house fuse box?

Question

what does it mean when your fuse box has no rcd protection?

Answer 1

The RCD as explained by these answers normally protests all the sockets and electric shower. Usually the light circuits are not RCD protected.
RCD detects the smallest leakage of current by comparing current out to current return. Any imbalance and it trips.
A normal circuit breaker only trips when its rating is exceeded. Therefore a 15 amp breaker only trips when 15 amps are exceeded. If you happen to be the one on the end of the circuit, you're fried. It only take one tenth of one amp to kill you.
That is the advantage of the RCD. It trips after only miliamps.

Answer 2

If you have a fuse box it willconsist of cartridges contiaing either sealed fuses or wire.

An RCD is a breaker device that trips when there is "residual current"

These normally trip at 30mA. They are used in breaker consumer units, although you cn have then fitted seperately before your fuse box, to ensure that there are no earth faults in the house.

Ideally you should change your fuse box for a split RCD consumer unit. This will have the sockets/cooker/showers protected by an RCD but leave the lights on if it trips.

In a fuse box, if the neutral is touching the earth wire you'll never know, until your house burns down. In an RCD protected house it will trip as soon as the fault occures. Also in a fuse box house you will get a nasty shock if you touch the live. in an RCD protected house you'll get a twinge that might make you swear but it won't throw you into next Tuesday.

However, changing your unit may uncover faults that already exist but cannot remain for the RCD to work ( as mentioned above - neutral faults ) so be preparred to hunt those down if you change....it'll be a lot safer.

About £150 for the unit and £200 for a sparky.

Answer 3

Basically if you have no rcd but you do not have an old fuse wire system, the trip switches you will have are MCB's (micro circuit breaker) These will only trip when there is more current pulled through the it than the actual rating. Eg: if two wires shorted together it would pull much more current than the rating on the MCB so it would trip to prevent a fire.
The RCD (residual Current Device) is the safest way of protecting every one as you have the rcd as your main trip with the MCB's as well. The RCD will trip off if there is any current leakage to earth over 50ma which is very small. Grass cutting in the garden if you accidentally cut through the cable the live wire may touch the blade which in turn will pass through the rest of the handle on the mower where you hold. You will still get a small shock as your earthed, but the rcd will trip quickly, where as the mcb will or may not.

Answer 4

Modern systems require some form of RCD protection, normally on the downstairs ring circuit. Its a misconception that all the circuits require this, its only where there is the possibility of using an appliance outside the house where the potential for electrocution is high that you need extra protection, Mcb's are for overload, RCD's are for earth leakage.
If you don't have one in your fuse board at the moment, then get a plug in one for outside use, never be without one!

Answer 5

do you mean the big red trip switch? this trips all the electrics and over rides the other trip switches but isnt really requiredin all houses as rest of fuses will trip seperately anyway (all new builds though are required to have the main trip)

Answer 6

RCD is residual current device or more commonly called GFI or ground fault isolator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device

go to this web site to read up on it

Answer 7

stands for " Residual Current Device" trips if it detects a earth fault current that could pose an electrical shock......


lic. gen. contractor

Answer 8

your house was built before the change in the electric code for that item.

Answer 9

It's too old - time to update!

Answer 10

Its gonna blow!!