Circuit keeps tripping

[Simon D.]

Hi AB's

One of my circuits in my apartment keeps tripping for no apparent reason, some times it can go weeks without tripping then all of a sudden it will trip three times in one night. As far as I can see it covers my tele, fridge, gas cooker and a few other circuits. Any ideas as to what may be causing this.

Simon.

[Disco Fever]

You have a live to earth or a neutral to earth fault on one of your appliances which could be any of them but it deffo wont be the TV, I would look into it by unplugging all the appliances that you are not using at night and see if it keeps tripping, if it doesn't then you will have to narrow it down by leaving one plugged in at night to see if it trips. The most things to cause a trip can be microwave, kettle or iron.

When I say unplug don't just switch the appliance off at the socket as in most cases the neutral is still connected to the appliance as the switch will only disconnect the live from the appliance. Happy tripping.....

[buildersmate]

Most likely a neutral to earth fault.
Good faultfinding advice that, above.

[heathfield]

Had this once when I worked was working at a radio transmitter station. It was caused by rats chewing the cables!

[woodchopper]

My brother in-law had a fault like this in his new house - a light circuit would trip - it could go for weeks and not trip then could trip half a dozen times in one night - I tracedthe fault to a chafed wire that the electrician who installed the wiring in the house had been a bit careless and chafed the retaining screw for the light switch against one of the live wires behind the switch.