Difference between MCB, MCCB, RCCB, ELCB

MCB, MCCB, RCCB, and ELCB are circuit breakers but all of them are designed for serving a specific purpose. Before knowing about the difference among all, let’s get to know about them a little bit.

Understanding MCB, MCCB, ELCB, and RCCB

Electrical systems are the backbone of modern life, powering everything from lights to electrical appliances in our homes and industries. It powers everything from our morning coffee to the entertainment that winds down our evenings. But have you ever paused to consider what’s actually keeping us safe within all those wires? In this blog, we’re going to discuss about four common types of circuit breakers you might find in your electrical panel: the MCB, the MCCB the ELCB, and the RCCB.

What is MCB

MCB Stands for Miniature Circuit Breaker. It automatically switches OFF electrical circuit during any abnormal condition in the electrical network such as overload & short circuit conditions. However, fuse may sense these conditions but it has to be replaced though MCB can be reset. The MCB is an electromechanical device which guards the electric wires &electrical load from overcurrent so as to avoid any kind of fire or electrical hazards. Handling MCB is quite safer and it quickly restores the supply.

MCB: Circuits safeguard against Overload & Short circuit

An electrical safety device called a miniature circuit breaker (MCB) protect against overload & short circuit damage to circuits. When a circuit’s current surpasses a safe threshold, MCBs are made to automatically cut off the power. Electrical installations in homes, businesses, and industries frequently use them.

An overload occurs when the electrical current flowing through a circuit exceeds its designed capacity. It comes when we use too many appliances at once or if there is a sudden change in voltages. Overloading causes fires in a circuit or damage the appliances.

Short circuit can be defined as a low resistance connection between two points in an electrical circuit which results in large amount of current flowing through the short circuit path.

Short circuit creates a zero-resistance path which due to which large amount of current can easily flow in circuit which causes serious damage to your electrical stuff and can also start fires.

So, the bottom line is, MCBs are there to protect your home’s electrical wiring and your precious appliances from getting fried by too much electricity, whether it is an overload or a sudden short circuit.

What is MCCB

MCCB is Molded Case Circuit Breaker. It is another type of electrical protection device which is used when load current exceeds the limit of a miniature circuit breaker. The MCCB provides protection against overload, short circuit faults and is also used for switching the circuits. It can be used for higher current rating and fault level even in domestic applications.

Difference between MCB and MCCB

S.No	MCB	MCCB
1	It stands for Miniature Circuit Breaker.	It stands for Molded Case Circuit Breaker.
2	Rated current not more than 125 Ampere.	Rated Current up to 1600A
3	Its interrupting current rating is under 10KA	Their interrupting current ranges from around 10KA -85KA
4	Judging from their power capacities, MCB is mainly used for low Breaking capacity requirement mainly domestic.	MCCB is mainly used for both low and high Breaking capacity requirements mainly industrial.
5	Its trip characteristics are normally not adjustable since they basically cater to low circuits.	Its trip current may be fixed as well as adjustable for overload and magnetic setting.

ELCB: Leak detector

The Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker, or ELCB. This one has a very specific mission – to stop you from getting an electric shock by sensing if electricity is leaking out where it shouldn’t be, like to the ground. This kind of leak, called an earth fault, can happen if a live wire accidentally touches the earth or a metal part of an appliance that’s supposed to be grounded. 4Think of the electricity in your home as water flowing through pipes. Normally, the water goes in through one pipe (the live wire) and comes back through another (the neutral wire). An ELCB is like a meter watching both of these pipes. If some of the water suddenly starts escaping somewhere else (to the earth), that means the amount of water going in isn’t the same as the amount coming back. The ELCB is designed to notice this difference. If the leak gets too big, it will trip, which is like slamming shut the main water valve, stopping the electricity from flowing.

The big deal about ELCBs is that they can prevent you from getting a nasty, potentially fatal electric shock. If you accidentally touched an appliance with an earth fault, the electricity might try to travel through you to get to the ground. The ELCB, by detecting that leak, would quickly cut off the power, making it much less likely you’d get a serious shock.

Now, ELCBs aren’t perfect. They usually rely on having a good connection to the earth to do their job properly. If that earth connection isn’t so great, or if the leaking electricity doesn’t go through the earth wire in a way the ELCB can easily see (for example, if you touched a live wire and the earth at the same time without a big current imbalance in the main circuit), the ELCB might not always trip. This limitation is why they came up with a more sensitive and dependable way to detect these kinds of leaks.

What is RCCB

RCCB is Residual Current Circuit Breaker. This residual current device is basically an electrical wiring device that disconnects the circuit whenever there is leakage of current flow through the Human body or the current is not balanced between the phaseconductor. It is the safest device to detect and trip against electrical leakage currents, thus ensure protection against electric shock caused by direct contacts. RCCB is generally used in series with an MCB which protects them from over current and short circuit current.

What is ELCB

ELCB stands for Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker. They have the same function as RCCB but are voltage sensor devise. However, this is an old technology & is not in common use. RCCB being a current sensitive device have a better advantage over ELCB as under:

RCCB: A sensitive Protector

This leads us to the Residual Current Circuit Breaker, or RCCB. You might also hear it called an RCD. Think of the RCCB as a much more advanced and sensitive version of the ELCB, offering even better protection against electric shock.

Just like the ELCB, the RCCB keeps an eye on the electricity flowing in the live and neutral wires. But the RCCB is way more sensitive. It’s designed to spot even tiny differences in the current, often as small as just a tiny trickle. If the RCCB detects this tiny imbalance, which means electricity is leaking to the earth, it will trip almost instantly, usually faster than you can even blink.

Because it’s so sensitive, an RCCB can protect you in a wider range of situations compared to an ELCB. Unlike ELCBs, RCCBs don’t need a perfect earth connection to work. They can even detect if you directly touch a live wire. The tiny bit of current that flows through your body to the earth will create that tiny imbalance that the RCCB notices, causing it to trip and saving you from a potentially serious shock.

Because they react so fast and are so sensitive, RCCBs are super important in places where there’s a higher chance of electric shock, like bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoor areas. They give you a much better safety net.

Difference between RCCB and ELCB

S.No	RCCB	ELCB
1.	RCCB refers to ear stands for Residual Current Circuit Breaker.	ELCB stands for Electric Leakage Circuit Breaker.
2.	It is a new name and refers to current operated devices.	ELCB refers to voltage operated earth leakage device.
3	It ensures 100% detection of leakage current& is available to sense the AC as well as DC leakage current.	It is not preferable as it can only detect current that flow back through the main earth wire.
4	RCCB has no connection with the earth wire and that’s why it can trip when both currents (phase and neutral) are different and it withstands up to both the currents are same.	ELCB is working based on Earth leakage current. These devices measured the voltage on the earth conductor; if this voltage was not zero this indicated a current leakage to earth.

MCB vs ELCB vs RCCB

Let’s differentiate between MCB, ELCB, RCCB. MCBs are your go-to for protecting your electrical system and appliances from damage caused by too much current (overloads and short circuits). ELCBs are an older type that tries to protect you from electric shock by looking for imbalances in the main electrical flow that signal a leak to the ground. RCCBs are the upgraded version, much more sensitive to even tiny leaks to the earth, and they don’t need a perfect earth connection to do their job.

The major difference is what they’re watching out for and how sensitive they are. MCBs react to big surges of current that could fry your wiring or appliances, while ELCBs and RCCBs are focused on spotting those smaller leaks that could harm people. But RCCBs are the champions of sensitivity when it comes to detecting these dangerous leaks.

We majorly find MCBs on different circuits all over our house. RCCBs are becoming the standard and are often required by safety rules, especially for outlets and in those riskier areas like kitchens and bathrooms. ELCBs are a bit outdated now, and while you might see them in older homes, RCCBs are generally the preferred choice for new installations because they offer better protection.

Quick Comparison

Feature	MCB	ELCB	RCCB
What it protects against	Too much current, short circuits	Leaks to the ground (imbalance in main current)	Even tiny leaks to the ground
Sensitivity	Needs a high amount of extra current to trip	Needs a noticeable leak (e.g., 30mA or more)	Can trip with very small leaks (e.g., 10mA, 30mA)
Main job	Protect wiring and appliances	Help prevent electric shock from ground faults (older tech)	Best protection against electric shock
Needs a good earth connection?	No	yes	No

Why You Require ELCB, MCB, RCCB?

Having these safety devices in your home isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s absolutely important for keeping your home and your family safe. MCBs are lifesavers when it comes to preventing electrical faults like overload & short circuit. ELCBs, and RCCBs, are all about protecting you from getting a electric shock. Electric shock can cause serious injuries, and these devices react superfast to cut the power when something goes wrong, & reducing the risk of harm. A lot of electric shock accidents could be prevented if RCCBs were properly installed and working.

C&S Offering

At C&S Electric we offers a wide range of MCBs & RCCBs to safeguard your home & electrical appliances.

MCBs are available in single pole & multipole in range of 0.5A to 125A. Available for both AC & DC application up to a certain range of voltages.

RCCBs are offered in 2 Pole & 4Pole version from 10A to 100A with current sensitivity of 30 mA ,100 mA,300 mA

Conclusion

Now at a glance with what MCBs, ELCBs, and RCCBs do and how they’re different is a really important step in making sure your home’s electrical system is safe. MCBs are your first safety guard against overloads and short circuits, protecting your wiring and appliances. ELCBs are an older way to protect against ground leakage, while RCCBs are the more modern, sensitive, and reliable way to protect against electric shock.