A trip-switch is a generic or colloquial term for a circuit breaker or residual current device that automatically cuts off power during an overload or fault. When current exceeds a safe threshold or leaks to earth, internal mechanisms force the contacts apart to break the circuit. Electricians use the term loosely when talking to the public, but prefer specific names like MCB or RCD on the job.
Tell the homeowner the trip-switch in the garage board keeps operating because their outdoor pump is full of water.
Also heard as
- trip
Related terms
Circuit breaker
A mechanical switching device capable of making, carrying and breaking currents under normal and fault conditions.
RCD
Residual current device: trips when the current going out on the live conductors does not all come back.
Trip
To open a circuit breaker automatically through its protection, or to order a breaker open by command.