ELCB in a residential house?

[sugarzulu79]

Hello,

A layman here. I need to fill a government form for my work to confirm proper WFH conditions at home.
There is a question that I can't answer:
"Is the computer and/or printer protected by an earth leakage circuit breaker?"

The problem is, I don't know what Earth leakage circuit breaker is. I tried to google and read on up on about on wiki but I didn't get my answer.

Would I have an ELCB in my house? My home is a bog standard detached house in one of the suburbs of Surrey, BC. I have the main breaker panel in the basement with the individual 10Amp (?) single and dual breakers/fuses for each room/area. Does that constitute as an ELCB?

Hopefully someone can help me figure out the answer.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Jraef]

You must work for a European company... ELCBs is a European designation.
In North America, we call them Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, or GFCIs for short. Same thing.

 

[suemarkp]

In the US, the answer would be no for most rooms, as most dont require GFCI protection. Kitchen counters, bathrooms, garages, outside, and unfinished basements are where the US requires GFCIs. I think Canada is similar. Seems like a silly question for a form to ask. Shock risk from a home computer or printer is generally low.

 

[sugarzulu79]

Thank you both for the replies! The HQ for my work is in Australia so that could explain the specific wording of the questionnaire.
I only have GFCI sockets in the bathroom, but not in any of the living/bed rooms where a computer would be plugged in.
I agree - it is a silly checklist and even if ELCB/GFCI socket isn't present, there is requirement by the company to get one installed either.

Kind regards,
Robert

 

[kwired]

The North American GFCI also will trip at a lower leakage level than the typical "ELCB" is set to trip at.

Low enough it could be considered "nuisance tripping" for the standards your equipment may been designed for.

 

[Jraef]

I would just say "No" on the questionnaire and add "ELCBs are not listed for use in North America", then see how they respond. If they require that you find a way to do it, then look into it further. My guess is that nobody reading that form will understand anyway and ignore it.

 

[hbiss]

I would just leave it blank and move on.

-Hal

 

[sugarzulu79]

Thank you! It's a PDF form with checkboxes and no freetext fields. I marked it "No", sent it and spoke with HR. Admittedly everyone else in the Vancouver office marked it "Yes". Jraef is right, nobody bothered to look into what ELCB is. I feel special. Haha! Thanks to you all again for taking the time to help me!