Oven tripping the electrics

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

I have a range cooker with gas hob and two electric ovens. It's 100cm wide and one of the ovens is roughly twice the size of the other if that's relevant.

The small oven (non fan) works with no problems.

The larger oven sometimes works but other times trips the electrics. There seems to be no pattern to this at all. It doesn't seem to be affected by other appliance in use or the temperature the oven is set to or how long the oven is on. Usually after a minute or two I can reset the switch on the fuse box and then it works again.

It did it a couple of times and then didn't at all for months and then started again. I've no idea whether this is a cooker problem or an electrics problem and if so, how major? Is it dangerous? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to guess that the thing which trips is your RCD. It is probably twice as wide as all your other breakers and has a "T" or "Test" button on it.

In which case the usual cause is that the insulation or sheath on the heating element in your main oven is breaking down. It will trip the RCD when it first draws power, because it absorbs moisture from the air. If it is, or recently has been, hot, it will have dried out and may not cause a trip.

If your oven has multiple elements (e.g. top, bottom, fan) it is probably whichever is most often used.

Elements are service parts and are reasonably easy to change after partial dismantling of the oven lining. They generally plug into place.

As long as the RCD is tripping, it is not dangerous. Otherwise, the element would eventually burn out.

Very cheap elements from ebay might or might not last a long time. There are some large online retailers who should be OK, or the oven maker will have a spare parts department.

If you get a serviceman in he can test the element(s) to confirm my diagnosis, but I am probably right.

Thank you! Sounds like I need a service engineer then? I have a feeling the cooker is MFI own brand (not sure, it came with the house and no documentation) so fingers crossed it's possible to source parts.

phone these people they may know. There might be a makers plate inside the door frame.

I expect it will have been made in some big cooker factory.