If all the lights in your house go out, follow these steps to operate the switches.
1 First, check the ground-fault circuit breaker or safety breaker on the distribution board.
2 Check to see if the RCD (*RCD explanation below) has been turned off.
3 If the RCD is tripped, turn all safety breakers “off” once.
4 Next, turn the RCD switch “on” and then turn the safety breakers “on” one by one in sequence.
5 If the RCD goes off immediately after operation #4, leave its safety breaker “OFF” and turn on the RCD again.
6 Turn the remaining safety breakers “on”. This will allow all but the faulty circuit to be used.
If the RCD goes off as soon as the safety breaker is turned on, the circuit for that safety breaker is faulty, which means that either the wiring for that circuit or the appliance is faulty and leaking power. In the case of wiring, please contact Robinson Housing Maintenance POC to arrange for repair with an electrician as soon as possible. If the appliance is faulty, please do not use it and have it repaired.
What is RCD?
A residual-current device RCD is an electrical safety device that quickly breaks an electrical circuit with leakage current to ground. It is to protect equipment and to reduce the risk of serious harm from an ongoing electric shock.
Role of ”safety breakers“
The safety breaker is turned “off” when a current exceeding the capacity (approximately 20 amperes) flows through the safety breaker.
Connecting multiple appliances with high power consumption to a single circuit will cause the safety breaker for that circuit to trip.
Also, in the event of a short circuit, a large current flows through the indoor wiring, causing the safety breaker to turn off.
This prevents large currents from flowing into indoor wiring, which may cause heat generation and lead to fire, etc.
If the safety breaker operates
Use appliances to stay below the capacity of the safety breaker.
Then turn the safety breaker “ON”.
If the safety breaker still turns “OFF”, use fewer appliances.
If the safety breaker still turns “OFF”, please contact Okinawa Electric Power Company as there may be a short circuit.
((Example))
If a vacuum cleaner with a power consumption of 600 W, a hot carpet with a power consumption of 800 W, and a hot plate with a power consumption of 1400 W are connected to a safety breaker circuit with a capacity of 20 A, the power consumption is 2800 W, so the current flowing through the circuit is approximately 28 amperes, and the safety breaker turns off.
In such cases, please refrain from using hot plates (600+800=1400W) to keep them below the capacity of the safety breaker.
Role of “earth leakage circuit breaker”
If the insulation of indoor wiring or electrical appliances connected to it becomes faulty and leakage current occurs, the breaker detects it and turns “OFF”.
If electricity is used in this condition, there is a risk of electric shock or fire, which requires investigation, repair, or modification.
If the RCD operates
Leakage from indoor wiring or use of a leaky appliance will cause the RCD to turn “OFF”.
The RCD can be turned “on” by turning the safety breaker of the leaky circuit “off” or by disconnecting the leaky appliance from the outlet, which will eliminate the power outage.
In case of leakage from indoor wiring, please contact Robinson Housing maintenance POC for repair.
In case of electrical leakage from your appliance, please contact an appliance dealer.
((Example))
If there is a leak in the air conditioner
1 The RCD is detected and the RCD is turned “OFF”.
2 Open the lid of the distribution board. Then turn all safety breakers to “OFF”.
3 Push in the RCD indicator button (yellow or white) and switch the RCD switch to “ON”.
4 One by one, turn the safety breakers “on”.
5 Then, as soon as the air conditioner safety breaker is turned “on”, the RCD is turned “off” and the RCD indicator button pops up.
6 Turn off the air conditioner safety breaker that triggered this RCD to be turned off, and perform the operation described in 3 above again.
7 Then turn on the other safety breakers to “on”.
8 Now electricity can be used except for the leakage circuit.
