FAQs

• What's an 'RCD'?

Residual Current Device

An RCD, or Residual Current Device, is a switching device that trips a circuit under certain conditions, and disconnects the electricity supply.

If your electrical installation includes one or more RCDs, test them regularly. You can do this by following the instruction label, which should be near the RCD. The label should read as follows: ‘This installation, or part of it, is protected by a device which automatically switches off the supply if an earth fault develops.

Test quarterly (every three months) by pressing the button marked ‘T’ or ‘Test’.’ The device should switch off the supply. You should then switch it back on to restore the supply. If the device does not switch off the supply when you press the button, contact an electrician.

Testing the button every three months is important. However, do not hold the test button for a long period if the device does not trip. If the RCD does not switch off the supply when you press the test button, get advice from a registered electrician.

Definition from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• How To Use RCDs

Video from the Electrical Safety Council