US now requires RCBO on refrigerators

[canopy]

I found this interesting as maybe now every single circuit in a typical home should be protected by an RCBO?

 

...Refrigerators, surge-protection devices, electric motors, and many other devices have reported problems of excessively tripping the RCBO breaker when these items are in normal use.  It doesn’t take much of an imagination to understand the frustration of a home owner when they come home to find all the food in their refrigerator spoiled because of a RCBO tripping during normal operation.  However, modern refrigerators do not typically have this problem.  In fact, if you have a refrigerator built in the last 20 years or so, if it does trip the RCBO, it is probably more likely that there is a problem with the refrigerator than with the RCBO circuit.

 

There are many scenarios where a hazardous electrical fault could be occurring on a refrigerator that did not trip a regular circuit breaker, which could have been stopped by a RCBO circuit.  The water lines feeding the refrigerator break, worn down electrical insulation, moisture accumulation, and any number of other electrical malfunctions could lead to such a scenario.  There is no doubt that your family is safer with a RCBO on their refrigerator, than they are without it.

 

[bankruatsteve]

Are you saying the states requires this?  Maybe you can post link to where you see that.  In any case, it would not be an RCBO.  Maybe what's called a "GFCI" which is point of use (the refrigerator would be plugged into that).  

[canopy]

You are right, I in fact deliberately changed GFCI to RCBO since I believe that is the term it goes by in Thailand. Here is where I saw it: NEC now requires GFCI’s on refrigerators

 

[bankruatsteve]

7 minutes ago, canopy said:

You are right, I in fact deliberately changed GFCI to RCBO since I believe that is the term it goes by in Thailand. Here is where I saw it: NEC now requires GFCI’s on refrigerators

 

Interesting.  Both RCBO and GFCI are RCD's (enough acronyms?) but, as mentioned, a GFCI is point of use and does not have over-current protection.  Actually, I think they are also called GFCI here.  (?)  The RCBO and RCD as known here are front end circuit protection but those devices would not work with US electrics.  I note the article you linked says GFCI not required in domestic kitchen but is required just about anywhere else.