Type AC RCDs outlawed from 2023

Changes to the Standards Australia Wiring Rules has meant Type AC residual current devices (RCDs) will no longer be permitted to be sold or installed in Australia after April 2023.

2022 serves as a transitional year for the nation’s construction industry, with AC RCDs used in Australian homes for decades to provide basic protection against electric faults and fire by detecting residual currents with a sinusoidal alternating current waveshape.

With the emergence of new technologies and a pivot towards renewables, Type AC RCDs are unable to detect earth faults with direct current (DC) waveforms in addition to conventional sinusoidal earth faults.

Standards Australia has made amendments to its wiring rules that requires the use of RCDs that are able to detect both sinusoidal alternating currents and residual pulsating direct currents.

This year, being the final year that Type AC RCDs can be installed and purchased, serves as a pivotal year for the electrical industry, as it moves towards newer RCDs that are able to recognise a number of residual currents.

Image: ABB