When installing an electric boiler in an apartment or house, you need to take care of a safe connection. Since it has a lot of power, it is imperative to put an RCD on the water heater. This device protects against combustion during power surges in the network.
How to check the RCD for operation
Experts recommend once a month to check how the machine turns off in order to avoid an accident in a timely manner. It is easy to do it yourself: just press the “Test” button, which is located on the case. At this moment, a current leakage will be staged, and the device will turn off (if it works properly).
If the protection does not work, you need to replace it. How to do this, we will describe below.
Why does the RCD knock out
Why does the machine cut down in the Termex, Ariston heaters? There may be reasons for this:
- Broken heater insulation. The heater insulation has been damaged due to scale formation or wear. The coil inside the housing comes into contact with water, which causes the system to shut down. This can be understood by the fact that water from the mixer begins to spit. A visual inspection of the heating element will help identify and fix the problem.
- Leakage current. Damaged wiring. The insulation may have been damaged. At this time, power is supplied to the bare wire, so when turned on, it can knock out plugs and protection. It is necessary to completely inspect the wiring and replace damaged elements.
- Huge pressure. The boiler is a powerful technique. If you connect several appliances at the same time (stove, iron, hair dryer), then overload protection may work. Therefore, make sure that other appliances do not turn on while the heater is operating. Or choose an RCD designed for high power, which will not knock out under load.
- Shutdown device failure. Reasons: the product is assembled from low-quality parts or the indicated power does not correspond to the declared one. In this case, the contact can punch through the plate and heat it up. As a result, protection is triggered.
- The reason why the RCD trips may be due to wrong connection.
- Difavtomat placed incorrectly.
- Boiler punches on the body. Inside the wiring is broken: the bare part of the wire touches the case and keeps it in tension. The user may experience a slight discharge. Due to current leakage, the machine knocks out. It is necessary to replace the wiring, it is not recommended to isolate the damage.
Do not install a powerful device without grounding.
Above we wrote how to check the RCD. Now we will tell you how to replace it in case of breakdown.
How to install new protection
As a new protection, you can use a difavtomat. The device already includes a residual current device. It does not allow overload and combustion of the electrical appliance. What is better to choose? Let’s compare:
- The protection device protects against electric shock by comparing the phase and zero. As soon as their indicators exceed the norm, it works.
Choose trusted manufacturers. Keep in mind that the current strength should slightly exceed the value of the technique.
- RCD is connected only in tandem with the machine. However, when it is triggered, you immediately know what the cause of the problem is. If you have limited space, then it is better to give preference to a difavtomat. But when it is turned off, you will have to dig in search of reasons.
- If you take a differential device, then it is immediately connected to the phase and zero. Whereas the disconnect device needs to connect the phase to the machine, and then to the output.
- The service life depends on the company and the quality of workmanship. But in the event of a breakdown, the protection device is easier to replace than the differential one.
For a Termex and Ariston boiler with a power of 2 kW, choose a difavtomat for 16 A, and an RCD for 20 A.
Connection is possible in two ways:
- A small power device is connected to a power outlet. It must be moisture resistant and grounded, especially if the installation takes place in the bathroom. If the power does not match, the socket will start to heat up and spark.
- Through the electrical box. A copper cable is used for the connection. Switching on is done automatically.
It is best to connect the water heater to a network with the least number of connections. Choose proven and high-quality products that will reliably protect your equipment.