subject: What The Law Says About Rcd Testers [print this page] In the residual current device refers to the safety switch that can isolate electricity when detecting an imbalance between the neutral and active conductor. RCD testing, meanwhile, is the process to check these imbalances in the current. These leakages can become electrical hazards that are made more dangerous in the fact that they are hidden. This can cause the electrical shocks to a person touching the appliance.
What are RCD testers?
RCD devices can sense this imbalance in the current and once the number hits a difference of 30 milliamps, the RCD will immediately cut off the power. The recommendation is to install two RCDs in the distribution board or the power board and testing them every now and then. In the past two decades, nearly 30 people in Australia have been electrocuted right in their own houses where they feel the safest. Whats more disturbing is that a third of these victims were children. The need for testing the effectiveness of these machines is necessary because a mistake can be fatal.
Only a licensed electrician is allowed to test the RCDs in your home to check whether their tripping time is within the standard of 10-15 milliseconds.
RCD Regulations of 1999
This is a bill that covers landlords and property owners who are selling their homes. Before the transaction is finalised, you should first install two RCD switches at the minimum to protect the future owners from electrocution. Landlords, too, should install these devices before allowing the tenant to move in.
But you just cant install just any RCD device as it should be according to the standards of the AS/NZS3000:2007. Sometimes, more devices are needed if the electrician conducting the assessment in your home recommends that you buy more.
Responsibilities of the electrician
According to law, the electrician should give the owner the Electrical Safety Certificate, which simply says that he has installed two or more RDCs in compliance with the wiring rules of the AS/NZS 3000:2007. After which, you submit a notice of completion after installing the devices to the network operator.
The homeowner may also contact the electrician again in the future for the regular inspection of the devices, how they connect to the switchboard, and whether they are working as they should to monitor minute fluctuations in the current. A subtest should be conducted using RCD testers whether the installed devices are responsive in case the current difference jumps over 30 milliamps.
