Another thread, about portable generators, has me a bit confused.
I was under the impression that an "RCD" was the same as our "GFCI" (here in the USA).
A GFCI, or "ground fault circuit interrupter," is a device that -in simple terms- measures the current going out through the 'hot' wire and also measures the current combing back in the neutral. If the two figures are not very nearly the same (within 5ma), the device shuts off the power.
So, in the generator question, A shock would result in some of the current not returning to the generator, which would trip the GFCI.
I thought this was what the RCD did, but some have said that the RCD would not operate in this situation.
If the two are the same ... ho can it fail to operate?
