What is Residual-current device?
{{one source|date=February 2024}} {{simplify |date=February 2024}} [[File:Residential GFCI receptacle.jpg|thumb|GFCI receptacle with red button for Reset and black button for Test]] A '''ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)''', or '''Residual Current Device (RCD)''' is a type of [[circuit breaker]]. This type shuts off electric power (or breaks the [[electrical circuit]]), <!--Not simple: when it senses an imbalance between the outgoing and incoming current--> to protect people from an [[electric shock]] caused when some of the current travels through a person's body due to an electrical fault such as a short circuit, [[insulation]] failure, or [[equipment]] that is not working right. Standard [[circuit breaker]]<nowiki/>s shut off power when the current is too high, like 10, 15, or 20 [[Ampere|amp]]s. This protects machinery, and is often good enough to prevent hurting people. The GFCI / RCD breaks the [[Electrical circuit|circuit]] when it detects an imbalance of only 0.005 amps (0.030 amps in Australia and some European and Asian countries). Even this small amount of current, 0.030 amps, going through one [[human]] body might possibly kill, by [[cause|causing]] [[paralysis]] of skeletal [[muscle]]s and stopping the [[heart]]. A standard [[circuit breaker]] protects the house electrical wires, receptacles and [[Switch|switches]], and appliances and fixtures from dangerous conditions, which could contribute to overheating and possible fire. A GFCI / RCD protects people from shock and [[electrocution]] and is often found in bathrooms or kitchens where electrical devices may be used near water. While using electrical devices in these locations, someone's bare skin may be in contact with water or a wet floor or metal fixtures. Any of these can provide an alternate path for current to travel in the case of an electrical fault. A GFCI / RCD can also prevent dangers from short circuits and other electrical faults that don't involve humans such as a low current short where the current never reaches the