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[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

GFCI will save people from direct shock , but won't always stop a fault from say starting a fire. Example a damaged wire arcing the live and neutral (not a dead short) won't trip gfci, there is no ground fault because the power is returning over the neutral as it should. And since it's just a partial arc short it's not going to draw enough to trip the main breaker so it can just sit there and get hot and catch fire.

Technically we now have AFCI to try and detect exactly that, but it's still relatively recent and generally very expensive to implement.

All that said, I prefer the g-type outlet simply because of the giant plug ensures a nice, proper, secure connection, and isn't shaped in a way that lends itself to being particularly damaged. Even if something lands on it, it's profile prevents it from being ripped out of the socket. Whereas the other socket types tend to stick out quite far from their socket and have a tendency towards being yanked out of it. Obviously I'm partially overreacting because I'm dealing with the absolutely fucking garbage type B Outlet I just want an outlet that will finally stay secure

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

This is why both (fuse+GFCI) are put to the line and located in the electrical cabinet.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

Still not nearly as safe. Leaving it up to the home owner to replace the fuse/breaker for each circuit each time a device of a different amp requirement is used is very... naive? The manufacturer of the device shipping the item with the fuse that matches requirement is easier and safer. It may have been born from the ring mains requirement but it's much safer because of it.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Those fuses that can be changed by home owner themself have not existed in 20 years, all are automatic that you just flip from the panel. Fuse size is calculated based on the width of the cable, so if current gets too high the fuse just flips, so the cable doesn't melt.

Edit: as a counter part, if you plug multiple high usage components on same cable, the individual device/plug fuse does not blow, but the cable can melt inside the wall.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

The wire from the plug to the device isn't the same size as that in the wall. So you can have a device cable melt and light on fire without tripping the main fuse. A fuse in the plug prevents this.

Your edit is assuming they're isn't a fuse at the central side. Of course there is a main fuse. And it is sized based on the limits of the wires in the wall

[-] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

No, what they mean is that the fuse is rated for exactly only What that particular Appliance is expected to pull. Not what the circuit can handle. In my example the fuse in the main breaker isn't going to trip, because it's just an arc fault it's not a full dead short. It's not going to be pulling enough current to exceed the rating of the circuit. But it would be enough to exceed the rating of the appliance as long as it's not like a space heater or something

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this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2024
305 points (93.4% liked)

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