Hi all, I need some expert advice on the new relocatable premises standard.
The extension board would be fully contained within an approved weather proof distrubution box with a RCD and 15 amp breaker.
Any help would be really appreciated.
Jaybee,
In NZ it is legal to plug a 10 amp extension board into a 15a socket as long as it has a 15a plug on it ( I am not sure if a 15a plug to 10a socket is legal )
A 10a plug to 15a socket is 100% illegal.
You might like to check with you local power authority but in my experience they are as useless as tit's on a bull.
Regards
John
As much as I know, (Not much) You can't fit a 15amp plug in a 10amp socket as the earth 'prong' is too fat. knowing that I would not push a 10Amp plug in a
15amp Socket as the earth 'prong' would not make contact so there would be some safety issues.So I would think carefully about what you are doing from the safety point of view. Put a current sensing circuit breaker inline. So at least there is some protection afforded. (RCD type.)
Mitchell..
There is no restriction on inserting a 10A plug into a 15A socket. The socket is made to accept either a 10A plug or a 15A one.
As long as the extension cordage meets the minimum requirements for use with a 10A plug and socket then it can safely be used when plugged into a 15A socket. The fact that your cable is rated for use with a
15A plug and socket means it will well and truly meet the minimum requirement when used with 10A connectors at either end."Jaybee" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
Sounds dodgy to me. This would be a fire hazard in most standards I have seen because the wire size of 10 amp wire is smaller and may not be guaranteed to blow a fuse/breaker in the event of a fault. The fact that the "extension board" has a thermal breaker may not mean much... it may not be tested by an eccredited body etc. Now, Australias elec product safety laws are lax and maybe this is not explicitly illegal, I don't know. But if you have a fire and the insurance inspector sees the setup, the insurance company may choose to not pay up.
Further to my response it dawned on me that the OP referred to "re-locatable premises". This might imply that he is somehow involved in building construction or demolition etc. There are more stringent requirements for industrial circumstances and I would refer him to some web pages
While these are not detailed (you must pay to get the standards)they point out that you can't use an extension cord longer than 15M for re-locatable premises.
Also, with regard to extension leads. You can buy off the shelf industrial leads made with 15A heavy duty cordage fitted with 10A plug and socket in 20, 30 and 35M lengths. This means that point no. 2 is answered by saying it is definitely legal, at least for general public usage. It may not be legal where re-locatable premises are involved due to the 15M limit on extension cords.
AIUI the 15A plug had a wider (but not thicker) earth prong.
plugging a 10A plug into a 15A socket is harmless as the earth contacts in the socket wil make sufficient contact with the flats of the pin
If it was risky they'd have made it so that it didn't fit.
going the other way is risky,
Bye. Jasen
John,
The legality will depend on the State you use the device, and legality aside, if the device became unsafe and caused a fire or injury it could become an issue of negligence. My opinions are based on "is it wise to do...." rather than "is it legal..."
Yes, in normal circumstances it is safe to do so.
No, it is not safe to use an under-rated plug/board as a component of the feed to the caravan unless you know the maximum load drawn by the van. If you know the load and it is always less than 10A RMS then it should be protected by the over-load device in the power board. This assumes the lead lengths are the same as supplied out-of-the-package and you haven't extended them.
Unless you have only low consumption appliances then stick to 15A throughout just to be sure. A domestic kettle, heater, large toaster, etc. can individually draw up to 2000W (thats over 8A). So running any two (ignoring other loads) could give problems.
A note about power boards. Be aware that many brands/types of thermal breakers fitted to power boards will not operate until the load is greater than 130% of the rating of the breaker, At up to 160% of the rating the operating time can be quite long. If the breaker doesn't trip it does NOT mean the load is OK - measure it. I have seen many power boards that are very marginal with regard to their ability to withstand over-loads that are within the uncertain part of the breakers trip-time curve. So running 13A out of a 10A power board may be possible but definitely not safe (even though it is supposed to be).
I guess you mean the point of supply is 15A rated and in a weather and RCD protected switch board/box - and you are placing your extension board in the same box.
Geoff, I guess you live in the United Slack Americas where anyone can do any thing and the wiring standards are abysmal.
No electrical work is permitted by unlicensed workers in Australia and the rules are very uniform and work very well. We can all have 3 phase if we want it and the dodgy neutral problems of the USA don't exist because domestic installations use one phase and the neutral and not a funny floating 240 volts with a maybe centre tap like the antiquated Edison system.
-- John G Wot's Your Real Problem?
What the OP wanted to do did not require a license as it is not fixed wiring. There is no license required to buy and assemble your own extension lead from approved components (plug/socket/cord). Likewise butchering pre-assembled extension leads is not prohibited, although it may be dum in some instances.
The rules are far from uniform depending on what you want to do, whereabouts you want to do it and what state you are in at the time. However I agree it is better than many places overseas, although it is over-restrictive in some aspects.
the
It is intended to fit.
Which is why it is intended they do not fit this way around.
I think you will find messing with leads is not permitted by the rules but is often done.
And having a 15 amp socket on a lead with a 10 amp plug as suggested by the OP is certainly illegal.
-- John G Wot's Your Real Problem?
"John G" wrote in news:4446095c$0$16683 $ snipped-for-privacy@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au:
the
No, live in Australia and I made no comment on wiring systems laws, only PRODUCT safety where we have no real system to speak of such as UL, CSA, VDE etc.
extension
Wrong!
To assemble your own extension lead you MUST have at least Restricted Electrical License. This is LAW!
and
State laws vary. The above is correct for Qld and Vic, but is not the case in NSW. I do not know the regulations for the other ststes.
-- Regards, Chas. (To email me replace 'xxx' with tango papa golf)
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