Circuit Breakers & RCD Services in Brisbane

Circuit Breakers vs RCD

A circuit breaker prevents electrical fires by protecting the wiring and electrical systems in your home. On the other hand, a RCD (Residual Current Device) or safety switch saves lives by protecting you from electric shocks. An RCD will ensure that the current is switched off in the case of any current leakage or imbalance. This will save your life in the event that you’ve accidently exposed yourself to any electrical current to ensure you don’t get a fatal shock. By law, you need both installed in your home to protect you from electrical fires and electrocution.

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What is a Circuit Breaker?

A circuit breaker (sometimes referred to as a fuse) protects your home from electrical fires by ensuring wires don’t overheat and the different circuits don’t overload. If there’s a detected overload or short-circuit in any of the circuits, it breaks the circuit. Hence the name, Circuit Breaker.

Sometimes, if too many appliances are plugged into a single power point, the Circuit Breaker may cut the current as it is overloading the circuit. If too much current is flowing through the circuit or a sudden surge, the Circuit Breaker switches off to stop your appliances and wiring from overheating and causing a fire.

What is a RCD?

A Residual Current Device (RCD) or safety switch monitors the flow of electricity through a circuit ensuring that there are no imbalances through both live and neutral wires. Imbalances occur when the current travels through a foreign object or a person. The RCD is able to detect that the current is irregular and will stop the current within 0.03 seconds.

So if there is a chance that you could have been electrocuted, an RCD can save your life. Shutting off the current so quickly can save your life as it significantly reduces the time you’re exposed to an electrical shock.

Additionally, only 30 milliamps (mA) is enough to cause a cardiac arrest, other damage or even death. In addition to an imbalance safety trip, your RCD trips at a limit of 30 mA to significantly reduce the risk of harm.

A RCD has a test button whereas a Circuit Breaker does not. This is the button marked with a capital “T”. The test button works by interrupting the current just as you would should you come into contact with the electrical current. If the power does not shut off, you are no protected from life threatening electric shocks on that circuit.

Is one RCD enough?

No. Your home will have multiple circuits. When testing to see if your RCD works, the button will only cut off power to all appliances on that circuit. By law RCDs are required so you should already have an RCD for your lighting and another RCD for all power points. Anything that does not shut off when testing the RCD can pose as a life threatening risk. For example, if some lights do not turn off after pressing the test button, they may be on another circuit and there is a chance of an electric shock if you need to change the light.

You need an RCD for all circuits in your home. Your home may have multiple circuits because larger appliances require more electricity. Circuits may exist for lights, power points, air conditioning/heating and pool equipment. Additionally, even small homes may have multiple circuits for lights and power points. So make sure you’re protected by an RCD on every circuit. If you’re not sure, speak to a licenced electrician to see if your family is protected.

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At CK ESA, we believe our core strength and point of different is our people. That is why we take pride in our strict selection process which guarantees you get to work with the best industry recognised and qualified professionals the Brisbane market has to offer.

During our recruitment process, we make sure our new staff members all share  the same passion for turning our customer’s project into success stories.