How I test safety cut

[Anthony5]

Yesterday while i was playing with an opened up satellite receiver, I got something that can be considered more than a trickle, when I accidentally touched the contacts from the switch which are only insulated with heat shrink sleeve. The safety cut didn't trip.

I checked the safety cut, and it functions. So how do I check if that particular socket is sufficiently protected.

Do I just short it with 2 wires or should I be more careful.

I should add that at the time I got the trickle there were other appliances active on the same circuit, so maybe that makes a difference in the tripping speed?

[bankruatsteve]

Assuming your Safe-T-Cut is set at 30ma. (?) Rest assured that if you connect with a 30ma (or more) fault, the RCD should trip and you should escape serious injury. BUT - that would be MUCH more than a "trickle" feeling. IE: An intense trickle might be in the 10ma range which would not trip your RCD.

I suppose one easy way to test that particular socket would be to touch the neutral to ground with some other appliance on the circuit running - that should trip the RCD (needs to be a decent ground though). Edit: Or, better what Crossy suggests following:

Edited March 8, 2015 by bankruatsteve

[Crossy]

Do NOT, that's NOT, simply short connections on a live outlet, if the safety device doesn't operate for some reason you are in a world of hurt.

If you don't have a proper RCD tester then a 15W lamp connected to L and E of a plug should trip your RCD / Safe-T-Cut when plugged in.

If the lamp just lights then there is no RCD protection on that outlet, if the lamp does not light but the RCD doesn't trip either then suspect the ground connection or the L-N polarity on the outlet you're testing.