Testing MCBs

[Tetley]

Can MCBs be tested? Or if they are suspected are they just replaced?

Reason im asking, I was round a house and the client said her MCB that protected the lounge and hall storage heaters had been tripping.

The lounge one was recently replaced so I suspected a faulty input stat on the hall one. Anyway tested both of them and I.R test wiring all perfect. But when I flicked the MCB off it didnt give a nice click sound, dont know how best to explain but just sounded a touch different. Unluckily didnt have a spare in the van to replace ith though.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

If that happens to me i try to swap two similar breakers in the board. There is some very expensive kit to test breakers, but nothing availible for us. I have seen a nice test kit for this that only works on 110v and goes up to 40A

 

[Andy™]

There is some very expensive kit to test breakers,

just wait til 18th, then we will need to test MCB's to make sure they trip in time.

you will also have to go on a course to learn to how test, then register with a scam provider to say your capable to testing them.

then if thats a success, a year later testing of fuse's will follow....

 

[batty]

Tetley are you sure they replaced the storage heater with one of the same size. I had this on a call out they had replaced original one with a larger one which was a 4 element one. It was on a 13 amp spur so had burnt that out. Replaced spur with 20 amp switch and upgraded 16 amp fuse for 20 amp one. Seems strange to have two storage heaters on one circuit.

Batty

 

[Tetley]

Couldn't say for sure if they had replaced with the same size but read the current on both of them 1) 6.9A 2)6.5A , on a 16A MCB with 20A DP swithces, so alls well there.

The lounge was an addition to the hall circuit, thats why thers two.

 

[Oracle]

I used to test MCB's when I worked at RR.

Never seen it done since - suppose it is down to cost of the testers.

Oracle.