Earth Leakage and How to Prevent It

What is earth leakage?

Earth leakage is defined as the unwanted leakage of the flow of electric current through insulation or any path to the earth from a live conductor. There can be many causes of earth leakage. The most common causes of earth leakage may be faulty insulation cables, equipment, devices, etc.

Is earth leakage dangerous?

Earth leakage is dangerous for you and your electrical equipment. An earth leakage can be fatal if the current leakage is above 300mA. A person coming in direct contact with electrical equipment that is compromised can be a victim of a shock hazard. A shock hazard smaller than 300mA is also very dangerous and can cause burns, diaphragm contraction, and breathing difficulties. So, how do I prevent earth leakage? It is very crucial for you to have very good protection equipment against such possibilities. The most commercially used option to prevent earth leakage is an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker.

Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker is a safety device that is used to prevent shock in electrical devices. An ELCB identifies small voltage leakages and activates its alarm to report unusual electrical current detection. It then breaks the circuit of the electrical equipment or device to stop current flow. Its main goal is to protect humans and animals from dangerous electric shocks. If you are looking to buy one for yourself, look into Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker by Eaton Australia. Now you may think, what ELCB is suitable for me? Let us dive into the specifications of a good ELCB.

There are two types of ELCBs. Voltage Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker and Current Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker.

A voltage ELCB is an older type of ELCB. It is a very simple type of device that simply detects fault currents from the protected device to the phase. A voltage ELCB is not preferred anymore due to many reasons including:

• It may require extra devices to connect a source to the breaker.
• Breaks in the wiring connections to a current source will cause the failure of voltage ELCB. This results in further, more dangerous issues.
• Breakers do not allow easy splitting.
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The most commonly used ELCB is Residual Current Devices RCD ELCB. They work by integrating a transformer with two primary and one secondary winding. This type of ELCB works by the same principle. When there is a fault, a small amount of voltage will route to the ground and create an unbalanced state of flow. This causes a trip of the breaker. RCD Earth Leakage Breaker is preferred over voltage ELCB because it is more efficient, newer, and inexpensive. Additionally, it does not require additional connections to connect phases.

Are Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers used at homes?

Every year, there is a spike in deaths due to electrocution cases. This incident can occur at home as well. ELCB is used at homes for power supply safety. ELCBs are currently used in homes, apartments, residential units and to control home appliances. It is highly advisable for residents to not hesitate and get themselves a high-quality ELCB device.