Side point to consider. Does your apartment have a ground connection ? I would ensure this device is correctly grounded, and hopefully also protected by an RCD.
Our apartment is relatively new so, yes, there is a ground connection. Iâve never heard of an RCD before.
A GFCI outlet does the same, the difference is with RCD any fault along the line will cause it to trip and you would go nuts trying to figure out which had the fault. The code requires GFCI or RCD protected circuits in bathrooms or kitchens, but of course this being Taiwan I wouldnât hold my breath. My landlord protects outlets in the kitchen and bathroom by putting plastic wrap over it⊠that wonât do and really a GFCI outlet is what you need, but at about 700nt a piece, they are expensive.
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In Taiwan and much of the world, the GFCI functionality is in the breaker.
The GFCI breakers are the ones with the test buttons.
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Explained why:
I never seen those in Taiwan at all, and presumably itâs not used because of cheap landlordsâŠ
But they should be used when the outlet is used near water.
That is literally mine. Itâs been mandatory since the 2005 or so building code I reckon.
These are RCBOs. They perform the same functionality. As you can see mine go to the AC, kitchen, washroom and laundry room. They protect against ground faults AND overcurrent.
I donât know when my house was renovated but I donât see any RCD at all.
I need to find out which breakers control the bathroom and kitchen outlets and put a RCD there. No idea why the landlord got the idea that putting plastic wrap around the outlet is going to help anything at all.
That depends if the GFCI outlet can even fit into the Taiwanese fittings. All of the GFCIs you find are built to US standards because theyâre US plugs. Will insurance even cover the damages if they find a US plug in there after a fire? Youâd probably be better just replacing the breaker with an RCBO because theyâre the standard Taiwan and most developed countries use.
GFCIs are a US/Canada thing.
Theyâre cheaper too cause youâre not paying for a product imported to a country they werenât intended for.
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Just a couple of old 20A fuses in my old gongyu fuse box. Theyâve never triggered in years. If one wants to run modern appliances in this situation what would you suggest? I currently have a couple of inline GFCI adapters which I just plug in to the wall, then plug the appliance into.
I would suggest replacing the breakers with new HCBOs. They are cheap and up to code.
Sure, I suppose if your landlord is open to it, then that is probably the right option. You could try and negotiate a 50/50 cost share on the upgrade with your landlord.
You could try. But they are $300. Not expensive.
You only need to buy a few. So⊠I guess they might agree
Er, to be clear, I would not recommend on here that anyone be installing any such equipment themselves!
The cost for a guy to come in for 10 minutes is not gonna be high.
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