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The revision will include diagrams
to show how the boundaries can be
determined, and many other details have
been clarified. At this stage the revision
has been agreed and will soon be issued
for public comment, with a view to a
possible mid-2017 publishing date.
You may ask what the burning
issues are at present, and I can
tell you that the revision of the DC
isolators Standard, AS/NZS 60947-3,
is just cranking up. Details of the new
requirements have been tentatively
agreed but the committees involved
need to put the right words together.
Faulty DC isolators in photovoltaic
systems are still causing fires. A
few brands have been blacklisted,
as they exhibit dubious quality and
performance. Check with state
regulators for the details.
This Standard is an adoption of an
international one, but state regulators
are keen for the committees involved
(a joint working group of the
switchgear and PV Standards) to add
extra requirements for performance
and testing.
For example, the test for checking
operating temperature will have
to be done at an elevated ambient
temperature to simulate the effects of
the harsh Australian environment.
As for weather ratings, there will
be a new one that most of us know as
‘hose proof’. However, there’s a small
difference in that it will not allow any
moisture ingress into the enclosure.
Typically, the assembly of the switch
and its enclosure will have to pass this
stringent requirement.
The days will be gone when you
could buy a DC isolator and a separate
enclosure then put them together.
That’s fair enough, considering water
ingress is the biggest culprit when it
comes to fires.
This revision is urgent and will
be used to assess any DC isolator
assemblies sold in our market. It
should be ready for publishing in the
first half of 2017.
Now as we all know where there
is fire there is smoke (I know, it’s the
other way round). Smoke detectors
have been in the news, what with a
Federal Government inquiry into the
effectiveness of the good old smokie.
That inquiry went into abeyance
during the last election, but the
Queensland Government version, has
kept chugging along.
There is now a discussion paper on
the findings of the federal inquiry. In
general, it supports the installation
of the photoelectric type of smoke
detector in all installations but still
supports the use of the ionisation type
as a secondary measure.
It seems that findings from the
Queensland inquiry have been
handed down. They are much more
to the point, as state legislation has
been implemented.
Photoelectric smoke detectors –
hard wired or with a 10-year lithium
battery – are required in all bedrooms
and hallways of a dwelling. This means
they should also be interconnected.
New dwellings or substantial
renovations will have to comply after
1 January 2017, and there’s a five-year
window for compliance on premises
sold or leased. Government-owned
housing must comply within five
years, and after 10 years all domestic
dwellings must comply.
Sparkies in Queensland had better
brush up on this legislation to ensure
compliance. The move also offers
opportunities in regard to the five-
year change-over to photoelectric.
It wouldn’t be surprising if this
change makes its way into other states.
The Northern Territory has been
photoelectric only for quite a few years.
The Federal Government is also
carrying out special studies into LED
Lighting and its use with dimmers. This
is in relation to the Minimum Energy
Performance Standards (MEPS) for
the operation and testing of all LED
lighting and control units, dimmers and
power supplies.
Most sparkies will be aware of the
issues when replacing MR16 halogen
downlight lamps with LED units.
Invariably it all goes pear shaped, as
the power supply electronics are not
compatible with those in the LED lamps.
It can be a costly exercise when the
home owner finds this out the hard way.
The government department in charge
of producing these Standards is doing a
lot of research into compatibility.
Speaking of compatibility, there is
also an issue with dimmers and LED
lighting. Too many times the home
owner is confronted by flickering
downlights as a result of incompatible
dimmers and LEDs. Research continues
into this as well.
Reputable lamp or luminaire
suppliers always provide the necessary
information on product compatibility,
so it is most important to use reputable
products, not the cheap stuff that
seems to be everywhere.
The aim of the government
department is to make the change-
over and ongoing maintenance of
LED lamps, luminaires, dimmers and
power supplies as easy as possible for
sparkies and home owners by setting
out consistent minimum performance
requirements for all products.
The aim is to publish the revised Wiring Rules by
mid-2017.
BY
GARY
BUSBRIDGE