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Electricity Notes
Electricity Notes
switch settings. ●
●
Long time delay.
Short time pick up.
● Short time delay.
● Ground fault pick up
Why the outer casing of an electrical appliance must be
either non-conducting (double-insulated) or earthed?
Live wires can snap and touch the case, causing the casing to
come to life. Therefore, the casing will electrocute anyone who
touches it. However, the earth wire will offer a route for
electricity to travel from the device to the ground. Therefore,
anyone operating the device won't be an electrocuted.
A fuse without an earth wire protects the circuit and the
cabling for a double-insulated appliance.
Electrical appliances that are double insulated do not need an earth connection (only
two wires are wired into the three-pin plug). The electrical circuit for the appliance
is inside a case underground that is composed of an electrically insulating substance
(for example, plastic) so that an electric current cannot pass through it, even if the
outer casing contains metal parts. A live conductor cannot possibly come in contact
with the exterior case. This ensures that there is no chance of electrocution for
anyone touching the exterior case. When an electrical appliance casing has the
symbol it is double insulated.
To Summarise We Can Say That :-
● The metal case of an electrical appliance is earthed by connecting it to the earth
wire to prevent current passing through anyone touching a faulty appliance.
● Excessive current through a wire can melt insulation, causing it to emit poisonous
fumes or catch fires.
● Using multi-plug adapters (multi-way bar extensions and block adapters) increases
the risk of overloading plugs and sockets.
● A fuse contains a thin section of wire, designed to melt and break the circuit if the
current gets above a certain value.
● A Circuit breaker is a safety device that automatically switches off a circuit when
the current becomes too high
● Atrip switch is a safety device that includes a switch that opens (trips) when a
current exceeds a certain value.