Electricity meter trips when i switch off load

[yash]

hello, I have recently moved into a sectional title flat that is newly built. At the moment there are no appliances plugged in. the only things connected are a stove, geyser and heat pump and lights.

whenever i switch on the lights for about 5 minutes and then switch them off after a few seconds the meter in the meter box outside trips. although no breaker trips or falls either in the DB box or the meter box outside. I then have push the breaker switch outside in the meter box down wait for a click sound, push it up again and connect the meter again for the power to come back. this has also happened once when i was only usng a drill at different plug points. i would use the drill then leave it on the floor after use then the meter would trip again.

please note nothing in the house is drawing power at the moment there is no appliances plugged in (example fridge, freezer etc)

so my thinking is that when there is a load being used inside the house and then i switch off that load, there is left over power in the cables that travels back through the load line and trips the meter.

I have tested everything even totally disconnected the geyser, stove and heatpump at the DB box and it still trips.

what could be causing this extra energy to be going back through the load line?

do you think that if i had something always pulling a load such as fridge on that the extra energy will flow to the fridge and not back to the meter box.



please help

[Derlyn]

I'd think of a way to store that extra energy to use when there's load shedding.

[yash]

why is the extra energy there in the first place? when u switch off a light or a stove or anything shouldnt that energy be dispersed? if not shouldnt it go through the earth or something? becuase now it seems like it goes through my load line back to the meter box outside and trips the meter.

[GCE]

hello, I have recently moved into a sectional title flat that is newly built. At the moment there are no appliances plugged in. the only things connected are a stove, geyser and heat pump and lights.

whenever i switch on the lights for about 5 minutes and then switch them off after a few seconds the meter in the meter box outside trips. although no breaker trips or falls either in the DB box or the meter box outside. I then have push the breaker switch outside in the meter box down wait for a click sound, push it up again and connect the meter again for the power to come back. this has also happened once when i was only usng a drill at different plug points. i would use the drill then leave it on the floor after use then the meter would trip again.

please note nothing in the house is drawing power at the moment there is no appliances plugged in (example fridge, freezer etc)

so my thinking is that when there is a load being used inside the house and then i switch off that load, there is left over power in the cables that travels back through the load line and trips the meter.

I have tested everything even totally disconnected the geyser, stove and heatpump at the DB box and it still trips.

what could be causing this extra energy to be going back through the load line?

do you think that if i had something always pulling a load such as fridge on that the extra energy will flow to the fridge and not back to the meter box.



please help

What circuit breaker is it - Can you post a photo of it

[yash]

do you want a picture of the circuit breaker in the DB box or outside where the meter is connected?

[Isetech]

I think you should find an electrician.

[GCE]

do you want a picture of the circuit breaker in the DB box or outside where the meter is connected?

The circuit breaker that is tripping

[yash]

hi, no Circuit breaker trips. the meter just cancels out because it senses negative power flowing from the load to the supply. so then i have switch off the breaker and switch it on again to reactivate the meter and connect the keypad. please also note that this only happens when there is no load being used. when load is pulling such as a light being on then it does not trip.

[Dylboy]

This is interesting as what I gather is it is a smart meter. And the moment there is backefeed or reverse feed then it trips.

That's why on the Sunsynk you can set a constant power draw to not allow any backefeed at all.

To fix this issue I have no idea as I feel this deals a lot with electrical engineering stuff and back flow and EMF and all. As AC oscillates there is all sorts of stuff.



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[yash]

could it be that the main cable from the meter to the house is faulty? although the elcetrician pumped 500v through it and it was fine.

[Justloadit]

Either the meter has been incorrectly installed (IN/Out Swapped, or Neutral swapped), or the meter is faulty.
Either way get an electrician in to inspect.

[GCE]

Agree with Justloadit - Report the fault to municipality as a faulty meter assuming that you do not have an inverter installed in our unit

[Derlyn]

Either the meter has been incorrectly installed (IN/Out Swapped, or Neutral swapped), or the meter is faulty.
Either way get an electrician in to inspect.

Just as a matter of interest, it does not matter how the neutral line and load is connected on a meter. The neutral line and load on the meter is a dead short.
The only reason a meter needs a neutral is for it's electronics to work. All domestic meters only have a single pole contactor that breaks the live only.

Just for interest sake.

[yash]

The live, load and neutral on the meter is connected correctly, also the municipality has come and changed the meter. However they did take the load line from my meter and put it into the meter next door and it also tripped that meter

[GCE]

The live, load and neutral on the meter is connected correctly, also the municipality has come and changed the meter. However they did take the load line from my meter and put it into the meter next door and it also tripped that meter

Do you have an inverter or Solar on the installation ?