Electrical Safety in the Home 1.Circuit Breakers 2.Fuses 3.Wall Outlets 4.Circuit Breakers 5.GFCI/RCD

Electrical Safety in the home

All houses have distribution panels made up of circuit breakers or fuses to control the flow of electricity. If too much electricity is flowing then the system shuts down to prevent damage or possibly a fire. Distribution Panel Home Safety Features

Circuit Breakers Are the newer method of electricity control in houses. They shut off (trip) if too much electricity is flowing They can be easily reset if tripped by flipping them like a switch

Fuses Used in cars, some stoves and in older homes They melt if too much electricity is flowing  This stops the flow of electricity They need to be replaced every time there is an overload

Wall Outlets (Receptacles) Where we obtain electricity for things such as televisions, lamps, etc. Safety features of a wall outlet 1) Made of plastic so it doesn’t conduct electricity

Wall Outlets 2) Polarized plugs (one slot is bigger than the other) Therefore, plug needs to go in the proper way 3) Most have a third round hole. This is the ground and allows electricity to leave if there is a short

GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) Sometimes called an RCD (residual current device) A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing within the outlet. If the current is being disrupted (like if your being electrocuted), it will shut off power in one-thirtieth of a second.

GFCI / RCD Protection

So let's say you are outside with your power drill and it is raining. You are standing on the ground, and since the drill is wet there is a path from the hot wire inside the drill through you to ground. If electricity flows from hot to ground through you, it could be fatal. The GFCI can sense the current flowing through you because not all of the current is flowing from hot to neutral as it expects -- some of it is flowing through you to ground. As soon as the GFCI senses that, it trips the circuit and cuts off the electricity.