Can someone please tell me what sort of unit this image is.

[SJB060685]

Can one of you kind electricians explain to me what the unit in the image is and the function of the two buttons please.

 

[DPG]

That looks like an RCD equipped fused connection unit. This gives protection against earth faults where the circuit itself doesn't already have such protection.

The test button should operated every so often to prove the unit is working. See sticker above.

 

[telectrix]

what he said^^^^^. 2 buttons are test and reset.

 

[davesparks]

As DPG has said its an RCD fused spur.

The RCD trips if it detects the types of faults which could be a person receiving an electric shock. This doesn't mean it only trips when a person receives a shock, other things will cause the same current flow that causes the RCD to trip such as dampness or damage to a cable.

The two buttons are test and reset, usually marked T and R.
The test button is used to test that the tripping mechanism is working, this causes the RCD to trip and switch off the power going out of the unit.
The reset button will reset the trip (switch the output back on) after it has operated either due to the test button or a real fault.

As per the label which is falling off these should be tested using the test button every 6 months (the label may say 3 months as this only changed to 6 months recently)

 

[SJB060685]

Thanks for the responses guys. I understand what it is now.

 

[telectrix]

Thanks for the responses guys. I understand what it is now.

and thank you for the feedback. some posters never bother.

 

[SJB060685]

I'm actually an oil appliance engineer by trade and often found on the plumbers forum, so I know how much feedback is appreciated. My thoughts were it was a unit mentioned above but wasn't 100%