Modern science is developing, and they have been replaced by ready-made devices that are built into the network and turned off at the right time.
All these devices have the same operating principle - they open the network in case of excessive load and protect it from short circuits. This means they insure us against fire and fire in our home. If the safety device does not operate, the wires may melt, creating a fire hazard. In the event of a short circuit, the electrical appliances themselves may burn out.
When the RCD is to blame
Only a specialist can determine the required number of machines per apartment and their type. Typically, housing is purchased with a ready-made set of machines on the network and their calculated power. And if the machine is triggered the first time the machine is connected, this may mean that the apartment has low-quality protection devices or an RCD with an incorrectly selected capacity. You can’t do without a specialist here.
However, a washing machine can knock out the machine even if there are working safety devices. And before your household assistant burns out, you need to find out the reason. There may be several of them.
Knocks out after purchase: wiring does not match the load
Let's say you just bought a new one. washing machine from one of the most famous brands. For example, the German company Bosch. The washing mashine has excellent characteristics, it is reliable, like everything German.The machine is installed, but when plugged in, a characteristic pop is heard and the light goes out. The machine was knocked out. Who is guilty? Certainly not the machine, but its incompatibility with the capabilities of your electrical wiring. If the problem occurs immediately when you start the washing machine, this means that the device creates a load on the network that the network simply cannot withstand. That's why the protection works.
Here you need to remember: different manufacturers may have washing machines with different characteristics. And the point here is not even whose brand it is (although this is important) and where the device is made. Today, Italian washing mashines of the Indesit brand are assembled in Lipetsk, South Korean washing mashines of the LG and Samsung brands are being assembled at Russian factories, and the famous Bosch has been coming out of the factory assembly line in St. Petersburg since 2012.
Knocks out during operation
It also happens that the machine was working without problems and suddenly one day the machine was knocked out right during the wash. In the vast majority of cases, the culprit for this situation is again an incorrect connection. The classic requirements when connecting such a complex and heavy-duty household appliance as a washing machine are as follows:
- availability of a dedicated network;
- protection in the form machine or RCD on a separate network;
- wiring based on VVG cable of a certain cross-section.
In fact, people often resort to various tricks, including plugging the machine into a single outlet with other appliances in the kitchen, including through a conductor or extension cord. As a result, the network cannot withstand the load, overheats, the wiring is damaged, the socket melts and, as a result, the circuit breaker trips and the current in the network is cut off.
This usually happens when several electrical appliances are operating simultaneously. For example, when both the machine and the vacuum cleaner are immediately connected to the network, and if a split system is added, the problem becomes more than likely. It happens that the housewife is vacuuming or ironing clothes, baking a pie in the oven, and washing the machine. Everything goes perfectly until the moment the machine starts heating or spinning. That is, it enters a particularly active and energy-consuming phase. It is at this moment that the machine may be triggered.
It is not difficult to find out that this is exactly what happened: the apartment will smell of burnt plastic and insulating materials, the socket will melt, and the wiring at the point of damage will be darkened.
What to do in this case, how to protect equipment from burning and your apartment from fire? Make a dedicated network, replace the sockets with new ones with a moisture-resistant casing, and install an adequate circuit breaker. For the safety of family members and property, it is better to entrust all this to professionals.
Washing mashine breakdowns
The reasons can be not only external, but also inside household appliances.Often the answer to the question of why traffic jams are knocked out in an apartment is a banal malfunction of the socket, washing mashine plug or cord. If the socket is not in order, you can simply calculate the malfunction: try plugging in another device - the power should be 2000-2500 W. If in this case it knocks out, repairs are required, it is quite possible that the contacts have simply become loose. To check the cord, a specialist will ring all three wires that are present in the network cable. Usually the cable deteriorates from twisting, kinks and other mechanical damage.
Other violations are usually associated with malfunctions in the equipment itself. And if all external troubles are excluded, under no circumstances should you restart the car; on the contrary, you should turn it off and invite a technician to repair it.
Machine breakdowns leading to tripping of the circuit breaker
If it suddenly “shorts out,” then sometimes the cause may be simple moisture that collects on the internal elements of household appliances. If it “shorts” precisely because of condensation, then you can try to dry the washing mashine by leaving it to ventilate for 2-3 days in a dry room. However, humidity rarely causes the operation, and more often washing machines suffer from the following ailments:
- "short" due to heating elements malfunctions - this element is especially vulnerable because it is in contact with water and microelements that corrode the surface of the heating coil, which leads to a violation of the integrity of the tubular electric heater and a short circuit. In this case, a specialist will replace the heating element, and the problem will be resolved;
- the motor is broken - this usually happens in old washing mashines, which have natural wear and tear on the motor. Sometimes this situation is caused by an internal water leak. Both failures lead to a short circuit.In this case, the faulty motor is not repaired, but replaced with a new one;
- the control panel has burned out or failed - the short circuit occurs due to oxidation of the contacts on the board, which requires either repair or replacement;
- The power button is broken - a fairly common case, because we use the button more often than others, which is why its contacts quickly fail.
As a conclusion
There are quite a few reasons why a washing machine starts to trip the circuit breaker. It is difficult to independently determine the breakdown, much less fix it. In addition, if the integrity of the electrical wiring and wires inside the machine is damaged, there is a possibility of a fire, and an electric current, if shorted, can penetrate the body of the unit, which is extremely dangerous to life.
And, of course, if you have a faulty washing mashine, you cannot take risks and use equipment that can knock out automatic protection plugs. Remember this and do not put your life in danger!
