3 ms·

For anyone as unfamiliar with the term RCD as I was until now, it is the same thing that in the US we typically call a GFCI or GFI (ground-fault circuit interru

For anyone as unfamiliar with the term RCD as I was until now, it is the same thing that in the US we typically call a GFCI or GFI (ground-fault circuit interrupter): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device These are usually built into the electrical outlet (or one outlet may provide the GFCI/RCD for several connected outlets). A whole-house RCD as described above would be a wonderful thing.

fingerlocks 6y ago
From personal experience, a GFI-ied house can also be a nightmare. A house can have a lot of outlets. Some of them well-hidden, unused, and long forgotten. If the “test” button is ever unintentionally pressed, maybe from some furniture or whatever pressing against it, then your whole circuit goes down. But the breaker box shows no fault, and now you get to waste the afternoon inspecting every inch of wall space for an upset outlet.
- nemetroid 6y ago
  This is a problem you don’t have when the GFCIs are in the breaker box, though.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
    Yea. I have three of them for my condo. One for the "wet-rooms" (bath and such), one for the electrical stove in the kitchen, and one for the rest. Though it wasn't so initially. Got upgraded about 10 years ago. Now the breaker box says 400v 63A and I wonder how I ever reasonably could use that here.
    - snuxoll 6y ago
      You have a condo, so the 400v is because the building is being supplied with three-phase power - 63A gives you a total of 25KW which is certainly a lot, but normal residential service is usually 240V @ 100A because of HVAC needs so it’s really more or less the same. RCD breakers really are a wonderful thing though, I had my second small fridge knocked out because I had accidentally hit the test button of the outlet near the kitchen sink that the dining room outlet was fed from - having it at the breaker makes it a whole lot less confusing and removes the searching for the protected outlet conundrum.

fingerlocks 6y ago

From personal experience, a GFI-ied house can also be a nightmare. A house can have a lot of outlets. Some of them well-hidden, unused, and long forgotten. If the “test” button is ever unintentionally pressed, maybe from some furniture or whatever pressing against it, then your whole circuit goes down. But the breaker box shows no fault, and now you get to waste the afternoon inspecting every inch of wall space for an upset outlet.

nemetroid 6y ago
This is a problem you don’t have when the GFCIs are in the breaker box, though.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
  Yea. I have three of them for my condo. One for the "wet-rooms" (bath and such), one for the electrical stove in the kitchen, and one for the rest. Though it wasn't so initially. Got upgraded about 10 years ago. Now the breaker box says 400v 63A and I wonder how I ever reasonably could use that here.
  - snuxoll 6y ago
    You have a condo, so the 400v is because the building is being supplied with three-phase power - 63A gives you a total of 25KW which is certainly a lot, but normal residential service is usually 240V @ 100A because of HVAC needs so it’s really more or less the same. RCD breakers really are a wonderful thing though, I had my second small fridge knocked out because I had accidentally hit the test button of the outlet near the kitchen sink that the dining room outlet was fed from - having it at the breaker makes it a whole lot less confusing and removes the searching for the protected outlet conundrum.