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[Sir Tigger KC]

Out of the blue this evening my electrics tripped out!    Which is a PITA as the consumer unit is in the garage and there is no connecting door so I had to go out to it.    Anyhow after a lot of toing and froing, I traced the fault to the kitchen and utility room socket circuit and from there to the fridge freezer.   

I pulled the fridge freezer plug and it felt warm and smelt of burnt plastic, however the fuse hasn't blown and so I put a new plug on and all seems well.    In the original plug the fuse contacts and the metal ends of the fuse are black and there is melted plastic in the recess where the fuse sits.   

I'm now wondering whether to go and buy a new F/F for peace of mind tomorrow given I'm away a fair bit or take the old "That'll be alright!" attitude.... 

[Sir Tigger KC]

BTW you gotta love a White Goods Thread!   

[Rods2]

Were any of the connections loose in the plug as that can cause overheating & burning? Some plugs are also better than others which is why if I'm fitting one I always use MK as they will stay cool when working up to their stated maximum current and the plug body is made of flame proof material rather than plastic.

[Doctor Gollum]

Our tumble drier occasionally does the same...

We have a redundant 30amp feed in the bathroom for a long departed electric shower. Keep meaning to drop it into the garage...

Might encourage me to learn to weld...  🤔

[Sir Tigger KC]

Were any of the connections loose in the plug as that can cause overheating & burning? Some plugs are also better than others which is why if I'm fitting one I always use MK as they will stay cool when working up to their stated maximum current and the plug body is made of flame proof material rather than plastic.

Don't know Rods, it's one of those sealed up jobbies. 

[Lizzie Zoom]

Circuit breakers do not usually trip and plugs start to melt without good electrical reason.  Anyone who ignores those warnings could well end up with a fire.

Unless you, or someone else, can carryout an electrical test on the appliance, in this case a fridge freezer, I would either call in an engineer if the I product is relatively new, or just replace a.s.a.p.

F/F's only cut in and start working when the temperature of the compartments rises to beyond the temperature setting, so it is possible the appliance had just started to cut in when a fault developed and blew the fuse before catching fire.

Fires so often revolve around kitchen appliances, so do not take any risks Sir Tigger. 

[Marks DTM Calib]

If the plug was hot and showing signs of overheating then the plug was at fault (do check the wall socket is ok to)

As you have replaced it then the fault is fixed, so worry not

[Lizzie Zoom]

If the plug was hot and showing signs of overheating then the plug was at fault (do check the wall socket is ok to)

As you have replaced it then the fault is fixed, so worry not

I personally wouldn't be so sure.  This was a sealed plug that came with the appliance.  It is extremely rare for a good quality plug, as I am sure the F/F manufacturer does not fit sub-standard ones, to overheat and start to melt with it's own fault.  It is more likely that the appliance has developed a fault, and to be safe I would want that tested.  As I said, the risk of doing nothing and having a fire is just too great.  With any electrical appliance safety first is always the best policy.

[2boxerdogs]

Get a new appliance for peace of mind , out of curiosity what make is it lot of trouble with Beko appliances I'm led to believe.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Get a new appliance for peace of mind , out of curiosity what make is it lot of trouble with Beko appliances I'm led to believe.

It's a Hotpoint Iced Diamond and probably about 15 years old.

I think that it had all corroded in the plug breaking the circuit, prompting the RCD to trip.  With the new plug and fuse it's been fine overnight. 

It's good to know that my consumer unit works OK though! 

[LC0112G]

Get a new appliance for peace of mind , out of curiosity what make is it lot of trouble with Beko appliances I'm led to believe.

It's a Hotpoint Iced Diamond and probably about 15 years old.

I think that it had all corroded in the plug breaking the circuit, prompting the RCD to trip.  With the new plug and fuse it's been fine overnight. 

It's good to know that my consumer unit works OK though! 

RCD's trip because of a circuit leak to earth, not because the plug is getting hot or the appliance is drawing too much current/power.

The RCD basically measures the current in the live (brown) and neutral (blue) wires. These must be equal at all times. If they aren't equal then some electricity is escaping from the wires, which means there is a leak to somewhere else. This leak only needs to be a few milli-amps to trip the RCD (typically 30mA). The fuse won't blow till/unless the leak exceeds the fuse rating - probably 3A or 5A.

If replacing the plug allows you to reset the RCD, then the plug or wire is the likely cause of the fault. Give the FF a good shake, and rattle the motor/compressor. If the RCD trips again then I'd replace the FF - you risk getting an electric shock if you don't.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Get a new appliance for peace of mind , out of curiosity what make is it lot of trouble with Beko appliances I'm led to believe.

It's a Hotpoint Iced Diamond and probably about 15 years old.

With that information Sir Tigger I would definitely replace the fridge freezer.  It is a damned good excuse, that alone a great risk aversion decision, to get a bang up to date, more energy efficient appliance

[Gaffers]

In the name of equality, I declare this thread racist 

[Sir Tigger KC]

RCD's trip because of a circuit leak to earth, not because the plug is getting hot or the appliance is drawing too much current/power.

The RCD basically measures the current in the live (brown) and neutral (blue) wires. These must be equal at all times. If they aren't equal then some electricity is escaping from the wires, which means there is a leak to somewhere else. This leak only needs to be a few milli-amps to trip the RCD (typically 30mA). The fuse won't blow till/unless the leak exceeds the fuse rating - probably 3A or 5A.

If replacing the plug allows you to reset the RCD, then the plug or wire is the likely cause of the fault. Give the FF a good shake, and rattle the motor/compressor. If the RCD trips again then I'd replace the FF - you risk getting an electric shock if you don't.

It has 2 x 13amp fuses, one in the plug which plugs into a blank socket and the other at the fused switch it's connected to.  Neither had blown. 

[Kevin Wood]

Sounds to me like some leakage to earth started in the plug and eventually got bad enough to start to heat it up and then eventually trip the RCD. Is it possible the plug got damp?

I agree that the fault sounds like it was limited to the plug and  the appliance is more than likely fine. If not, it'll blow the 13A fuse or start tripping the RCD again.