Hey folks,
I searched the topic for 'RCCB' and found nothing particularly relevant and I figured others might be interested.
I have several 1 and 3 phase VFDs at home. This is 230/400-land, not that it should matter, I guess. All single-phase VFDs have been working fine so far (3 of them incl. the one built into the washing machine ). Problem is, 6 out of the 7 three-phase units trip my 2 yr-old type A, 30 mA, 40 A ABL Sursum RCCB within 1 second after being powered up. The RCCB is practically right after the meter, protecting all the circuits on the property, so currently I can't really use most of my VFDs and this is becoming more and more of an issue.
My understanding is that type B RCCBs are supposed to be used when inverter-type loads are involved. As the cost of such a unit is quite steep, I'd exercise some caution before I buy one. My concern is that even though type B RCCBs are designed to protect against faults involving high frequency DC currents, I've seen no claim that they're immunized against false trips caused by the input stage of VFDs, even though it sounds pretty darn logical.
Actually I'm a bit wary of the possibility that I spend hundreds of *whatever* on a new 30 mA RCCB and it's still going to trip. I'm going to separate the circuit going to the living areas and the one heading to my shop in the upcoming weekend, as I think it's not that bad of an idea anyway, and I'll try and see if the old 300 mA unit still trips when I switch on the VFD.
However, I'd really appreciate your input on the matter.
Thanks,
Gabor
I searched the topic for 'RCCB' and found nothing particularly relevant and I figured others might be interested.
I have several 1 and 3 phase VFDs at home. This is 230/400-land, not that it should matter, I guess. All single-phase VFDs have been working fine so far (3 of them incl. the one built into the washing machine ). Problem is, 6 out of the 7 three-phase units trip my 2 yr-old type A, 30 mA, 40 A ABL Sursum RCCB within 1 second after being powered up. The RCCB is practically right after the meter, protecting all the circuits on the property, so currently I can't really use most of my VFDs and this is becoming more and more of an issue.
My understanding is that type B RCCBs are supposed to be used when inverter-type loads are involved. As the cost of such a unit is quite steep, I'd exercise some caution before I buy one. My concern is that even though type B RCCBs are designed to protect against faults involving high frequency DC currents, I've seen no claim that they're immunized against false trips caused by the input stage of VFDs, even though it sounds pretty darn logical.
Actually I'm a bit wary of the possibility that I spend hundreds of *whatever* on a new 30 mA RCCB and it's still going to trip. I'm going to separate the circuit going to the living areas and the one heading to my shop in the upcoming weekend, as I think it's not that bad of an idea anyway, and I'll try and see if the old 300 mA unit still trips when I switch on the VFD.
However, I'd really appreciate your input on the matter.
Thanks,
Gabor