Safety Switch
- Thread starter danwatto
- Start date
There was a big thread previously, but at a very simplistic level if there is an electrical fault, a typical circuit breaker won't act in time before someone gets fried. Think of the safety switch as a very fast breaker - cuts the power before someone has had enough to zap themselves.
Depending on the age of your current board etc, I think you're looking $500-$1,000 ish?
The Y-man
Depending on the age of your current board etc, I think you're looking $500-$1,000 ish?
The Y-man
In simple terms a circuit breaker is designed to trip at a given current and its main purpose is to prevent a damage or fire from excessive load.
A safety switch, (RCD-Residual current device or ELCB) looks for a difference in the supply and return wires. If there is a difference it assumes a fault has occurred and trips at a level that should normally be non-fatal.
It should be understood however they don't protect against all faults and it is possible to have situations were they don't trip.
Just to confuse matters you can get combination units of the above that are both circuit breakers and RCD in one. The simplest way to recognize an RCD is generally a trip/test button is built in.
Some states have requirements for rental properties and any houses being sold to have them installed as they do provide a greater level of protection.
A safety switch, (RCD-Residual current device or ELCB) looks for a difference in the supply and return wires. If there is a difference it assumes a fault has occurred and trips at a level that should normally be non-fatal.
It should be understood however they don't protect against all faults and it is possible to have situations were they don't trip.
Just to confuse matters you can get combination units of the above that are both circuit breakers and RCD in one. The simplest way to recognize an RCD is generally a trip/test button is built in.
Some states have requirements for rental properties and any houses being sold to have them installed as they do provide a greater level of protection.
We have properties in 4 states and as far as I know, RCD's are compulsory for rental properties in each state. The latest ones we've had put in here in Tassie have cost approximately $600-700 each time, but as someone has already said, it will depend on the age of the existing board. If too old, you may have to replace the whole thing and that will cost several thousand (from what I've been told, haven't had to do this so far).
It should also be noted that RCDs should be tested regularly as per Australian Standards to ensure they are operating correcting.
This means a 6 monthly trip of the circuit by pressing the test button, and an annual test by an electrician with a meter to measure how quickly the RCD trips.
I will try and find out if the Australian Standard differentiates between residential and commercial installations.
This means a 6 monthly trip of the circuit by pressing the test button, and an annual test by an electrician with a meter to measure how quickly the RCD trips.
I will try and find out if the Australian Standard differentiates between residential and commercial installations.
Won't be long before safety switch spruikers begin offering their $99/year maintenance plans, for your peace of mind of course.
I've often thought a business idea is too dumb, I'm often wrong.
Are safety switches known to fail?
Yes- they sometimes do so quite spectacularly. They are supposed to be tested regularly. I know someone who was auditing Dept. of Housing properties, and one of the jobs was to test RCDs (by pressing the test button). A number went bang and emitted smoke & sparks
Yes- they sometimes do so quite spectacularly. They are supposed to be tested regularly. I know someone who was auditing Dept. of Housing properties, and one of the jobs was to test RCDs (by pressing the test button). A number went bang and emitted smoke & sparks
When you said spectacularly I was thinking someone got fried, glad it was just smoke & sparks!
I checked the SA rules, and they are not required to be installed unless the house was built 1991 or later. https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/water-...-consumers/electricity-safety/safety-switches
These properties (a set of duplex) were built in 1990 so technically I don't have to install the switches.. but it could be a good idea.
Regarding testing, there's a video there how to test it yourself but not being near most of my properties this would not be possible for me.
How likely are they to be needed, if the property is not that old and doesn't have damaged wiring etc, the risk should already be pretty low of any shocks I would think.
Generally speaking they protect people from faults in appliances and stupid things they do (eg hair drier in the bath, knife in the toaster) rather then wiring faults (although they can do that too).
Qld now requires them to be retrofitted to any house that is leased, at some point the other states will follow.
A number went bang and emitted smoke & sparks
15yrs as a sparky, never seen one go bang/smoke up on a test button. Guessing they must be one of the cheap imports appearing in the last few years.
Generally they just fail to trip. Or trip but won't reset.
Yeah I would say so- department of housing picking the cheapest contract
.I saw some interesting info going around from one of the solar installers of a huber of dodgy brands of breakers & isolators that failed within nominal spec. One of them was a polarised AC breaker sold as an unpolarised DC breaker, which was never doing to end well.
Mandatory in WA for Landlords
www.commerce.wa.gov.au
And re: Smoke Alarms
Typical RCD. TEST button at top right. Switch is in ON position, (UP).
This rarely seen old original safety switch (ELCB) is the size of a shoe box.
Photo link
www.commerce.wa.gov.au
And re: Smoke Alarms
Typical RCD. TEST button at top right. Switch is in ON position, (UP).
This rarely seen old original safety switch (ELCB) is the size of a shoe box.
Photo link
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