Hi power experts, I need to advice please as I am really at my witts end. Our SMEG oven started tripping the earth leakage about a month ago.

Managed to eventually get the SMEG authorized technician out who used a megger and multi meter to test all the elements (a SMEG oven has 3 elements) but was unable to definitively say it was one specific element. But he thought it was most likely an element.

So I forked out close to R3k and ordered all 3 elements. This took a month as SMEG needed to get one of the elements from Europe.

He returned on Friday, replaced the elements and low and behold, the oven is still tripping the Earth Leakage. The tech left our house with his tail between his legs and no idea on next steps to resolve the issue.

The SMEG agents are completely unhelpful other than telling me I need to buy a new oven for R25k (in addition to the R3k I've already spent on new elements).

I know its almost impossible to determine the cause via this post, but are there any other specific things that could cause this issue? Are we just throwing good money after bad, should we just ditch this piece of junk?

EDIT: I also tested the oven on a completely diferent circuit in our DB to make sure it is not a faulty earth leakage. This circuit runs my pool pump etc and the earth leakage also trips. So definitely not a fault on the oven circuit Earth Leakage.

Edited July 4, 20214 yr by Nickwes

1 hour ago, Nickwes said:

Hi power experts, I need to advice please as I am really at my witts end. Our SMEG oven started tripping the earth leakage about a month ago.

Managed to eventually get the SMEG authorized technician out who used a megger and multi meter to test all the elements (a SMEG oven has 3 elements) but was unable to definitively say it was one specific element. But he thought it was most likely an element.

So I forked out close to R3k and ordered all 3 elements. This took a month as SMEG needed to get one of the elements from Europe.

He returned on Friday, replaced the elements and low and behold, the oven is still tripping the Earth Leakage. The tech left our house with his tail between his legs and no idea on next steps to resolve the issue.

The SMEG agents are completely unhelpful other than telling me I need to buy a new oven for R25k (in addition to the R3k I've already spent on new elements).

I know its almost impossible to determine the cause via this post, but are there any other specific things that could cause this issue? Are we just throwing good money after bad, should we just ditch this piece of junk?

EDIT: I also tested the oven on a completely diferent circuit in our DB to make sure it is not a faulty earth leakage. This circuit runs my pool pump etc and the earth leakage also trips. So definitely not a fault on the oven circuit Earth Leakage.

If you already have new elements, I would check to see if it is possible to disconnect the thermostat and by-pass it. switch the oven On and see if it will trip the earth leakage. Then step by step disconnect one component at a time and by-pass if possible. Not sure how that oven looks, but try removing the oven light first, then thermostat and then continue until you find the problem 

3 hours ago, Nickwes said:

Hi power experts, I need to advice please as I am really at my witts end. Our SMEG oven started tripping the earth leakage about a month ago.

Managed to eventually get the SMEG authorized technician out who used a megger and multi meter to test all the elements (a SMEG oven has 3 elements) but was unable to definitively say it was one specific element. But he thought it was most likely an element.

So I forked out close to R3k and ordered all 3 elements. This took a month as SMEG needed to get one of the elements from Europe.

He returned on Friday, replaced the elements and low and behold, the oven is still tripping the Earth Leakage. The tech left our house with his tail between his legs and no idea on next steps to resolve the issue.

The SMEG agents are completely unhelpful other than telling me I need to buy a new oven for R25k (in addition to the R3k I've already spent on new elements).

I know its almost impossible to determine the cause via this post, but are there any other specific things that could cause this issue? Are we just throwing good money after bad, should we just ditch this piece of junk?

EDIT: I also tested the oven on a completely diferent circuit in our DB to make sure it is not a faulty earth leakage. This circuit runs my pool pump etc and the earth leakage also trips. So definitely not a fault on the oven circuit Earth Leakage.

Reminder: An Earth-Leakage trip means that somewhere in your oven, or in the wiring from DB to your oven, there is an unintended current path to earth. 

Some suggestions: 

• Does the EL only trip when the stove is on a particular setting?  This could help diagnose whether the problem is upstream of the stove input, or only one of the downstream elements. 
• Have you recently installed any nails, screws etc into the walls near the stove? Maybe a screw has just pierced the insulation of the cable, without breaking the connection?
• Check the double-pole isolator that should be installed near to the stove. Also check that a gecko didn't crawl into the isolator box!
• Check for loose wires, insects etc within the wiring area of stove itself. They are often attracted to areas that are not too hot (displays, control electronics etc.).
• Stove wiring normally uses high-temperature Silicone coated wires to withstand high temperatures. The insulation on normal electrical wire (e.g. Twin and Earth) is not rated for extended high temperatures and will become brittle and break off the wires.  

Good luck!

3 hours ago, NigelL said:

Reminder: An Earth-Leakage trip means that somewhere in your oven, or in the wiring from DB to your oven, there is an unintended current path to earth. 

Some suggestions: 

• Does the EL only trip when the stove is on a particular setting?  This could help diagnose whether the problem is upstream of the stove input, or only one of the downstream elements. 
• Have you recently installed any nails, screws etc into the walls near the stove? Maybe a screw has just pierced the insulation of the cable, without breaking the connection?
• Check the double-pole isolator that should be installed near to the stove. Also check that a gecko didn't crawl into the isolator box!
• Check for loose wires, insects etc within the wiring area of stove itself. They are often attracted to areas that are not too hot (displays, control electronics etc.).
• Stove wiring normally uses high-temperature Silicone coated wires to withstand high temperatures. The insulation on normal electrical wire (e.g. Twin and Earth) is not rated for extended high temperatures and will become brittle and break off the wires.  

Good luck!

Thanks Nigel for your advice:

1. We have done extensive testing. It trips on all settings, bottom element, top element, fan element. It seems to trip after a few minutes when it reaches a certain heat. Also as I said, all elements are now brand new now so it shouldnt be one specific element tripping it.

2. The circuit from the db to the stove with regards to nails or screws etc cant be the issue because as I said above. I have unplugged the oven and plugged it into a completely different circuit with it's own earth leakage and that one trips too. So that excludes the possibility of it being an electrical circuit or earth leakage fault.

3. Loose wires etc within the stove, I can only go on what the technician said he did and I watched him and he spent quite some time looking at everything inside the oven and he couldnt see anything.

So we are at a dead end now.

On 2021/07/04 at 2:39 PM, Nickwes said:

I have unplugged the oven and plugged it into a completely different circuit with it's own earth leakage and that one trips too.

Have you checked the plug/cable to the Oven?

2 minutes ago, NigelL said:

Have you checked the plug/cable to the Oven?

Hi there, yes the plug has been checked but I doubt whether the full cable has been tested. They are coming today for round 5 of repairs. I will suggest that to them.

One other suggestion - earth-leakage problems can also be caused by faulty surge protection devices (e.g. MOV). If these devices have been exposed to a large surge, they can be partially damaged, resulting in excess leakage. This leakage is typically very temperature dependent, so could explain the problems you are seeing.

However, I don't know if your stove has any MOVs fitted...   

Any updates here, hope you find the problem