Electricity can be one of
the most dangerous things that every homeowner puts in his or her
house, if it weren't for the rubber or PVC sheath that encloses the
wiring it would be too dangerous to set up any sort of system.
However, even with the protection in place electrical hazards can
still cause deadly shocks, with 100 to 300 miliAmps being enough to
stop the heart in a sustained shock. So your home will always require
some sort of fail-safe to make sure that the electricity doesn't
destroy it by causing a fire or electrocuting short circuiting and
causing structural damage. But how do you repair the wiring if you
can't shut it off?
You can use an RCD switch
which is a residual current device which is electrical equipment that
connects to the meter box. It's a life-saving device that stops the
flow of electricity if you touch a live wire while also providing
protection against electrical fires and provides a level of protection
that other devices such as circuit-breakers cannot provide. The
device constantly monitors any electrical current passing through the
circuit it's attached to, it also comes in different types that trade
a few aspects for portability, convenience or reliability.
There are fixed,
socket-outlet and portable RCDs, they differ from one another by how
and where they are used. Fixed RCDs are the most commonly used type
since they are set and forget appliance since it passively protect
individual circuits. A socket-outlet RCD switch is a special socket
or outlet that has an RCD built in which only provides protection
only to the person in contact with the equipment, including its lead,
plugged into the special socket-outlet. And lastly the portable RCD switch which can be plugged
into any standard socket, an appliance can then be plugged into the
RCD. These are useful when neither fixed nor socket-outlet RCDs are
available but, as with socket-outlet RCDs they provide protection
only for the person in contact with the equipment.
You
should check your own circuit box if it has a consumer RCD unit which
you can then test, most units have this function but you should still
check if your box has one. If you do already have a unit included
with the circuit-breaker you should test it every few months to
ensure it's functioning properly. And the equipment is about 97%
reliable, which improves if they are tested regularly. With an RCD
you'll reduce the risk of electric shock to you and your family.
