I have a hotpoint w/machine wm 63 that is tripping the reisudal current device, I have disconnected pump , motor mains capacitor etc but still it is tripping when i switch on,the machine works ok when i disconnect the earth, but there are about 100v going to earth, could it be the card? thanks

Fred, March 2012

Not sure Fred,

but its possible,

maybe the machine is drawing too much current then dropping the residual to earth.

That would suggest a pcb fault,

this one certainly gets the grey matter working,

try replacing the sup,




I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

paul, March 2012

Could the suppressor leak to earth when working? Cos I checked it with a megger and its ok, connected it with mains including earth (suppressor alone no earth) and rcd did not trip, but when connected in the machine it trips

Fred, March 2012

Thanks Paul I tested the wires one by one disconnected all items one by one but still gives me an earth fault. my last chance is the door switch ,could it be that it is leaking to earth? Mr mm I am not stupid as you said, i got an HNC in electrical engineering so dont worry I know what im doing could you suggest a wiser idea mR mm?

Fred, March 2012

Yes mm, I have to agree disconnecting the earth from any appliance is suicidal,

but it is quite clear from Freds discription he knows how to meter the power,so therefore he knows the dangers of disconnecting the earth for troubleshooting.

he has made it clear that the machine isn't tripping the rcd with earth disconected.

That doesn't suggest he is going to run the machine that way,

without the use of a megga what else can he do but to disconnect components simultaneously until the earth leakage becomes apparent.

Fred, if you are reading this I suggest disconnecting the heating element,if you have already tried this then I suggest you check the wiring harness especially where it is secured to the machine by zip tie or other,

check all components for moisture,

you also mentioned that you disconnected the mains cap,try disconnecting the cap in such a way that you are not allowing power from the cap to enter the machine.

If the cap is faulty it can throw the earthing fault because it is attached to the chassis.

As I mentioned the use of a megga would help you,or basically speed the fault finding process up.

Don't forget that moisture
present in the mains plug,or mains lead can cause your issue,

so don't overlook the obvious,

If you have exhausted all avenues, then I suggest calling in a engineer,this sort of fault can be tricky.

A experienced engineer can sort it.

good luck and most of all be safe.

paul, March 2012

are you stupid or what ?never ever disscon the earth get someone in who knows what they are doing,before you kill yourself

mm, March 2012

you didn't mention the heating element,

try troubleshooting the machine with the wiring on the element disconnected.

paul, March 2012