Hi Folks, I've been busy, so apologies for a late reply. I've also done some measuring etc and here are my findings:
1. My Consumer unit is about 25 years old, fitted with two main 'trips', the L.H. one protects circuit 5 (32A, type 2 individual rating). This serves the ring circuit to kitchen, utility and shed. While I am working, it provides power to a fridge, a freezer and a couple of low wattage lights. IT HAS NEVER TRIPPED.
2. My power supply to the shed is 31 metres/95 ' of 2 of 2.5mm multistrand cable (six stands in all, 2 Live, 2 return, 2 earth), initiating in a pair of junction boxes in the utility room. I put all the figures into TLC's voltage drop calculator - and others - and 2.5mm seemed fine(??). My multimeter gives a reading of 238 volts here.
3. The multistrand terminates in an old MEM distribution board I had, the two live starnds are fixed to the live bus bar, the return to the neutral bus bar and the earth.. etc. This antique has fuses(!) and I run the 16A dedicated radial circuit off the 30A fuse two in from the left.
The trip on this biscuit tin is as above. NEITHER THE TRIP HERE, NOR THE FUSES ATTACHED TO IT HAVE EVER BLOWN.
Without load, this unit reads 236 Volts, in use, with a 2.2Kw P/Thicknesser, it reads 224 Volts.
4. The motor that started this thread off is connected to a D.O.L. starter, brand new. It is an Axminster aluminium T.E.F.C. 2.2kW jobbie (a reasonable copy I think of an ALPAK original).
Now, it starts with no load, admittedly reluctantly, sounding like a bunch of spanners in a tumble dryer for maybe two seconds, then runs smoothly for as long as you like. Put the thing into my AGS and try to start it, I get maybe 7-10 seconds use, then it cuts out. If I take the tension off the belts slightly, the bunch of spanners are back.
I took it off, tested the two capacitors separately, off the terminal block of the motor and I did not get a gradual growing resistance, it simply went straight to infinity for both.
I then put an old ALPAC motor into the AGS; same physical configuration as the Axi, but 1.1kW, cuts all day.
I have a 2.2kW P/T an old Elecktra Beckum; it, plus a 1.1kW extractor run happily off the same electrical supply......with four six-foot fluorescent tubes on too, but on a separate fuseway on the MEM.
Any ideas Folks?
Sam
A pragmatist inside a perpetual optimist, heavily influenced by an experienced cynic, wrapped around by an aging relic.