How to complete a COC/test report

[Isetech]

I didnt get back to this site today, ended up north of the river river. I have another challenge, where to install my 3 lithium batteries, in a complex.

[Isetech]

It time to stop wasting valuable time worrying about all this crap, I have decided to just fill out the forms, collect my money move on, I know the values are required, I will make it look real and rather focus on the new project starting Monday.

Enjoy your long weekend people, lets go make some money.

[Isetech]

By the way the lithium batteries will be installed where I think would be the best place, on wheels so that if anyone does try make a noise about the position, I will just say it is temporary location for now. If someone can prove the location is not safe, then we wheel them to a safer location

Yes there will only be 1 DC switch disconnector for all 3 batteries.

[Derlyn]

Back to the lights.

The definition of a fixed appliance describes a luminaire to the tee, so I was wrong. Luminaires are fixed appliances, however; they are exempted by 6.16.1.2 from having to have an isolator on their supply unless a fan or heater is incorporated in the unit. They must have an isolator unless their supply is on earth leakage.

This regulation, I believe, is unique to luminaires.

The example that Isetech quoted of floodlights plugged in, is not compliant because the lead exceeds 3 meters. That supply needs to be connected directly to the lights circuit and the supply to the floodlights will be included in the coc. The floodlight is excluded as is the case with all other fixed appliances.

Had the lead length not exceeded 3 meters and they were plugged into a socket outlet, then both the lead and the luminaire would have been excluded from the coc as they would be beyond the point of consumption.

Dave, you are correct as far as luminaires being fixed appliances is concerned.

[Isetech]

I believe the biggest problem in the industry is not the regulations, it the fact that most electricians dont have a clue as to how the regulations came about.

If they understand the reason it was created in the first place, it would make enforcing them a lot easier.

Too many clueless cut and paste specialists, who dont understand the reason for the reg, should step back, make sure they understand why the reg was added to the SANS book, before they just cut and paste some random reg for SANS.

[Isetech]

A little history lesson, Prepaid DB's were introduced many many years ago, I think it was about the same time twin+E became the next best thing since sliced bread.

That was about the same time this problem with plug and play became a problem.

A few people with a little influence in the regs who made an absolute fortune, needed a way to sell their product.

The idea was to make it affordable to power up a SMALL dwelling house, so we installed prepaid meters with a light on top and 3 built in socket outlets.

The customer could then take and extension cord and throw it across the room and plug the TV or light into the extension cord.

It is not for people to wire up an entire house and secure the socket outlets and light fittings to the wall, then plug it into a socket outlet.

We just do it because it is a way to get around doing the job the way it is suppose to be done and use then use the reg to make it "legal"

I have a job I am doing this week, I am going to pull a 2.5 mm cabtyre in to the pipe under ground and fit a plug top on one side and a socket outlet on the other side and not secure it to the wall, which will make it legal right ?

[Isetech]

Does anyone know how the 5 amp plug, 3 m cable fixed appliances and luminaries came about ?

Does it even apply to domestic installations, it would be a good idea to do a little research and find out more about how it was introduced into the SANS book.

How many 5 amp plugs with 3 m cords do you see in domestic installations, other than were some of us use it for extractor fans in bathrooms?

What I see it the industry on social media platforms, etc, are many people with little experience and what looks like they past the exams by just using the exam paper to get the certificate.

I might be wrong, but its what it looks like.

[Leonsparky]

Comments or parts no covered by the COC, another interesting part.
All the security lights are plugged into a socket outlet and wired with 1.5 mm cabtyre in conduits.
Would these security lights be excluded ? Let us know your thoughts because this ha caused a few disagreements in the past. The way I see it, as soon as you secure or bury any equipment it becomes a fixture.
If you sell the house for example, the lights cannot be removed, so now they must be included in the COC ?

You cannot just exclude something because you feel like it. You also cannot supply a light fitting from a socket that is not a SANS 164-4 socket and within 3m of the socket. This is still part of the CoC and part of a circuit. Your point of consumption is your luminaires terminal.

[Leonsparky]

2) Lights on plugs. I see it that the wiring to the lights are not included as the coc covers only up to the point of consumption ( socket outlet ).
The fact that the lights are a fixture is neither here nor there. If they were on a switch or wired through an isolator or day / night switch then the wiring
up to the actual fitting will be included in the coc.

If it is secured, it is a fitting part of the installation. if you deem that everything is not part of the coc if you plug it out, you can wire the entire installation and put a plug in as a main switch then the entire property is excluded? fortunately it does not work like this.

[Leonsparky]

You cannot just exclude something because you feel like it. You also cannot supply a light fitting from a socket that is not a SANS 164-4 socket and within 3m of the socket. This is still part of the CoC and part of a circuit. Your point of consumption is your luminaires terminal.

sorry, meant 164-2