Which device is recommended for motor starting protection?

• A. Circuit Breakers
• B. Slow-Blow Fuses
• C. GFCI
• D. Time-Delay Relay

Answer: (B)

When a motor starts, it pulls a large inrush current that can be many times the running current. The protective device needs to tolerate that brief surge without tripping, while still protecting the circuit from a sustained fault. Slow-blow (time-delay) fuses are designed to allow short overloads like motor inrush and only open if the overcurrent lasts long enough, providing reliable motor starting protection.

Other options don’t fit as well for this purpose: a GFCI protects against ground faults, not motor current surges; a time-delay relay is a control device used to sequence or delay operations rather than provide overcurrent protection; a circuit breaker can handle inrush only if sized appropriately, but it’s not as specifically suited to tolerate motor startup surges as a slow-blow fuse.