Find the biggest brands of residual current circuit breakers on ManoMano: Legrand, LS Industrial Systems... at the lowest prices on the web! Type A or Type AC, single-phase or three-phase, we help you choose the reference that suits you, so you avoid any unpleasant surprises!
Installation point if you don't mind, before moving on to the residual circuit breakers.
If you have a specific subscription in three-phase, you can power devices in both 400 volts and 230 volts. For this, you systematically need residual current circuit breakers. Then, the modular circuit breaker will depend on the device to be protected: single-pole + neutral circuit breaker for a 230 volts device, four-pole circuit breaker for a three-phase device.
For a standard single-phase subscription, all your equipment will be of the same type, as you will not have the possibility to operate three-phase devices. The only possible originality: installing a bipolar circuit breaker if you have a very powerful pumping or motorization device.
And now, back to the residual current circuit breakers!
Let's start from the beginning: what is a residual current circuit breaker? Don't worry, it is indeed a circuit breaker, placed on the left side of each line in your electrical panel, and it detects current leaks on all the circuit breakers to which it is connected at a legal threshold of 30 milliamperes. It automatically shuts off when the leak exceeds this threshold, preventing you from receiving an electric shock when you're tinkering with your oven or fridge, which is quite practical, isn't it?
But how do you choose among all these labels? That's where we come to your rescue! First, there are legal thresholds to respect, which vary according to the habitable surface area of your home.
For less than 35 m², you need at least a Type A residual current circuit breaker of 40 amperes. It's highly recommended to have a 25 A Type AC model if you plug in many devices.
If you live in a home with a habitable surface area between 35 and 100 m², you need two 40 A Type AC models, in addition to the Type A that remains mandatory. Count an additional Type AC residual current circuit breaker for more than 100 m². Practically, this corresponds to 1 or 2 lines of circuit breakers for small homes, 3 for medium ones, and 4 for large houses or vast apartments.
For your information, Type AC corresponds to conventional alternating current circuits: lighting, phone, television, fridge, etc... Type A is to be connected to the specialized circuit for cooking plates, washing machine, oven where direct current can sometimes flow. Be careful, if you add more than one conventional circuit to it, you need to switch to a 63-ampere model. This is also the case if the combined power of the heating circuits and the water heater exceeds 8 kVA.
The last thing to determine is the type of current: single-phase or three-phase? Generally, if you're unaware, it means you have a single-phase subscription; otherwise, you have a specific subscription. You will quickly make the difference: single-phase residual current circuit breakers have two slots, for the phase and the neutral, while four-pole ones have four slots, for the three phases and the neutral proper to three-phase current.
Finally, regarding the connection of the circuit breaker, you must first turn off the meter manually to perform the operation safely. Place then the circuit breaker to the left of the meter line and connect it using a special module you can find on our website. You also need to connect the panel's power input and the ground output, which can be done at the top or bottom depending on the models. You also have two fixing modes at your disposal, automatic (by simple clipping) or with screws.
Your wife can sleep soundly; your panel won't get a crush on you anymore!