Many people are not aware that residual current circuit breakers can also trip in response to external events such as lightning strikes without the protected system displaying a fault. In itself, this isn’t a problem, as long as someone is there to reset the ground fault circuit breaker as usual - by hand. However, if left unattended for longer, the tripped switch can lead to extended outages in the power supply resulting in unpleasant knock-on effects or, at worst, even serious damage. For example, this might disable alarm systems or reset the programming of air conditioning or watering systems. At HANNOVER MESSE 2017, GEWISS, a leading international producer of systems and components for low-voltage electrical systems, is showcasing an innovative circuit breaker that automatically resets called ReStart AUTOTEST, which has recently won a BEST OF 2017 industrial accolade.

The smart AUTOTEST residual current circuit breaker with BUS module automatically tests its own status without interrupting the power supply of the downstream system or dropping its guard. These regular automatic checks ensure the system is working correctly and prevent potential wear and tear to its own mechanical components. The device also reduces coordination work and downtimes while improving the safety of the whole electrical system. The addition of a BUS interface to the circuit breaker allows real-time monitoring and logging for the entire system and also means the self-test can be triggered remotely. So users can check and record that the system is functioning properly anytime, anywhere.