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New wylex mini RCBO
Former Community Member
I can’t help but notice how small these are, but where has the earth tag gone? How do these devices detect earth?
I’ve notice a tiny metallic strip on the back and front of the breaker but the one on the back doesn’t make any contact with the board as the din rail in wylex boards actually have a groove.
Ebee has explained well, but there are two points to make. These are "electronic" RCBOs and therefore require power at all times. Whether the "Earth" connection is to prevent loss of power if the neutral is lost (where have I heard that before?), is not something I have looked at (yet) in my RCD survey. You are right that if neutral is lost, there is a potential danger that a person could contact the phase conductor and still receive a shock. However, it would be dangerous (particularly in a TT installation) if the Earth were expected to provide any significant current as this would develop a voltage across the electrode resistance or Ze on all exposed conductive parts and bonded metalwork to real Earth, exactly what we are attempting to sense and disconnect. Consider a PME install, using the local Earth is useless as this is still the supply neutral, which is possibly broken, therefore no effect!
I think this wire may be for EMC reduction purposes, do the instructions say anything useful?
Ebee has explained well, but there are two points to make. These are "electronic" RCBOs and therefore require power at all times. Whether the "Earth" connection is to prevent loss of power if the neutral is lost (where have I heard that before?), is not something I have looked at (yet) in my RCD survey. You are right that if neutral is lost, there is a potential danger that a person could contact the phase conductor and still receive a shock. However, it would be dangerous (particularly in a TT installation) if the Earth were expected to provide any significant current as this would develop a voltage across the electrode resistance or Ze on all exposed conductive parts and bonded metalwork to real Earth, exactly what we are attempting to sense and disconnect. Consider a PME install, using the local Earth is useless as this is still the supply neutral, which is possibly broken, therefore no effect!
I think this wire may be for EMC reduction purposes, do the instructions say anything useful?
