Safety switches and Circuit breakers, what are they?
I asked my electrician about the difference between safety switches and circuit breakers. He said a circuit breaker is like the old fuses, it provides a short circuit and over current protection. Circuit breakers do not give any protection against electric shock. It only cuts power if you have too many appliances on a power board.
Safety Switch
On the other hand, safety switches come with a basic circuit breaker plus monitoring the earth. For example, you are using a circular saw and it cuts through the cable. The saw is made of metal and when you cut it, it shorts the circuit between neutral and earth. With less than 0.03 seconds, it cuts the power and you don’t get a shock.
Having said that, if you stick your finger in the light socket while it’s switched on, you will still get a shock because of two things:
- Your light circuit normally doesn’t have a safety switch installed
- Even if a safety switch is installed, most lights are NOT earthed
As a result, you will still get a shock.
What happens when my safety switch keeps tripping?
There is an electrical fault some where. You can unplug all appliances inside your house then turn the safety switch back on. Once it is on, plug in the appliances ONE BY ONE to isolate the fault. If there is no immediate fault with any appliance, but it trips later that day, you need to get an electrician to check it.
Some appliances like fridges and oil column heaters only run when it’s needed and this could be one of the contributing factors.
Always remember, safety switches and circuit breakers are not a substitute for common sense! Always take care with electrical appliances and fittings. If you have young child at home, buy those plastic covers to cover all unused power outlets etc, inspect power cords regularly for any defects such as damaged insulation or exposed conductors. Any burning smells and discolouring of the appliance, be careful as it’s cheaper to buy a new one than shock yourself causing serious injury. If you need to power off any suspected appliances, always turn off from the power outlet not the appliance itself especially when it has burning smells. It could be hot with melting plastic etc.
If you are unsure whether you have a safety switch installed, get an electrician to check your switch board and may need to upgrade.
Circuit Breaker
In our investment properties, we changed all the fuses to plug in circuit breakers as a minimum for around $15 each (DIY), this is a very cheap option to minimise power overloading the house. Overload = Potential fire. If we’re doing major work like replacing electrical cables, we definitely put in safety switches.
Drop me a comment if I missed anything, I think it is an important topic.
