Standards circuit interrupters

Circuit protection devices, such as fuses, breakers, or fault-interrupters, may be required in case of excessive current draws as a result of a short circuit, overcurrent, or earth fault. Several options exist with circuit breakers preferred over fuses. In some of the newer devices several functions are combined into one, thereby reducing the total number of components. An example of this is a combined power-switch/circuit-breaker. The switch/breaker is used as a switch and breaker and senses each line and opens all lines, except the grounded line, simultaneously when a fault current is present. Also, the switch/breaker looks and functions as a standard power ON/OFF rocker switch. In some standards simultaneous interruption of the phase and neutral is required, thereby, precluding the use of fuses. 

The line sectionalizer is yet another overcurrent device, which is installed with backup circuit breakers or reclosers. It has coordination with the backup interrupting device and is designed to open after a preset number of tripping operations of the backup device. They are installed on poles or crossarms in overhead distribution systems. The standard continuous current rating for sectionalizers range from 10 to 600 A. Sectionalizers also come in both the single-phase and the three-phase variety. 

If you are not familiar with standard wiring practice, don t attempt this part of the project yourself. Consult a professional electrician. Insure that all wiring conforms to your local code. In this project, the white wire is neutral, the black wire is the hot wire and the bare copper wire is ground. For safety reasons, it is very important that the entire machine be grounded. The machine operates on a 20 amp circuit and as a safety precaution, I suggest plugging the machine into a GFI outlet. GFl stands for Ground Fault Interrupter. This type of outlet is very sensitive to electrical shorts and will immediately shut the circuit down if one occurs. 

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