European GFCI
- Thread starter cdriggers
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- Wisconsin
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- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
The trip level of an RCD is drastically higher than the 4-6mA point of a GFCI so they are not interchangeable.
weressl
Esteemed Member
Depends....and I am not talking about adult diapers.....
RCD's are available with varying trip current and some of those are designed for personal protection.
One of the main issues with any ground fault device is that it is unable to distinguish between normal leakage current and dangrous ground fault. Simple capacitive leakage can drastically increase in humid weather and cause nuissance trips on circuits that serve meany outlets or have extensive wires attached to it. The EU voltage is also double of what the US uses and for the same given system there can be greater leakage current and perhaps a greater allowance of what is 'normal'.
In summary there are EU RCD's that would be suitable for GFCI with the proper rating. However those may not be listed by a NRTL such as UL, for the US market.
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
GFCI by definition means it is a 4-6mA trip device that operates using a specific time current curve. People/personnel protection in the US requires a specifically designed device.
While all GFCI's are ground fault devices (GF's) not all ground fault devices are GFCI's.
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