I use a ground fault leak current limit protector for my application. Recently that I pick up a leak current 144mA from it. Do you think it is safe to set the limit as 200 mA. Is it safe for human and machine? Is there any rule of thumb for the leak current limit set point?

Thanks of the help.

Winston

 

No, 200 ma. is too high. See this OSHA site:

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/construction/electrical_incidents/eleccurrent.html

It says that 50 ma. can cause death.

Robert Scott
Real-Time Specialties
Embedded Systems Consulting

 

Not good at all and most likely LETHAL if encountered directly. References are below from an expert witness(MSEE), a curious PHD Chemee, and others.

Expert says:
http://www.ljkamm.com/shock.htm

Chemee says:
There was general agreement that a 60 Hz current of about 10 mA or more will paralyze the muscles and prohibit a person from letting go. And likewise, 60 Hz currents in the 10-20 mA region can prevent breathing. This means a person receiving a hand-to-hand shock of 10-20 mA cannot let go, and if assistance is not available, the person can die from suffocation. I am sure this happens because I have become aware over the years of several electrocution tragedies in my corner of Ohio in which the person suffocated because they could not let go. Had assistance been available to turn off the current, they probably would have survived.
http://mailer.uwf.edu/listserv/wa.exe?A2=ind0208&L=chemed-l&P=44836

Construction guy says:
But when that difference exceeds 5 milliamps, an indication that a ground fault may be occurring, the GFCI shuts off the flow in an instant — as little as .025 second.
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/electrical/article/0,16417,249536,00.html

Government says:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/99.html

JC