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Through a series of sequential measurements, you can identify overall leakage current and the source

Why controlling leakage current is important

In any electrical installation, some current will flow through the protective ground conductor to ground. This is usually called leakage current. Leakage current most commonly flows in the insulation surrounding conductors and in the filters protecting electronic equipment around the home or office. So what’s the problem? On circuits protected by GFCIs (Ground Fault Current Interrupters), leakage current can cause unnecessary and intermittent tripping. In extreme cases, it can cause a rise in voltage on accessible conductive parts.

Insulation has both electrical resistance and capacitance—and it conducts current through both paths. Given the high resistance of insulation, very little current should actually leak. But, if the insulation is old or damaged, the resistance is lower and substantial current may flow. Additionally, longer conductors have a higher capacitance, causing more leakage current. That’s why GFCI breaker manufacturers recommend one-way feeder length to be limited to 250 feet (76.2 m), maximum.

Electronic equipment, meanwhile, contains filters designed to protect against voltage surges and other disruptions. These filters typically have capacitors on the input, which adds to the overall capacitance of the wiring system and the overall level of leakage current.

Find out more about leakage current basics, how to minimize the effects of leakage current, and the measurement of leakage current to ground in our application note "Leakage current measurement basics."

©2019 Fluke Corporation. Specifications subject to change without notice. 6005812

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©1995 - 2019 Fluke Corporation
    • Products
      • Accessories
        • See all
      • Building infrastructure
        • HVAC tools
        • Industrial Ethernet tools
        • Indoor air quality testing
        • Laser distance meters
        • Laser levels
        • Network cable testers
      • Calibration tools
        • Fluke Calibration
        • mA loop calibrators
        • Multifunction calibrators
        • Pressure calibrators
        • Temperature calibrators
      • Condition monitoring
        • Power monitoring
        • Vibration monitoring
      • Electrical tools
        • Basic electrical testers
        • Battery analyzers
        • Clamp meters
        • Digital multimeters
        • Earth ground
        • Installation testers
        • Insulation testers
        • Insulated tools
        • Portable oscilloscopes
        • Power quality
      • Fluke software
        • eMaint CMMS
        • Fluke Connect
        • Fluke Calibration software
        • Fluke SmartView
        • Fluke Networks software
      • Industrial imaging
        • See all
      • Intrinsically safe
        • See all
      • Mechanical maintenance
        • Laser alignment
        • Vibration analysis
      • Temperature measurement
        • Contact thermometers
        • IR thermometers
      • Thermal imaging
        • IR windows
        • Thermal cameras
        • Visual IR thermometers
      • Awards
      • New Fluke products
      • Test tools product guide
    • Learn
      • Best practices
        • Custody transfer
        • Electrical inspection
        • Equipment and production line testing
        • Fluid systems
        • Measurement basics
        • Motors and drives
        • Pressure calibration
        • Preventive maintenance
        • Safety
        • Temperature calibration
        • Test tools basics
      • Blog
      • Fluke education partnership program
      • Leak detector
      • Library
      • Online courses
      • Tools and calculators
        • Air leakage calculator
        • FOV calculator
      • Webinars
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      • See more Fluke brands
        • Accelix
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        • Comark
        • Emaint CMMS
        • Landauer
        • Pacific Laser Systems
        • Pomona
        • Pruftechnik
        • RaySafe
        • Schad