The GFCI/RCD: A Simple but Life-Saving Protector

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Technology Connections

Technology Connections

5 років тому

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These devices are a common sight in homes and businesses around the US and around the world. But what are they for? Why do we need them? This video explores the life-saving potential of the GFCI (known alias: RCD) and explains how they work.
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 3 400
@boygenius538_8
@boygenius538_8 3 роки тому
I remember as I kid, I had these in my room, I clicked them all and thought I broke them. I basically had no power in my room for months because I was too scared to tell my dad.
@thefaboo
@thefaboo 3 роки тому
I tripped the CFI in my bathroom once by running a wet/dry shaver under water while it was plugged in. I was just glad nobody told god 😳
@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley
@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley 3 роки тому
@@thefaboo Really happy you didn't fry yourself, lol!
@Wizerslapski
@Wizerslapski 3 роки тому
That’s honestly hilarious 😆
@rambo8863
@rambo8863 3 роки тому
@@thefaboo fun fact unless you have better grond than the minus, you dont get hurt by dropping the toaster in the bathtub
@thicctoaster3103
@thicctoaster3103 3 роки тому
@@rambo8863 thats false, I would know
@TimJSwan
@TimJSwan 5 років тому
0:34 "Will I ask a fourth question?" The inserted dry humor is priceless.
@aakoss
@aakoss 5 років тому
@Husk You must be fun at parties
@nicksande6880
@nicksande6880 5 років тому
I think its fun
@Quurze
@Quurze 5 років тому
@Husk You are entitled to your opinion; however, I disagree with your opinion and find it quite funny. I don't know why exactly, maybe it's because it is akin to dad jokes (of which I find the majority hilarious for some damn reason, and I'm not a father). Or maybe it's because of it being dry humor like Tim-J.Swan said.
@dawnless852
@dawnless852 5 років тому
@Husk ad hominem, I see
@Quurze
@Quurze 5 років тому
@Husk I'm pretty sure I used the semi-colon correctly. I did not start the sentence with 'however' but I did use it in its correct usage. Example: The results remained consistent; however, the data were analyzed.
@NithinJune
@NithinJune 4 роки тому
Technology Connections: "What i'm about to do is incredibly dangerous please don't do this" Electroboom: "I might die and my body would be slowly cooking to perfection... I could post it to LiveLeak"
@soaringvulture
@soaringvulture 3 роки тому
When he said that, I thought he was going to stick his thumb in a hot socket while he was standing in a full bathtub. I was so disappointed.
@SupXposed
@SupXposed 3 роки тому
I see you a man of culture as well
@luigi6835
@luigi6835 3 роки тому
it's LiveLeak
@NithinJune
@NithinJune 3 роки тому
@@luigi6835 autocorrect
@edgrimm5862
@edgrimm5862 2 роки тому
@@soaringvulture I like that whenever Alec says "this is incredibly dangerous, don't do this at home", what he shows is actually a safe way to do the thing. At least, so far, in all of his videos that I've seen. Disclaimer: I'm still catching up, so there could be a gem that I haven't seen. But so far, it's always been a safe investigation of something that is legitimately dangerous to investigate in a more direct manner than the route Alec takes.
@jasonmurawski5877
@jasonmurawski5877 4 роки тому
“They are a very effective safety net, but why risk falling in the first place” well said
@sewd1289
@sewd1289 Рік тому
It reminds me of a phrase I always say "if rolling a 1 will kill you, it doesn't matter how many sides they have, why roll the dice?"
@sewd1289
@sewd1289 Рік тому
Whenever I'm explaining safety things to coworkers there's some solutions that make things less dangerous, and other solutions that completely negate danger, and people like to just use the less dangerous one because it was quicker, and I'm trying to convince them to use the one with no danger
@keiyakins
@keiyakins 9 місяців тому
​@@sewd1289 Except you're doing that constantly. sure, they're trillions of sides, but every step you take *could* be just wrong to cause you to fall and hit your head just wrong to kill you.
@nooranik21
@nooranik21 5 років тому
I married an electical engineer. Usually I would just smile and nod when she would wax poetic about eletrical stuff. However, because of this channel I have the ability to carry a conversation with her about her job now.
@appletree8441
@appletree8441 4 роки тому
Must be sad that your wife has the valks
@appletree8441
@appletree8441 4 роки тому
Green
@nyahcoronado8612
@nyahcoronado8612 4 роки тому
This is very cute!
@karl4161
@karl4161 4 роки тому
Jason um. excuse me ?
@fish3977
@fish3977 4 роки тому
"don't touch the electrical engineer while wet" For real tho, that's cute
@cloudskat3r
@cloudskat3r 5 років тому
I love how he goes from technical terms to calling something a “doo dad”😹
@nthgth
@nthgth 3 роки тому
Haha, he's very good at determining when it's okay to not be technical
@TheFanUniverse
@TheFanUniverse 3 роки тому
Lovin' this dude's way of talking too haha
@SwiftCreationStudio
@SwiftCreationStudio 3 роки тому
Doo dad is a super technical term. Right up there with Thingimajig/Thingimabob and Doohickey.
@Srcsqwrn
@Srcsqwrn 3 роки тому
I dig this too. This channel is awesome
@hrodriguez561
@hrodriguez561 3 роки тому
Hes gotta kinda dumb it down for us and it might be for comedic purposes
@charliesimpson2974
@charliesimpson2974 3 роки тому
I have finally learned to watch your vids. When I saw the title, I thought "I know what GFCIs are," keep scrolling, then I thought "He spends 15 mins explaining, may be interesting." Everything you explain that I already know, I know much more clearly after I learn how much I didn't know. Thank you, sir!
@edgrimm5862
@edgrimm5862 2 роки тому
I didn't learn more about humidifiers by watching his humidifier videos, except for the one about the personal air conditioner that is not an air conditioner. But I still feel it's educational, because it feels to me that Alec is incredibly good at communicating. This is something I've struggled with my whole life. I'm getting better, but I'm not to Alec's level. It's also fun to watch someone who is so clearly excited about topics as he is. My colorblind brother spilled the beans about brown before Alec was born. I'm not sure how old he is exactly, but he looks like a teenager in his 2013 videos. My brother struggled and failed to make bright brown back in the 1980s. Brown is one of the colors my brother sees well enough (so long as he's not trying to distinguish it from green), but he got my opinion on it because I can see color, I just got my fashion sense from my colorblind brothers. All of that said, I've watched a lot of his other videos as well, and, yeah, everything else, I went in thinking "I know this topic" and came away knowing more about it.
@mikeorjimmy2885
@mikeorjimmy2885 2 роки тому
@@edgrimm5862 You should try making a tik tok or do a youtube for you!
@billchessell8213
@billchessell8213 2 роки тому
Nailed it!
@iceymythic2596
@iceymythic2596 3 роки тому
Me: At 3 a.m. about to sleep UKposts Algorithm: Hey, wanna watch someone talk about outlets! Me: Sure!
@haydencarlson2861
@haydencarlson2861 3 роки тому
Me at 6:30 trying to sleep
@Megalomaniakaal
@Megalomaniakaal 3 роки тому
Huh, it's 2:50 a.m. for me right now. Close enough.
@henryjames8654
@henryjames8654 3 роки тому
This guy could put a chihuahua full of caffeine to sleep.
@patrickschardt7724
@patrickschardt7724 2 роки тому
Funny I saw this comment exactly at 3am
@AndrewCamarata
@AndrewCamarata 5 років тому
You do a good job explaining stuff.
@sebastiansantana2447
@sebastiansantana2447 3 роки тому
I mean... It's their job
@EpicInternet
@EpicInternet 3 роки тому
I know lots of people who are terrible at their job
@mouaxiong8618
@mouaxiong8618 3 роки тому
You do a great job too Camarara
@drtyslzy
@drtyslzy 3 роки тому
Thank you
@leewatts1570
@leewatts1570 3 роки тому
He does ok. Hea a great youtubee. But needs to explain slower amd better in my opinion or use examples
@cchoge
@cchoge 5 років тому
I just tested all of my GFI outlets, and to my shock one of them failed (that is, it fails to fail). I'm glad I watched.
@KingBeetle1966
@KingBeetle1966 5 років тому
To your "shock" LOL
@krashd
@krashd 5 років тому
The pun is strong in this one.
@soaringvulture
@soaringvulture 3 роки тому
It was the easiest thing to do.
@nikkiofthevalley
@nikkiofthevalley 3 роки тому
I haven't watch the whole vid yet, so this may be a redundant question, but how do you safely test a safety device?
@SalokinQuagsire
@SalokinQuagsire 3 роки тому
@@nikkiofthevalley Your talking about the outlet itself right? Just press the "test" button that is directly on the outlet itself and if the green light goes out and comes back on after a reset then its good. If it gives you a red light then it is likely faulty.
@goodun2974
@goodun2974 3 роки тому
Any GFCI-protected electrical outlet in your home is a good test point for whatever older, perhaps vintage, electrical or electronic devices you might have decided to plug in after they sat around for years unused or that you had picked up at a flea market or whatever. Tube/valve type guitar amplifiers and hifi amplifiers are a particular case in point; these often have the audio ground and chassis coupled to one leg of the power cord *through a capacitor* , for the purpose of using the neutral wire as a pseudo "earth ground" to the chassis, in order to reduce audible hum and buzz. If the amplifier hummed, you would simply flip the non-polarized power plug around the other way and hopefully lessen the noise; or if the device already had a 3 wire grounded cord, there might be a switch on the back to select the ground polarity and you would set it to whichever position reduced the noise. The problem is, 60 or 70 years later those capacitors often leak voltage and so you might find some AC leakage current on the chassis of the amplifier, and also on the guitar strings and metal hardware of the guitar. However, plugging such a device with a leaky "death cap", as they are often referred to, into a GFCI outlet will immediately trip the built-in breaker and alert you of a dangerous situation.. As I have noted, vintage guitar amplifiers pose a special problem and should *always* be converted/ upgraded to a grounded 3 wire polarized cord and plug, with the death cap removed.
@10p6
@10p6 2 роки тому
Nice. For those who do not know, they make GFCI with Audible alarms, so if you have a fridge or something connected to one, it could save you a lot of money if it trips.
@TommyCrosby
@TommyCrosby 5 років тому
When I was a kid, I thought that those plugs were waterproof and even shot it with a water pistol for fun... I'm lucky that nothing ever happened to me but please parents, if your child ask why there's buttons on that plug, give a better explanation than just "it protects from water" or something like that...
@poiiihy
@poiiihy 5 років тому
i once threw water on a gfci and it started arcing and went pop
@johnfrancisdoe1563
@johnfrancisdoe1563 5 років тому
Mister Brookes And one of the largest grounded exposed metal objects in a typical home is the actual kitchen sink! Standard example in EE class was always someone touching a faulty kitchen appliance and the kitchen sink at the same time.
@zombieslayer1468
@zombieslayer1468 5 років тому
lol
@trexrinnai4088
@trexrinnai4088 5 років тому
Okay, I'll show my kids this video then.
@rodmunch69
@rodmunch69 5 років тому
Science has changed the natural course of mankind. For example had science not created safety barriers to keep you around, you'd be gone and this boring tweet begging for thumbs ups would have never been around. It's sad.
@mistaecco
@mistaecco 5 років тому
Inspired by this, I tested the socket in my bathroom. When I hit reset, my lights came back on for a moment, then turned back off. Guess my socket needs to be replaced, haha! Thanks for potentially saving my life I guess.
@billcereske7211
@billcereske7211 4 роки тому
You have to push it in until it clicks back to the "locked and loaded" position. That's deeper than the surface.
@itsjustthatsimple628
@itsjustthatsimple628 3 роки тому
@@ZaHandle lmao but I am fast
@vzgbfdnhgmjgj1100
@vzgbfdnhgmjgj1100 3 роки тому
@@itsjustthatsimple628 but i am faster
@far2ez539
@far2ez539 2 роки тому
It's the "test" button that you're testing, not the "reset" button, lmfao
@mistaecco
@mistaecco 2 роки тому
@@far2ez539 This was after testing it. Something had failed in the switch when I tested it, and any time I subsequently hit reset it would momentarily turn on then trip again. Ended up having to replace the plug which fixed the issue.
@pietschreuder5047
@pietschreuder5047 3 роки тому
In Dutch language we call it an aardlek schakelaar, which translates to: Earthleak switch. I think this covers it well! And indeed, in The Netherlands it is placed in the switch box to protect a part of the house, or in my case the whole house.
@okaro6595
@okaro6595 10 місяців тому
In Finland they are called vikavirtasuoja (fault current protector). IMO this is clear. Terms that refer to earth and ground confuse many as they think it is related to the ground wire.
@vojta4413
@vojta4413 Місяць тому
In Czech it's called proudový chránič (current protector) which isn't very helpful
@vojta4413
@vojta4413 Місяць тому
In Czech it's called proudový chránič (current protector) which isn't very helpful
@JanChrissD
@JanChrissD 3 роки тому
In Germany, this safety measure is called "Fehlerschutzschalter" (fault protection switch) or "FI" in short and is required to be build into every flats or houses main power supply
@RC534
@RC534 Рік тому
Funny how many languages each seem to have a slightly different common term to describe these devices. Here in the Netherlands they are normally refered to as 'aardlekschakelaar' which literaly translates to 'earth leak switch'.
@tom-sn4gd
@tom-sn4gd Рік тому
@@RC534 Yes this is funny ! In france it is call "interrupteur différentiel" or in short "différentiel" (differential switch) : because it check for a... difference in the current. Everyone named it differently !
@mevideym
@mevideym Рік тому
​@@tom-sn4gd this is such an elegant name
@xolagix
@xolagix 11 місяців тому
​@@tom-sn4gd actually similar to russian, it's called "differencial'nyj apparat" or "difapparat" for short here, literally means "differential machine"
@superalvin7208
@superalvin7208 9 місяців тому
@@RC534In Sweden we call them ground fault breakers
@Atzu0110
@Atzu0110 4 роки тому
In Germany we call them „Fehlerstromschutzschalter“ which literally translates to „False Currentflow Protection Switch“.
@Kerdtress
@Kerdtress 4 роки тому
In Germany we still call them RCD or at least Fi
@JuneNafziger
@JuneNafziger 4 роки тому
Different dialects?
@J0k3r399
@J0k3r399 4 роки тому
That is the technical term, but casually they are just called "FI" for "F"ehler (=fault) and then the symbol for the current "I"
@Admiral_Jezza
@Admiral_Jezza 4 роки тому
Why did it end up being one whole word lmao?
@Atzu0110
@Atzu0110 4 роки тому
Ryszmarine That’s how german language works. We just add stuff together. For example a Lighter is a “Fire Thing”. Doesn’t matter how many words there are as long as it describes the functionality.
@1337foss
@1337foss 4 роки тому
I appreciate the hell out of this channel. The intentionally cheesy 1980/90's public access theme, the desk-umentary feel, and your blazers. At first I thought this was all an elaborate joke, like Infinite Solutions. I was very wrong. Appreciate all the research, and the amount of effort you must put in to make engineers seem interesting. Oh, and thanks for not having sponsors. In a world of non-stop advertising, I seriously appreciate your dedication to storytelling without a sales pitch. You're also very funny. Keep it up.
@ImDemonAlchemist
@ImDemonAlchemist Рік тому
I mean, the only reason he's able to do this without sponsorships is because of Patreon, which is essentially just him being sponsored by his audience. It's not that different, fundamentally. I feel like demonizing taking sponsorships is counter-productive, especially considering that that's always been how educational content has been made. PBS is (or at least was) often supported by brands that then got a shout out between programs. Most other educational content in the past was supported by massive companies that could afford the cost. Not every creator feels comfortable taking money directly from their audience for what they do (which I don't really get, but it's their choice). There's nothing wrong with accepting sponsorships to support your private endeavor, especially if you only accept ones that you actually believe in.
@BeKindToBirds
@BeKindToBirds Рік тому
He is a one of a kind charming and charismatic. Like many giants of american TV he is all his own.
@HelloTardis
@HelloTardis 3 роки тому
“Will I ask a fourth question?” Had me laughing my butt off🤣 thank you for that!
@kiri101
@kiri101 3 роки тому
Yet again you've covered something cool we use in construction frequently. If you've ever watched someone drop a live powertool in to a flooded lift shaft without one like I have, you'll know why. Really cool you reinforced the fact that testing them really is testing them for real and that mechanical faults are just as good a reason to test as electrical!
@danmo43
@danmo43 4 роки тому
As a 25 year electrician, I have actually seen regular breakers NOT trip on a dead short. GFI can be a pain sometimes, but also save lives and property.
@thomasmills3934
@thomasmills3934 Рік тому
As a person who lives in America and has been overloading cheap extension cords my whole life. Most things dont use that much power. Basically the things that make things hot are all u have to worry about. The rest u can bunch up on a $5 extension cord and it wont even get warm.
@jayrabbitgamingproductions7335
@jayrabbitgamingproductions7335 Рік тому
At one point, we replaced an outlet, and to cut power to the one in question, we hit one of the GFCIs to cut the power. But when we reset it, we actually had to reset the breaker for that circuit to get the thing going again. Does anyone have an idea as to what might be the problem, if there is one?
@jayrabbitgamingproductions7335
@jayrabbitgamingproductions7335 Рік тому
Also, if the outlet with the GFCI we used were being protected by an AFCI, it would go off rather frequently, as I get an arc even from my computer charger. Probably should replace that outlet too
@hvrbros8730
@hvrbros8730 5 місяців тому
in australia we use this term to make it easier when training to be electricians; RCD's save people, Circuit Breakers save your house
@hvrbros8730
@hvrbros8730 5 місяців тому
in australia we use this term to make it easier when training to be electricians; RCD's save people, Circuit Breakers save your house
@connor5222
@connor5222 5 років тому
This channel is so rich in quality content. It’s all the electrical and technology questions that are hard to ask. It’s all the stuff you don’t even know you don’t even know
@twothreebravo
@twothreebravo 5 років тому
I'm an electrician (but definitely not an electrical engineer) and I never thought about the minutiae that goes into the GFI outlets so it was actually great to see.
@003General
@003General 3 роки тому
In Germany (and in large parts of Europe) RCDs have been absolute standard for ALL sockets and lamps for very many years (and for the bathroom for many decades). For this reason, they are almost always permanently installed in the fuse box or electrical distribution of the house. They normally cost about 40 bucks.
@spicesmuggler2452
@spicesmuggler2452 Рік тому
I know i am late, but this guy that makes these videos (and as good as they are) has such an elitist aura when it comes to electronics, he really dislikes it when Euros educate him on the superior network LOL
@003General
@003General Рік тому
@@spicesmuggler2452 haha lol Don't Americans often think they are the best or have the best (system)? 😅
@wta1518
@wta1518 Рік тому
@@003General No, that's just Europeans saying what Americans say, as Europeans are prone to do.
@003General
@003General Рік тому
@@wta1518 ok
@crazydrummer181
@crazydrummer181 Рік тому
@@spicesmuggler2452 I think you’re taking him too seriously lol.
@sambromley7394
@sambromley7394 3 роки тому
I’m an electrician and I really appreciate this video. You explained how these worked very well.
@waseemh3863
@waseemh3863 5 років тому
I live in South Africa, over here we call them an Earth leakage circuit breaker. I just thought that might intrest you🙂.
@based980
@based980 5 років тому
*earth leakage*
@RadiantCorium
@RadiantCorium 5 років тому
@@based980 ikr
@samuelpereira5209
@samuelpereira5209 5 років тому
Yup Most countries in Asia call it ELCB as well, Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
@JadeyJ4d3y
@JadeyJ4d3y 5 років тому
Michael Imray bruh the electric is sent into the ground in case of leakages
@mtacticool7168
@mtacticool7168 4 роки тому
Same in India.
@stranger6822
@stranger6822 4 роки тому
I actually shocked myself with an electric outlet one time trying to plugin my computer in the dark. I was feeling for the outlet and accidentally got the plug half in, half out with my finger touching the metal. Fortunately, I was saved by a built-in safety measure: electricity going to the muscles of my arm caused them to seize and jerk my hand away from the outlet. It felt like something had vibrated the bones in that hand. Good thing I wasn't in a bathtub at the time!
@pluto8404
@pluto8404 4 роки тому
Why would you be plugging in a computer in the bathtub in the dark?
@breckr1121
@breckr1121 4 роки тому
That happened to me aswell, got scared to death.
@stranger6822
@stranger6822 4 роки тому
@@pluto8404 it was a hypothetical scenario. One could imagine trying to plug _something_ in while being unable to see the plug and being near water at the time.
@BadAssDude69
@BadAssDude69 4 роки тому
@@pluto8404 Lmfao
@GameFreak7744
@GameFreak7744 4 роки тому
Jesus, your plugs let you do that? There's all kinds of regulation about how much of the live pins has to be sheathed on plugs here to prevent exactly that kind of thing. o.o
@wenlocke
@wenlocke 2 роки тому
in the UK, the first time I saw these, they weren't aimed at household socket protection at all. They were basically marketed as inline plug devices for use with garden equipment (lawnmowers, strimmers, hedge trimmers, etc) as ways to protect you from shock if you accidentally cut the power cable. We didn't get them build into household sockets until much later.
@retropcs88
@retropcs88 9 місяців тому
In the UK and Europe, instead of having one outlet protected, theyre usually mounted in the breaker box and protect the whole house or a room
@bananapooptime
@bananapooptime 3 роки тому
This is one of my favorite YT channels, if not my favorite. Super entertaining, super informative, and unique. It's amazing how oddly specific the topics you choose are, and yet how vital they are. Please don't stop!
@spicesmuggler2452
@spicesmuggler2452 Рік тому
Yet he still acts like a little baby when he gets educated yet loves to condescend.
@adriangarcia7890
@adriangarcia7890 10 місяців тому
I agree with you!
@Nezuji
@Nezuji 5 років тому
Somebody once tipped off this is a kind of ripoff, It should handle twenty amps great. But the only thing preventin' a twenty-amp connection, Is the shape of the holes on the faceplate. Well my hand starts aching but it's stopped by this breaking, If it weren't for this thing I might've hit the ground shaking! Didn't make sense not to install one, Not just to meet code, but for protection. So that's what we do, it's smart you see, No-one wants to play things that risky. A shock does more than leave marks. The last thing you see could be sparks! Hey now, you should use these, they're called G-F-C-Is. Hey now, they're important, don't get paralyzed. Loose current isn't your friend, You don't want to meet an untimely end.
@JustAthel
@JustAthel 5 років тому
This is beautiful
@angolin9352
@angolin9352 4 роки тому
I hate you.
@HoopyFroodood
@HoopyFroodood 4 роки тому
Bruh...
@nthgth
@nthgth 4 роки тому
So I'm not the only one who caught the "Shape of an L" thing 😏
@JNDlego57
@JNDlego57 4 роки тому
Oh man. I had to read this twice to realize it’s All Star
@The22on
@The22on 5 років тому
I once played an electric guitar plugged into my amplifier while on a wet concrete walkway around a swimming pool. Need I go on? Ok, I will lol. My shoes got wet from walking around the pool. I touched my guitar's pickup and the metal part of my amp's handle at the same time. Even today, 40 years later, I can still feel the insanely horrible BUZZZZZ! through my whole body, and believe it or not, I could FEEL that the current was alternating really really fast (60 times a second, actually). It only takes one shock like that to make me pray to the god of electrons to never feel that again! I can - almost - laugh about it now, but musicians and vocalists have been killed, some recently, by touching an ungrounded microphone.
@simonrichard9873
@simonrichard9873 5 років тому
I can relate to that. The best way to describe a shock on 120V AC is that you feel it vibrating. I took a shock on 1600V AC and that just plain hurt. My hand felt numb for a few hours afterwards (it only went from my middle finger to about my wrist)
@Kalvinjj
@Kalvinjj 4 роки тому
Reminds me of when I was like 5 years old and wanted to test the new oven's lamp, I couldn't get enough extension chords to the outlet I could reach so I used a transformer mid way there. Step up 127v to 220v and that was my 1st electrical shock
@ccleake1
@ccleake1 4 роки тому
Hi yes why on earth was mains voltage running through your guitar. This makes no sense to me as to how you would get a shock here. Handle on the amp shouldn't be connected to any sort of ground. Should be completely isolated. Your pickups should have less than a volt going through them at any time, they dont actually receive any voltage from the amp. No idea how you managed this.
@Kalvinjj
@Kalvinjj 4 роки тому
@@ccleake1 You see, there's a lot of "should" and "shouldn't" happening here. In normal situations, yes. When shit goes bad, no so much. The strings are grounded on a guitar, if this ground gets electrified with mains voltage at the amp, you get a mains shock on your fingers. You never know the absurdity of some electrical designs out there after all.
@johnballs1352
@johnballs1352 4 роки тому
@@Kalvinjj I had a brand new gretsch that would shock the hell out of me from it's vibrato bar lol
@inujosha
@inujosha 3 роки тому
I have an Electricians degree, but I love these videos because everyone can always use a refresher from time to time.
@VeerMaharaj
@VeerMaharaj 3 роки тому
As a kid, a show like yours would be on my must watch list, every week. As an adult, there is no difference. Please keep making this amazing content and we love your work. Also, put speakers in more stuff.
@Squid1562
@Squid1562 4 роки тому
14:50 “shape of an L on her fore head” top left by his hand
@Knaeckebrotsaege
@Knaeckebrotsaege 4 роки тому
an RCD/GFCI video is just about the last place where i would've expected an all star reference... fucks sake lol
@lahmyaj
@lahmyaj 4 роки тому
GOLD! 😹
@CWINDOWSsystem32
@CWINDOWSsystem32 4 роки тому
Well, the years stop comin' and they don't stop comin'
@xebek
@xebek 4 роки тому
Hey now!!! (You're an all-star)
@red2theelectricboogaloo961
@red2theelectricboogaloo961 3 роки тому
WELL, THE YEARS START COMING AND THEY DONT STOP COMING FED TO THE RULES AND I HIT THE GROUND RUNNING DIDNT MAKE SENSE NOT TO LIVE FOR FUN YOUR BRAIN GETS SMART BUT YOUR HEAD GETS DUMB
@pedroseoane
@pedroseoane 5 років тому
In Europe, all safety devices are usually centralised, and it has been years since these elements were allowed to be placed outside the control panel. Normally we call it a differential, and we have them calibrated to 30 mA. (30 mA (for full circuit, not for one plug) and 230 AC volts, of course.) As for the circuit-breakers, they are the same but in a panel, they also protect against overcurrent and short circuits.
@corneel25
@corneel25 5 років тому
I think it is 30 mA for bathrooms and 300mA for general circuits
@pedroseoane
@pedroseoane 5 років тому
15 mA or 30 mA. If you exceed 30 mA in losses you need to split the circuit. (In Spain and in houses, not industrial this is another thing). More than 30 mA will kill you... this is the reason that forces you to split the circuits in 30 mA max possible losses. In any situation will stop you to death ;) Maybe in Belgium is different don't know...
@vladimirkoshelenko
@vladimirkoshelenko 5 років тому
Same in Russia. All houses and apartments (except for old ones) must have differential breakers in main panel like this imgur.com/a/22cEvV5
@Hans-gb4mv
@Hans-gb4mv 5 років тому
In Belgium it's 30mA for moist locations (like bathroom), 300mA for dry locations and if you go extremely wet (submerged) it should even be 10mA. In dry conditions you should be able to survive a very short jolt of 230V/300mA but under the right conditions even a 230V/30mA jolt can kill you
@PerMejdal
@PerMejdal 5 років тому
In Denmark 30mA RCDs are required on all circuits up to 20A (those above are used for distribution). It has been a requirement for new houses since 1975, and in 2008 it became a requirement for all installations. Even those that where legal when they where made. Non-private buildings are required to hire licensed electricians to test the RDCs every year, who uses equipment that measure that the RCD triggers fast enough.
@guyfriendo2917
@guyfriendo2917 2 роки тому
You might be pleased to know that this video is now assigned watching for students in the Applied Electricity course at Lansing Community College. I was already a fan of yours so it was a pleasant surprise to see you in my school work!
@travis1240
@travis1240 3 роки тому
"putting the protection at the outlet makes the device causing the problem rather obvious" not necessarily. I once had a house where half of the guest room was wired to the "load" terminals of the bathroom gcfi. Fixed it myself when I figured it out, but finding that was rather unexpected.
@weeardguy
@weeardguy 5 років тому
NO WAY! Wow. Just wow. I'm an electrician so I know my way around Dutch electrical wiring and know a bit about US-wiring and electrics, so I didn't thought I'd see something new in this video.But I NEVER knew there were RCD's built into wall-sockets. And just when I thought that was all, you started talking about appliances with RCD's mounted INSIDE the plug! To talk about these devices: In the Netherlands we tend to call them 'Aardlekschakelaars', literally translated you end up with something like 'Earth-leakage switch'.Though it indicates it does 'something' with a leak somewhere, it's hard for many people to understand that the safety-ground wire (which we just call earth or PE in electricians-language) has nothing to do with the RCD itself: it only senses that there is current leaking somewhere, but as it's not returning to neutral, we assume it's leaking to earth. And about the place where these devices sit: it's common in the Netherlands to have these in the service-cabinet (metercabinet as we like to call it).Indeed, it can be hard to find the cause of the leak, but that's also some common sense: just unplug everything on the same group (for as far as possible) and start replugging until the RCD trips and there's your fault. Garden-lighting is notorious though for moisture and causing random tripping of the RCD and because you have to open the switchboxes in the metercabinet, most people don't think about that possibility. We got our metercabinet renewed last year. We got PKN6 RCD's from Eaton. Big downside from these is that they don't indicate the kind of fault, whereas the devices from ABB I use on a daily basis at work, the DS201 series, feature an extra indicator so you know the type of fault that occured.An overcurrent just trips the device, throws the lever down ánd moves a green 'signal' in a small window just above the lever.Resetting it makes the green signal turn red again.A ground fault however, does all of the above, but also shoots out a blue indicator in the middle of the handle, indicating the device has tripped because of a ground fault. In Belgium, the usual name is 'Verliesstroomschakelaar' (literally translated: 'Current-loss switch).
@LeadSkillets
@LeadSkillets 5 років тому
Definitely been very happy with ABB products wherever I've used them, but being as Square D and Eaton seem to be preferred in Canada, ABB tends to be far more expensive here. For industrial products ABB prices are fairly on par depending on suppliers.
@rodmunch69
@rodmunch69 5 років тому
Nothing against you guys, but what is with your language, it just looks like you gave a kid a keyboard and they banged on random keys.
@Lttlemoi
@Lttlemoi 5 років тому
A good rule of thumb for figuring out which device set of the switch is to unplug the last thing you touched, re-enable the switch and try again. Also in Flanders, the metercabinet is often called the "plombkas", literally the "kast" ('cabinet', the t isn't articulated nor spelled) where you put the "plombs" ('fuses', the b is also not articulated but appears in writing), which I presume comes from the French word for lead, i.e. what the old style fuses that melt were made of.
@Bacopa68
@Bacopa68 4 роки тому
@@aphenioxPDWtechnology "Verliesstroom" would be "Forlorn Stream" using the English cognates. It sounds absolutely poetic, like someplace haunted.
@Timooooooooooooooo
@Timooooooooooooooo 4 роки тому
As a Dutch person who doesn't know all that much about electricity, thank you for explaining how this relates to our situation.
@w5527
@w5527 5 років тому
1:38 The musician in me heard a “wet power chord” and thought of a guitar power chord with wet distortion
@michaelrandall4862
@michaelrandall4862 4 роки тому
Well which one should I pee on? That chord or that chord or in my chords? I'm sorry, it's 3:30 am 11 months later. This is an awesome and most important channel. This is why UKposts was invented.
@mennolente4807
@mennolente4807 4 роки тому
As an electrical engineer and musician, if you only knew the dangers... Your electric guitar's safely grounded, you'd think. Untill your lips touch the phantom powered mic, burning and blistering your lips. Yup, that was a "safe" voltage and current, but boy does it hurt. How to prevent? Don't ground your amp. Also, imagine: outdoor gig, rainy, foggy or damp weather. Got a wall of marshall/vox/*insert favorite flavour*. How safe do you think it is? Well, of course it has a transformer, so high voltage is separated from line. But not the energy. And where does every ground fault go? You didn't ground your amp to not be shocked by the mic. So every fault goes through anything else grounded. Via your guitar strings, through you to the ground you are standing on. And this was just one example...
@Andrei-xl1xe
@Andrei-xl1xe Рік тому
@3:14 in Romania we call it differential safety/breaker, it's the kind that protects the entire house. But if you are smart/you have enough money, you will put a precise one per room. I was amazed to find out, in another video of yours or electriboom, that american style GFCI is much more precise than our usual RCBO.
@melkaman8200
@melkaman8200 Рік тому
Very interesting. At my house, there are non-GFCI outlets and various light switches that are daisy-chained off each other into God only knows how many directions, including hot lines to one thing and the neutral to a different thing. At one time, the codes allowed for such things. No idea which plugs/switches are on the original leads and which ones are the daisy chained ones. Keeps things interesting! And about two-thirds of the house is on a single breaker (although, to be fair, we've made it this far!). Now, working with having an electrician try to make sense out of all of this without needing a home equity loan.
@Carstuff111
@Carstuff111 5 років тому
Hahahahaha, the fact you threw in an "All Star" by Smash Mouth reference...and I caught it... Well done!! Can't wait for the next video!
@Qbe_Root
@Qbe_Root 5 років тому
Well, the amps start coming and they don’t stop coming
@ncochran01
@ncochran01 5 років тому
Hey now, you're an All Star....
@casualbird7671
@casualbird7671 5 років тому
I'm mad I missed it
@a2pabmb2
@a2pabmb2 5 років тому
Had to replay those frames a couple times before I understood what he was doing
@HoopyFroodood
@HoopyFroodood 4 роки тому
I ran headfirst into the comments looking for this as soon as I saw that.
@ChristopherTradeshow
@ChristopherTradeshow 4 роки тому
Those are so my fidgety self has something to do while brushing my teeth
@frankyu553
@frankyu553 3 роки тому
Hey and so you can actually test it often! Mission accomplished!
@stevenpotter8228
@stevenpotter8228 3 роки тому
lol
@NitanBailarin
@NitanBailarin 2 роки тому
When I moved to USA this was the first thing it called my attention. And I was so frustrated everytime that I plugged the hair dryer and it was "not working" because the outlet was on test. But now that I understand what they are, I will never get annoyed about it. Thanks for such a good video!!!! 🙏🏼
@fridaycaliforniaa236
@fridaycaliforniaa236 7 днів тому
That's funny, here in France, we call them « differential circuit breakers » (disjoncteur différentiel). That actually really helped me to understand how they work.
@Coltranized
@Coltranized 4 роки тому
"Will i ask a fourth question" At that point I had to stop the video to catch my breath Sweet video!
@moonrazk
@moonrazk 3 роки тому
You need to some cardio!
@AL_O0
@AL_O0 5 років тому
In Italy we call those devices (which are normally fitted inside the distribution panel) “salvavita”, literally lifesaver, and I always loved that name, because it speaks for itself and you don’t need to know what residual current or a ground fault is, you know it’s to save your life (also we have 230v which is much more dangerous)
@davidebacchi9030
@davidebacchi9030 5 років тому
Actually we call them 'interruttori differenziali' (differential switches). Salvavita is a BTicino trademark. But I agree that the name has been selected well.
@AL_O0
@AL_O0 5 років тому
Davide Bacchi technical term whatever, but everybody calls them that, the only problem is that most people tend to call also the MCBs, with only overcurrent protection “salvavita” which is wrong and might lead to confusion Also, fun fact, they call them salvavita too in Malta
@tally1604
@tally1604 4 роки тому
Voltage is not what kills you, it's the amps
@SoWhat1221
@SoWhat1221 3 роки тому
@@tally1604 Can't have amps without voltage. For a given resistance (e.g. a human), current flow is dependent on voltage.
@phatcowboy76
@phatcowboy76 2 роки тому
Excellent presentation. I'm an electrician and I knew the gfci detected a current inbalance, but I didn't know how this was achieved. And I didn't know such a tiny current inbalance would trip it. I knew they were fast. But you quantified it for me.
@sguttag
@sguttag 3 роки тому
Excellent video. One thing I'll add (well...recommend)...particularly in Kitchens for the counter receptacles. Don't string them (don't use one and then wire additional receptacles, as they are designed). The 5mA current protection is total and if you are cooking some masterpiece that has the mixer, toaster, blender...and whatnot all going...these devices are often "reactive" loads that will have an influence on the current and timing that can cause a false-trip. Spend the extra money and let EACH receptacle be its own GFCI and you will never get false-trips again but be every bit as protected. In the USA you can (and in some cases) do get breakers with GFCI (and pretty much all circuits are now AFCI...different subject). Depending on what is being protected and where your breaker panel is, it would be a big annoyance to have to trundle down in the the basement/garage or wherever your panel is just to reset the breaker for this sort of trip. This also comes back to the more stuff you have plugged into the circuit and the longer the cable run is, the greater the likelihood of a false trip becomes (that long wire run to the receptacles actually consumes some electricity to heat up the wire too and you don't want that counting against you on your 5mA. Lastly, it was quite informative that internally the receptacle you showed has 20A contacts though a difference in the two models you didn't present is that a "TR" is going to also be Tamper Resistant (has the little doors to prevent kids from sticking things in). So you might get a price difference there though yes, 20A receptacles do tend to be notably pricier than their 15A counterparts.
@noahmccann4438
@noahmccann4438 5 років тому
Excellent video, and I’m glad you touched on the differences between this and a breaker - I made the mistaken assumption that they were the same kind of thing, except that the GFCIs might be faster in their response. I’m glad to learn the truth though. I’ll also be sure to test these more regularly now that I’m more familiar with them. Good public service announcement!
@NickStallman
@NickStallman 5 років тому
That's something that confused me about this video, in Australia/Europe/elsewhere, the GFCI/RCDs are integrated with circuit breakers so they have additional protections. E.g. if there is a large amount of current being drawn when it trips, our breakers can handle that but I don't know how the American GFCI's are supposed to handle the flash over.
@seraphina985
@seraphina985 5 років тому
+Nick Stallman If I were to hazard a guess I would assume that the US outlets are designed under the assumption that they are protected by a 20A breaker and thus built with enough heat dissipation capacity to cope with the overcurrent for as long as it would take the breaker to respond. For the most part the breaker will be faster the higher the current so it's relatively consistent the amount of energy it would need to handle. I say relatively as of course extreme edge cases will destroy that such as suddenly being exposed to multiple megavolts such as in a lightning strike chances are that would indeed fry the GFCI and most of the electrical equipment attached to the circuit.
@captain150
@captain150 5 років тому
In the US any circuit that has a GFCI receptacle will ALSO be fed from a circuit breaker, either 15A or 20A and so the circuit will have short circuit and overload protection as well. He didn't mention it, but there are GFI breakers in the US as well. These devices combine short circuit, overload and GFI protection in a single unit and protect entire circuits...identical to RCBOs in Europe. It's just less common to use GFI breakers rather than receptacles.
@spambot7110
@spambot7110 4 роки тому
1:35 also because plumbing is grounded so in addition to your wet hands having an easier connection to live, your body is more likely to have a decent path to ground
@kokobeans3339
@kokobeans3339 3 роки тому
This system saved my life when I was in Grade 1, thanks for explaining
@CyhAnide
@CyhAnide 4 роки тому
I have a lot of fish tanks, so my husband and I became intimately familiar with installing these things--because if I end up with 75 gallons pouring out onto my floor, I want to be able to run up and try to stop it, instead of worrying whether there's a wet cord or outlet somewhere that's out to get me. XD
@nicolaramoso3286
@nicolaramoso3286 5 років тому
In Italy are centralized and (fun fact) we call them salvavita which literally means "life saver".
@lokon1979
@lokon1979 4 роки тому
Nicola Ramoso I only learnt that US homes don’t have it centralised when I first visit the US a few years ago. I was shocked (sorry). I always take it as granted, grow up in Hong Kong we have this as standard since the 80s. I also hate the US plug. The plug get loosen from socket easy, it expose metal with live current when not fully plugged in. In Hong Kong we had a mixed of US plug and European plug until it was all standardized to UK plug in the late 80s I think, man it is so much nicer!
@Hello-up8nz
@Hello-up8nz 5 років тому
You can buy GFCI circuit breakers in the United States, they just aren't as common. They are easily found at Home Depot or Lowes and they even make ones that have a dual function of AFCI and GFCI. AFCI is also available in GFCI style receptacles too with some also being dual function with GFCI. AFCI is now required on almost every circuit in the house (in states that have adopted the latest electrical code) including ones that have previously required or have not required GFCI protection. You should do a video about how AFCI is different from GFCI now.
@uK8cvPAq
@uK8cvPAq 5 років тому
Saw a video on youtube where a hams radio would trip his neighbors AFCI!
@44R0Ndin
@44R0Ndin 5 років тому
Yeah AFCI needs some work on defining what exactly is the trip threshold, right now there's too many harmless things that can trip them, "safer" or not. It's not safer if it generates so many false positives that you can't tell if it was a real fault or just another nuisance trip event.
@ianbelletti6241
@ianbelletti6241 5 років тому
44R0Ndin. AFCI circuit breakeres have gotten better at detecting actual arcs instead of electronic noise. If you are having a problem with your electronics nuisance tripping your circuit breaker, it could be one from the early 2000's and would easilly be solved by replacing the arc fault breaker with a more modern one.
@Demonslayer20111
@Demonslayer20111 5 років тому
Lol used to have a paper shredder that would turn on if you keyed a walkie talkies next to it
@Zizzily
@Zizzily 5 років тому
They also make combo GFCI *and* AFCI circuit breakers now. Also, while GFCI receptacles often trip at 5mA, the circuit breakers won't trip until around 30mA.
@jesus8263
@jesus8263 3 роки тому
You my friend are skilled in the art of explaining things in a very concise and easy to understand manner. I appreciate what you do. Keep doing it. Love being informed and educated. Knowledge is the enemy of ignorance.
@bhzoop
@bhzoop 2 роки тому
Thanks to videos like this and others on this channel, I've been getting much more interested in learning about electricity in America. I've been watching avidly for years and I'm now pursuing an electrician certification in my state.
@SaSaaVirus
@SaSaaVirus 5 років тому
I already know all of this(as a electricien). but I subbed because you deserve more views, you explain it very well. greets from the netherlands!
@nitramluap
@nitramluap 4 роки тому
I must say, your editing, concise & logical explanations and humour make for some of the best tech viewing on the 'net. Keep up the great work.
@Mrch33ky
@Mrch33ky 3 роки тому
Excelsior!
@billchessell8213
@billchessell8213 2 роки тому
If I was smarter I would have thought to say that first. Spot frikken on!
@bigby1530
@bigby1530 3 роки тому
The past year I've been living in my own home and I find myself coming back to these videos often to understand what to change or do with my home
@utubeuser1024
@utubeuser1024 Рік тому
Just stumbled on this video. As usual, amazing (and hilarious) job explaining how GFCI/RCDs work! I had one of these at my last apartment (condo) and one day it tripped - for no apparent reason (the RCD was in the service panel). So I would reset it and anywhere from 15 seconds to 5 minutes later it would trip again! After looking around a bit, I found a leaky pipe was dripping water onto a power outlet under my kitchen sink! The RCD was a lifesaver!!
@woodhonky3890
@woodhonky3890 5 років тому
I am a 21 year journeyman electrician. I watched this to see someone talking crap about something they know nothing about. Guess I shouldn't have been so cynical. Everything you said was true! Very well done.
@mattvarner7946
@mattvarner7946 4 роки тому
I just started watching your videos. Love your sense of humor and I feel like a genius after watching them. Grasping concepts like these is not easy for me but the way you break it down really helps keep it interesting and practical 👍
@danielburleson563
@danielburleson563 3 роки тому
I love your content, it's so easy to digest and informative. At first I was like, "how can someone take 20 minutes explains why the high setting on fans are first" but after watching you videos, it makes so much more sense lol
@Sharpman34
@Sharpman34 3 роки тому
My other half doesn't quite share my love for educational content on this platform, but she sure liked your content. Both the personality, humor and presentation. I love this channel myself, just thought I'd share. Good work bud, as always!
@DenebTM
@DenebTM 5 років тому
These things are just centralized in European homes and active on all the wiring. It makes them a bit more of a pain to reset if a fault occurs, but safer overall imo, because you don't have unprotected outlets, lamps or whatever else in your home. And since they do have to be checked on every so often to see if they still cut the power quickly enough, a single one in a centralized location is much easier to keep track of than potentially a dozen or so throughout the house, and cheaper to replace if it does fail. Edit: I see now you brought this up in the video, and you bring up some valid points why having these things decentralized can be advantageous, the ideal solution would probably be somewhere in the middle, like having one for each room and etc., but all accessible from a central service panel. Just my two cents on the matter.
@formerx
@formerx 4 роки тому
Great video. I'm ancient enough to remember when these came into widespread use (mid 70s) and I have always been impressed with the technology. Makes me shudder to think of all the outdoor holiday lights we plugged in in the rain and snow, without such protective devices.
@AroundTheBlockAgain
@AroundTheBlockAgain 2 роки тому
This video definitely gave me an appreciation for these little gadgets that I'd never had before. I never put it together that "test" meant you were actually testing the interrupter! I'm going to enjoy doing it now, knowing what's happening inside the device. Thanks! :)
@alvarob7051
@alvarob7051 4 місяці тому
In Spain we call these "Interruptor Diferencial", which would be translated as something like "Differential Interrupter", which I think also conveys their use nicely. Also we usually just get one single one in the main electrical panel of each home (or apartment), which the rest of the circuits are then branched off of.
@chatanugadotorg
@chatanugadotorg 4 роки тому
Well done video! Explains what had been a mystery I experienced a while ago in the townhouse I'm renting. The regular outlet in my upstairs bathroom stopped working. I checked the breakers in the basement and found nothing wrong. I then went to use the outlet in the downstairs bathroom that had the test and reset buttons on it and found the reset button popped out. After resetting it, the upstairs outlet worked. Even though I thought both bathrooms were on separate circuits (the lights probably are), now I understand how the outlets are connected.
@pointblank6467
@pointblank6467 4 роки тому
Awesome! What an excellent breakdown of the gfci. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
@DavidLindes
@DavidLindes Рік тому
After just installing one of these, I decided I wanted a refresher on how it worked inside, so I looked up this video (which I watched ages ago). Thanks for making this. :)
@revmsj
@revmsj Рік тому
Awesome topic, brother! To be honest, I rolled my eyes at this upon reading the thumbnail because I’ve known for several years now that these continually monitor the amperage in/out looking for any potential difference and breaking continuity once a difference arises. (I’m a know-it-all as well....) I can honestly say that you taught me some shit today. I never knew exactly how the difference was monitored. I assumed it literally monitored both leads individually and compared them. It’s so much simpler than that! It’s actually genius in its simplicity! Thanks again, brother! ✊🏾 Edit: I might add that the only reason I’ve never taken one apart myself is the expense of them. I’m a pretty cheap guy...😂 I love tearing Shit apart to see what makes a thing “tick”, but it’s a battle between the compulsion to conduct exploratory surgery on a device, and the compulsion to not spend money unnecessarily...
@jamesilott6009
@jamesilott6009 5 років тому
"Will I ask a forth question?" , funniest thing heard on UKposts today.
@norgeek
@norgeek 3 роки тому
Interesting to note that ground fault switches are built into all circuit breakers here in Norway by law (on newer systems anyway). Not just in the bathroom either, but the whole house.
@TantalumPolytope
@TantalumPolytope Рік тому
we have this in germany too
@mattdude
@mattdude 8 місяців тому
The neat thing about modern GFCIs is that unlike old ones which can lose its protection over time and essentially revert to being a regular outlet, modern ones will have a lockout feature which permanently disables the outlet if the GFCI protection were to fail. This then forces people to replace the receptacle to have the the outlet working again.
@JohnSmith-ys4nl
@JohnSmith-ys4nl 3 місяці тому
Yes and the newer ones (since 2015) also must have a self-test function. They will test themselves every 30 seconds to ensure they are working. The owner no longer has to test them once a month (although it is still recommended). And as you said, the newer ones will lock you out when they fail their internal self-test, alerting you to replace it.
@patrickschardt7724
@patrickschardt7724 2 роки тому
Why are these videos so satisfying to watch? I am annoyed by the houses that have one of these for a whole group of outlets. When each outlet in a danger zone has its own GFCI, you can pretty much instantly find the cause
@1996BRECHT
@1996BRECHT 5 років тому
In Belgium we are (required) to have a big GFCI ("differential", translated from our flemish/kinda french word for it) for everything (300mA if I recall) and for humid rooms an additional more sensitive one (30mA). I had no idea they used in the USA them on idividual outlets, thanks for the video!
@1996BRECHT
@1996BRECHT 5 років тому
Also, great (still rather safe in my opinion due to the way it's configured) explanation setup!
@1996BRECHT
@1996BRECHT 5 років тому
Also great pro and con explanation for both setups, glad I watched the whole video!
@Markle2k
@Markle2k 5 років тому
Allowing large leakage currents is fine for protecting the equipment, but doesn't protect people from shock. If you have a heating element that suddenly finds a path to ground inside your electric kettle, it trips. But if a person grabs both the hot and neutral, they can get electrocuted because a RCD doesn't detect this as a fault. The GFCI design adds this protection and is called a RCBO in the UK.
@okaro6595
@okaro6595 Рік тому
That is likely because of TT earthing. I the US they use TN-C-S so on case if a fault hight current flows through the neutral and thr breaker trips. In TT the fault current is just a few amperes so one needs additional protection like a 100-300 mA RCD.
@mjdxp5688
@mjdxp5688 4 роки тому
i didn't know i had one of these in my bathroom until seeing this video and checking i've lived here for 17 years
@wilbur9416
@wilbur9416 2 роки тому
I was expecting by the power of purchasing two. It is nice to get refresher courses with a little bit of extra knowledge that wasn't necessarily known. Great videos
@clrd4t1
@clrd4t1 2 роки тому
Am doing University mechanical engineering industrial training, and I can say that this video officially helped me learn stuff I need to know before I was taught.
@gglivetv
@gglivetv 3 роки тому
In Italy we call them "salva vita" that means literally "life saver" :D
@kennethflorek8532
@kennethflorek8532 5 років тому
Before I could move into this old house, the ordinances required the seller, among many other "violations" written up by the city inspector, to install GFCI's in several locations, and be inspected (again) by the city inspector. I test the GFCI's periodically. One day I, having lived there over ten years, I tested the one in the main bathroom, but for the first time leaving the radio still plugged in, which is a bit awkward, but I didn't want to miss a chunk of my program. And I didn't. The radio was still playing after the GFCI tripped. For over ten years I would have been electrocuted if whatever the GFCI was supposed to be protecting me from had occurred. Not really surprisingly, it turned out that the wires to the "line" were reversed with the wires to the "load," and the GFCI worked right when rewired. Somebody guessed wrong. Aren't electricians and inspectors supposed to know these things? Of course I seldom take the radio right into the bathtub water with me, so no harm done really.
@compzac
@compzac 4 роки тому
Well my guess would be that either the seller did it themselves or had a buddy with a screw driver do it, instead of a trained electrician
@chrismanuel9768
@chrismanuel9768 3 роки тому
See, I had a shallow understanding of how they worked. "Plug no worky if wet wet". But now I know the how, the why, and most importantly, what it CAN'T do. Important information to have
@jTempVids
@jTempVids 3 роки тому
The best explanation and demonstration of GFCI outlets I've seen.
@DetroitBORG
@DetroitBORG 5 років тому
My house, and many houses in Michigan since the 80s, have GFIs in the circuit panels centralized for all electrical outlets (indoors and outdoors outlets in my case). And indeed you do spend allot of time running back and forth to the panel for trouble shooting.
@DrSardonicus
@DrSardonicus 3 роки тому
Protip; get a friend. One waits at outlet the other diagnoses. Hazzah! Please *do* tell me exactly how much enormous amounts of your life you’ve wasted running back and forth, so-called trouble shooting? Seriously, is this a huge problem which only seems to exist in the USA? The rest of the world seems to work perfectly fine with our centralised circuit panels. There’s no great world wide dilemma of lives lost and tragic time wasted of ‘running around’. What exactly are you complaining about? The central circuit board works fine! Not a single person in history has ever complained about it. It only seems to be YOU Americans complaining about a system they don’t even have! Amazing.
@maxeluy
@maxeluy 5 років тому
In my country they are in the general box at the beginning of the house circuit and cut all power, and they are call Differential Switches. BTW Very interesting video!
@pineappleroad
@pineappleroad 3 роки тому
in the UK there used to be a thing called an earth leakage operated circuit breaker, which shut off power to the entire house when it tripped, but it had a major flaw (before the RCD took its place, and some installations in the UK have one RCD for the whole house, although that is no longer allowed in the regulations here, as newer installations are required to be either Dual RCD or have RCBOs, or a combination of RCDs and RCBOs)
@juppster5694
@juppster5694 3 роки тому
Excellent description, and background for how you do things in the US (for those of us not in the US). I don't think we have RCDs built in to the outlets in Australia, but I have a device I bought for ~AU$30 that plugs into the regular outlet, then you plug your appliance into that.
@frankbiz
@frankbiz 3 роки тому
Great explanation of how it works internally. I always knew what it does, but you helped me take it to the next level. 👍🏻
@StevePittinger
@StevePittinger 5 років тому
"Will I ask a fourth question?" - laughed out loud at that. Good job throwing those subtleties into the content, Alec.
@gohantanaka
@gohantanaka 4 роки тому
I like your channel. I learn something every time I watch.
@PopcornOnCouchAnime
@PopcornOnCouchAnime 2 роки тому
This is super awesome im about to start school soon to be an electrician !! This helps me get some knowledge about whats behind the wall!
@mycattookmykfc1488
@mycattookmykfc1488 2 роки тому
As an electrician I’m happy you explained this I have to put this in because of the nec and sometimes I see people have installed there own receptacles right next to sinks
@RobinRhyne
@RobinRhyne 3 роки тому
Copious thanks! Most of my adult life I've seen these outlets. I viewed them with a full glaze over my eyes as I had zero concept of what they were about. After this brief tutorial it's a whole new world of viewing the outlets in my house.
@JReynolds09
@JReynolds09 3 роки тому
WOW. This was amazing. You truly have a gift of sharing information in a way that is easy to understand by those who aren't familiar with the topic. So cool, and God Bless.
@raedbishtawy1
@raedbishtawy1 Рік тому
Thank you so much for this amazing explanation, very awesome orientation of the receptacle's function and work principle
@LouisHansell
@LouisHansell 3 роки тому
You always do an excellent job explaining these technologies.
@RodrigoBadin
@RodrigoBadin 5 років тому
I am shocked to know these GFCI things do exist. Never saw these in Brazil, I've googled for it and i found this kind of outlet is only obligatory in construction sites.... and we do use electrical showers without it here *yikes.*
@superdau
@superdau 5 років тому
You can't use the showers you install with a GFCI. Those showers do on purpose what a GFCI is built to prevent (current to ground).
@AttilaAsztalos
@AttilaAsztalos 5 років тому
Yeah, when I saw on UKposts those electrical showers you mention my brain nearly melted from the "nope" overload. But as far as GFCIs go, only newly wired homes have them here in Romania too, which means basically nobody ever saw one.
@NickStallman
@NickStallman 5 років тому
Check your electrical panel for a similar test button. The rest of the world puts them there, not in individual outlets. Mind you if you don't see a test button there either and you own your house then you might want to call an electrician.....
@mbainrot
@mbainrot 5 років тому
In Australia only new properties or rented properties have them. Or old properties that have had major electrical work done, by law any major works will include installation of an RCD
@Trident_Euclid
@Trident_Euclid 5 років тому
@@AttilaAsztalos We had them in Oman since the late 90's afaik
@YotaNinja
@YotaNinja 5 років тому
+1 for sneaking in that Smashmouth reference. Lol
@medes5597
@medes5597 5 років тому
Yota_Ninja what's your UKposts icon? It looks like an orthodox symbol.
@YotaNinja
@YotaNinja 5 років тому
No idea what that is lol. It's an Iron Cross with "YOTA" inside of it, I don't remember what font I used though.
@steliosarvanitis5606
@steliosarvanitis5606 5 років тому
Yota_Ninja it is spelled wrong :p
@steliosarvanitis5606
@steliosarvanitis5606 5 років тому
It spells ψοτα not γιωτα ;ρ
@johnmcnally7812
@johnmcnally7812 2 роки тому
I had the great pleasure of being connected to the mains in an old building when one of our lamps was plugged in without an RCD.
@howardjohnson2138
@howardjohnson2138 3 роки тому
I did enjoy this presentation and will now test mine at least once a month. Thank you
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