RCD’s – what you need to know.

In August 2011 it became law that every residential rental property in W.A. has two residual current devices (RCD’s) installed. These RCD’s prevent electrocution by monitoring the flow of electricity in a home. If an imbalance in the current is detected, the RCD’s immediately stop the flow.

Installing at least two RCDs means that the property’s circuits can be divided evenly. This ensures that some light and power remain if one RCD operates and also minimises faulty operation from appliances which have low-level leakage current.

Keeping RCDs in good working order is vital which is why we ask tenants to perform a very simple test on each device. Here’s what you do:

• Go to the meter box or distribution box and locate the RCD’s.
• Press the ‘Test’ button on the front of the device quickly and then release it.

Pressing the ‘Test’ button will stimulate an earth leakage fault and will indicate if the device is working properly. You may need to reset electric clocks and timing devices after you perform this test.

If the RCD fails to operate, please contact your property manager immediately. We’ll need to contact a licensed electrical contractor to test and replace the unit.

If you have any questions about the RCD’s installed at your property, please contact us.