In article ,
Do Little2 wrote:
Don't be silly. All overhead supplied domestic supplies are RCD
protected. Fitted by the supply provider.

Not silly at all, I only wrote what a Canadian visitor saw in a barn
near Whitby in the UK.

A barn is unlikely to be directly supplied, but 'exported' from the
adjacent farm house. And will then be protected by the supplier's RCD.
And if it really did have a knife switch that dates back to DC days - ie
before WW2. I've never seen one outside a museum of such things. ;-)

None of the silly thermal devices so loved across the pond. ;-)

Good point! However, most thermal devices have been outlawed (in the
1970's ?) in television, radios, etc..

But as circuit breakers in domestic installations?

BTW, just how do they adjust the electrical heating for the houses in
the UK ? :-)

No one in their right mind uses electricity for heating. We use gas or oil.
It would only make sense if that electricity was generated by some other
fuel - like renewable energy. But not if it's generated by oil or gas.

You can get very close to 100% efficiency with a condensing gas boiler -
not really possible with a variable demand gas burning power station, even
before the transmission losses.

--
*Life is hard; then you nap

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.