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RCD (Residual Circuit Breaker) definition

Posted on Monday, August 16th, 2010

The acronym RCD stands for Residual Circuit Breaker. An RCD is basically a safety device used to immediately cut off the electricity supply in the event of a “leak”. A leak is when the electricity supply is “to Earth” and can be harmful to someone using electrical equipment. The RCD constantly monitors the amount of current flowing through it, and will cut off or “trip” the circuit if a leak is detected to prevent an electric shock / electrocution.

As well as being a safety device to prevent the chance of electrical shock, an RCD can also reduce the chance of electrical fires. Many electrical fires are caused as a result of leakage from bad wiring, and an RCD can detect even very low current level leakages to earth. A fire can be caused by a low level leakage, but if detected the system will trip out the circuit and prevent a possible incident.

Our London Electricians will test the RCD as part of a periodic test inspection, and will check the tripping times and mA settings.

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