It could be said that the First Edition was more concerned with waste of energy and heat than electric shock. The extract in Figure 1 is taken from the First Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations in 1882 and it can be seen that leakage current was a consideration even back then, although probably for different reasons. Hence this type of equipment requires a functional earth, which is different from a protective earth.
Leakage current is also defined as ‘electric current in an unwanted conductive path under normal operating conditions.’Įarth leakage current can exist through an insulation fault in cables or equipment, or it can occur under normal operating conditions in electronic equipment which use capacitors for filtering purposes in power supplies which can cause leakage to Earth when functioning. Protective conductor current is defined as an ‘ electric current appearing in a protective conductor, such as leakage current or electric current resulting from an insulation fault.’ What is Earth leakage current?Įarth leakage current is not specifically defined in BS 7671:2018+A1:2020, it is referred to as protective conductor current.
This question is being asked more often due to the proliferation of electronic equipment.
One question being asked in the IET Engineering Communities Forum is ‘Earth Leakage Current – How much is too much?
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