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Why buy an RCD
For most people, home is the place where the main, most enjoyable part of their life goes. A house is not just walls and a roof, it is children and a loved one, it is holidays and meetings with friends, it is priceless memories, the person’s inner, personal world, hidden from others. And how do you want to completely protect your home from any troubles.
We put reliable locks and strong doors from burglars, fire and security alarms, ask neighbors to look after the house if we leave somewhere.
There are no trifles on security. AND electrical safety, is one of the guarantors of the safety of your property and your life.
But, you say, I have reliable sockets and fixtures, and in electrical panel installed circuit breakers. This is very good, however, the circuit breaker does not control current leakage. That is, if an electric current starts to fall on the housing of a household appliance, say a washing machine, due to a violation of the integrity of the insulation or for another reason, the circuit breaker may not work. And it will work only with a short circuit, in case of direct contact of the phase conductor with a neutral or protective wire (short circuit to ground). But a small leakage of current poses a threat to human life and health. Leaks are especially dangerous for small children; the child’s body may not be able to withstand a slight current.
Residual Current Device solves this problem. Standard RCDs are configured to turn off the power when the current leakage threshold is exceeded 30mA. On the line where increased security is required - sockets in the nursery, bathroom - it is recommended to install devices with a cut-off threshold of 10mA. If you do not want to change anything in the electrical panel, you can install sockets with a built-in residual current device.
Remember, the RCD controls precisely the leakage of current, it does not protect against short circuit, therefore it must be installed together with the circuit breaker. Or you can use a differential machine, it combines the functions of an RCD and a circuit breaker. It costs a little more, but saves space in the electrical panel and is a fairly reliable device.
Speaking of price. The cost of an RCD or a differential machine is much higher than the price of a circuit breaker. But this is your safety, you should not save on it. Think, make a decision and do not hesitate in its implementation.
See also:What is earth leakage
See also at e.imadeself.com
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