Siyapath
Sign up

Lesson: Chapter 10 — Power and energy in electrical appliances

The parts of a household circuit 2 of 5

The isolator

Everything from the isolator onwards belongs to the consumer.

The isolator

After the meter, the live and neutral pass through an isolator. It also acts as a 30 A overload breaker, and pulling down its double-pole switch cuts both the live and the neutral to the house. It is used to switch off for repairs, and in an emergency such as a fire.

Older circuits used a main switch with a 30 A fuse and a double-pole switch instead.

Figure to be added

Figure 10.7 — (a) an isolator; (b) the circuit of a main switch with its 30 A fuse and double-pole switch.