IKEA dishwasher tripping RCD

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  • December 26, 2015 at 12:30 pm #87131
    mbaird
    Participant

    My IKEA dishwasher works for part of its washing cycle, but suddenly trips the RCD. You can let it cool down it sometimes you can switch it back on and it completes the cycle. However it’s getting worse!

    Its details are:
    Model : DWH M10W
    Service: 8511 089 15000

    I’ve looked underneath and there are no leaks, but the connectors to the flow through pump were blackened, so I’ve replaced the connector and cleaned up the connections. This however hasn’t solved the problem, it still trips the RCD part way through the cycle.

    I’ve also checked that the door seals are in good order.

    As an experiment I’ve let it run through the cycle with the heater disconnected and it’s not tripping.

    I’ve measured the resistance across the heater and it reads 30 ohms.

    If the replacement flow through heater was’t £80 I’d take a gamble and just replace it, so I’d like to seek the advise of people more knowledgeable!

    Can these heaters suddenly earth leak when they are hot?

    Thanks

    December 28, 2015 at 9:08 am #434036
    mundaysrepair
    Participant

    Re: IKEA dishwasher tripping RCD

    Hi there my name is Nick and I run a repair business In Northampton. It does sound as though you certainly have a fault-to-earth on the heater. The heater may well function perfectly regardless of the fault, 30 Ohms would suggest a healthy 1800W element, leading you to wonder if it was at fault?? It is tripping because electrical potential is energising the earth circuit, only when the heater is in use! Potentially dangerous.
    Replace the heater.
    For a confirmation test….. Set your meter to the highest resistance range usually, 200MOhms, the meter should display something like 0 / 1 / over range to signify open-circuit, i.e. no continuity. Disconnect the tags from the heater, Now touch one probe on the earth terminal of the element itself and the other on one of the other heater terminals, (doesn’t matter which one, they have no polarity and will both measure a fault anyway). If your meter display changes to show any kind of continuity between earth and the supply then this is the source of the trip.
    Sometimes you will see the resistance climbing as you measure it until it reads off scale, this is due to the capacitor effect of two dissimilar metals being very close together, (the earth and element). In answer to your other query, yes as the element heats up the fault can worsen, guaranteeing a trip.

    Let me know how you get on!

    Nick

    December 29, 2015 at 10:05 am #434037
    mbaird
    Participant

    Re: IKEA dishwasher tripping RCD

    Thanks for your reply Nick.

    As suggested I disconnected the power connector to the heater and with the highest setting on my meter (20M Ohms), I got a reading of about 14M Ohms, but it did jump around a little.

    So a new heater is called for I think. I’ve managed to track one down but it’s going to take a couple of weeks…

    January 30, 2016 at 9:57 pm #434038
    mbaird
    Participant

    Re: IKEA dishwasher tripping RCD

    Well I finally got the replacement heater and fitted it; not a hard job.

    Sadly running the dishwasher for the first time, part way through the cycle it tripped the RCD!!! This was exactly the problem I started with.

    Any thoughts before I scrap it? After an £80 lost bet I’m reluctant to guess any further without solid proof to what will fix it.

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