RCD’s – Manual & Resettable
What is a RCD?
A RCD (Residual Current Device) is the most important safety device in your home electrics. It prevents serious electric shock and can save lives. Don’t ignore the importance of this little baby!
A RCD monitors the electricity supply 24/7 and if it detects a leak of electricity, normally caused by damp or water ingress, it disconnects the electricity supply. This prevents risk of electric shock from conductive items like stainless steel draining boards, shower heads, copper pipe work, and other metal fixtures. The RCD will not allow you to switch the electricity supply back on until the fault is cleared or isolated.
In Spain a RCD is called an Interruptor Diferencial (ID) and all the sub-circuits of an electrical installation in a dwelling must be protected with one. The RCD must have a minimum rating of 30 milli-Amps.
#TestYourRCD. Ensure that you test your RCD’s every 3 months by pressing the test button.
Resettable RCD (auto-reset type)
THE BASIC electrical installation in Spain is protected by a single RCD. This can cause secondary safety problems if a trip occurs with the loss of lighting and defrosting of food.
Nuisance tripping is a common electrical fault that Sparks has to deal with in Spanish dwellings. Because this type of fault is intermittent it can prove extremely difficult to find unless the fault is present at the time of testing or unless it is visually apparent. Consequently, finding the cause of nuisance tripping can become a major exercise for an electrician to trace.
A RCD that annoyingly trips out every now and then with no apparent immediate indication why, is not only frustrating but a major concern when leaving a property unoccupied for any length of time. However inconvenient it may be, you should never disconnect, bypass or remove an RCD. It is there to prevent electrocution, removing an RCD because of nuisance tripping could prove fatal.
A solution for nuisance tripping is to fit an auto-reset RCD with an reclosure function. It allows resetting of the RCD after clearance of the fault and following insulation monitoring. A RCD with an automatic reclosing function can differentiate between a temporary power fault and a permanent power fault, and quickly restore power without human intervention. This helps reduce power outages and improve the reliability of the power supply.
A resettable RCD is useful for specific applications in the home that require an essential power supply such as fridge freezers, fish tanks, alarm and communication systems. They are also recommended for community supplies powering urbanisation lighting and TV-SAT/internet services.
Chint resettable RCDs installed by Sparks feature:
- Possibility of rearmament program 1-7 times.
- Delay time for reset, adjustable from 10 to 120 seconds.
- Counter indicator for number of power failures.
- Alarm contacts.
- Possibility of remote control.