Earthing System Fault Causing DB Trip in Subang Jaya
Yesterday morning, we received a call from a customer in Wangsa Baiduri, Subang Jaya. He explained that his house distribution board (DB) keeps tripping every time there is heavy rain, which has been causing him a lot of inconvenience. The problem seems to be related to the earthing system, but his current wireman has been unable to locate the earthing pit and doesn’t have the proper tools to trace it. Because of this, the customer is looking for a professional electrical service that can accurately locate the earthing chamber and measure the earth resistance. He specifically wants the earth resistance checked to ensure it meets the proper safety standard of below 10 ohms. If the measurement shows that the resistance is too high, he plans to redo the earthing entirely to make sure his home is safe and that the DB will no longer trip during heavy rain. It’s clear that he wants a reliable, professional solution rather than temporary fixes.
Grandson Got Electric Shock from Fridge or Washing Machine
Sometimes, when he touches the fridge, washing machine or computer, he feels a mild electric shock. This is a clear sign of leakage current in the electrical system, which usually happens when there is poor earthing, damaged insulation or faulty components such as an old RCD or main switch. Even a small shock should never be ignored, as it indicates that electricity is escaping through metal parts that should be safe to touch. This situation can become dangerous if left unresolved, so identifying and fixing the root cause is crucial before continuing with any earthing or wiring upgrades. His grandson is around five years old, and he’s very worried that the child might get an electric shock. With a young kid at home, even a small current leakage becomes a serious safety concern. Children often touch metal surfaces or play near electrical appliances without realizing the danger. In this case, his grandson especially likes to open the fridge, which increases the risk even more if there’s any leakage current present. That’s why it’s important to fix the electrical issues immediately and ensure the entire system is safe and properly grounded.
40-Year-Old RCD & Main Switch Must Be Replaced Immediately
We then asked him to send a few photos of his DB box and car porch area so that we wouldn’t have to imagine how his house looks or the setup and condition of the distribution board. According to the customer, he has been staying in this house for 40 years and is the first owner. Once we received the photos, we noticed that he is using a very old Wylex RCD, the Neptun 2000 model, with a 63A rating and 100 mA sensitivity. His double-pole main switch/isolator is an F & S brand. The age and condition of this equipment could be contributing to the tripping issues, especially during heavy rain. Having the photos gave us a much clearer picture of the situation and allowed us to plan the next steps more accurately, including tracing the earthing chamber and checking the earth resistance. With this information, we can now provide a proper recommendation and solution to ensure his home’s electrical system is safe and reliable.
As the first step, we suggested replacing his main switch, RCD and all ABB MCBs because all the components are very old and could be contributing to the tripping problems. This replacement is essential to ensure the electrical system is stable and safe and it must be done before we proceed with tracing the earthing chamber or installing/upgrading the earthing system. Initially, the customer misunderstood. He thought that by simply adding a new copper earth rod and achieving a reading below 10 ohms, the house would stop tripping. However, from our professional assessment, the main cause likely lies in the old RCD, main switch, and MCBs, which must be settled first before any earthing work can be effective.
Monitor After Replacing RCCB, Isolator and MCB
After the main switch and RCD/ELCB are replaced, the customer can continue using the system for a while to monitor whether the DB still trips during rain. Sometimes, the tripping issue can also be caused by underground cables such as autogate wires, pillar light cables, or fish pond wiring. This happens quite often because some wiremen take shortcuts by using 1.5 mm or 2.5 mm normal indoor wires for outdoor installations. For outdoor or underground wiring, armoured cables should always be used instead. Unfortunately, this kind of improper installation is very common and often leads to moisture-related tripping problems during rainy weather.
From our experience, when a wireman quotes the proper armoured cable, many customers are often shocked by the price. Most homeowners prefer a cheaper option, so the wireman ends up using normal indoor wires instead. While this may reduce the cost initially, it leads to bigger problems later, especially when the wires are exposed to rain or buried underground. Moisture can seep into the cables, causing leakage current and frequent DB tripping. Using the correct armoured cable from the start is always the safer and more reliable choice.
Once the system has been used for a while, if it doesn’t trip, that’s good news. However, if it still trips, the next step is to locate the earthing pit and measure the earth resistance value. If the resistance is too high or the pit cannot be found, a new earthing system must be installed by driving new earth rods into the ground and connecting them back to the DB box using 10mm or 16mm earth wire. Sometimes, even after installing multiple earth rods, ten or more, it can still be difficult to achieve a reading below 10 ohms. The final result depends on soil condition, moisture level and a bit of luck as well.
We normally charge between RM3,000 and RM4,000 for a complete installation of 10 pieces of Taipoly earth rods, including high-quality clamps and accessories. For the earthing cables, we use Mega Kabel 10mm or 16mm wires to ensure durability and performance. The final cost depends on the distance between the earthing chamber and the DB box, as the longer the distance, the higher the charges due to additional materials and labour required.
RCCB, MCB & Earthing System Inspection and Replacement Service
If you need to replace your DB box or install a proper earthing system, call Alex at 012-870 2699. We handle a wide range of electrical faults and troubleshooting work, including frequent power trips, RCCB that fails to trip or trips without reason, unexpected power interruptions, faulty alarm or autogate wiring, air conditioners or water heaters not functioning, damaged or non-working wall sockets, appliances causing the DB to cut off when plugged in, faulty MCBs or main switches that cannot turn on, flickering or dimming lights, switches that heat up or spark, ceiling fans that stop working suddenly, unstable voltage issues, DB tripping during rainy weather and even complete power outages throughout the house.
