Non compliant installation

[Tradie]

I got called into a meeting today, to point out that one of the projects that I worked on 8 years ago, had a few non compliant items:

1/ 2 of the circuit breaker busbar pins where not insulated, when you removed the DB cover, the top had the plastic cover, however the busbar was left a little longer for future expansion and I hadnt covered the 2 pins.

2/ The other was the 3 X 1.5 mm wires in the 10 amp mcb.

3/ High neutral earth voltage of 1.2 VAC, Last I checked it was something like 25 VAC was considered high and 50 VAC would result in an immediate disconnection of the supply, but I am sure someone will correct me.


I believe if you going to make a noise about other peoples jobs, it is fair that people point out if I have done something wrong

I will go back and slide a piece of heat shrink over the 2 exposed pins.

The 3 wires in the 10 amp breaker, considering the full load of all the light is around 80 watts, I am not sure that I am going to waste the customers money installing 2 additional 10 amp breakers, they will have to report me to the chief inspector, maybe the regs have changed in the latest SANS release.

The high neutral earth voltage, I will wait and see, I am sure someone will correct me.

I was going to point out all the non compliant components and the fact that you need a supplementary COC and a test report for the grid and a test report for the inverter when it switches over into islanding mode, and an SSEG test for the inverter and batteries even if there is no solar.

But hey I am not responsible for that part of the installation, they have issued a COC/test report for the installation.

what makes it even more interesting is the fact that, the inverter and batteires have been replaced and upgraded, which makes everything, including the the existing, non essential, essential and the AC control and the DC disconnect all becomes part of the most recent COC issued.

For all you lads signing off CBI DB's with bare busbars on top of the breakers, you are knuckle spanking for issuing non compliant COC's, best you start using the din busbars on top of the breaker and make sure you fit the heat shrink.

[GCE]

1/ 2 of the circuit breaker busbar pins where not insulated, when you removed the DB cover, the top had the plastic cover, however the busbar was left a little longer for future expansion and I hadnt covered the 2 pins.
For all you lads signing off CBI DB's with bare busbars on top of the breakers, you are knuckle spanking for issuing non compliant COC's, best you start using the din busbars on top of the breaker and make sure you fit the heat shrink.

What regulations stipulates that

2/ The other was the 3 X 1.5 mm wires in the 10 amp mcb.

SANS 10142Ed3.2
6.1.5 A maximum of three conductors may be connected to any one terminal
provided that the terminal has the correct rating.

3/ High neutral earth voltage of 1.2 VAC, Last I checked it was something like 25 VAC was considered high and 50 VAC would result in an immediate disconnection of the supply, but I am sure someone will correct me.

SANS 10142 Ed3.2
8.6.6 Elevated voltage on supply neutral
With the main switch off, measure the voltage between the supply neutral and
any earth external to the installation. Notify the supplier if the reading exceeds
25 V.
NOTE Where practical an auxiliary earth spike or similar can be driven into wet ground
to do the reference measurement. Amdt 2
Disconnect the installation and notify the supplier (see annex H) if the reading
exceeds 50 V.

I believe if you going to make a noise about other peoples jobs, it is fair that people point out if I have done something wrong

I will go back and slide a piece of heat shrink over the 2 exposed pins.

I wouldn't even waste my time - After 8 years and that is all they thumb sucked then I don't think they even have a copy of SANS

[Tradie]

What did we learn from this interaction, if you going to point out non compliant components on a project done by somebody else.

I would suggest you first get your ducks in a row.

makes sure you understand the SANS regulations and what you are liable for as the person signing the COC,

make sure you are the registered person for the company which did the inverter installation, the name on the inverter and the name on the COC is same, I am sure this has been mentioned a few times on this forum,

issue only a supplementary COC/test report for the grid portion of the installation and not attach the test report for islanding mode and battery info,

exclude the supply to the inverter, especially if it was upgraded to a higher kw rating,

tick calculated the PSCC, and write value that sounds like a standard value,

Fill out the loop impedance test results that look made up, and high unlikely in the application where the inverter is installed,

fill in a measured value in section 2 and not the rated earth leakage tripping current,

If you tick supplementary, you have to add the number of the initial COC.

There is a bunch of other stuff but, I am sure you get the idea.

The biggest thing to take from this thread, is that people need to understand that the regulations are guidelines and YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU NEED TO FIT THE LIGHT OR AUDIBLE DEVICE IN THE ESSENTIAL DB, until we get this right you going to get people copying and pasting bits of the regs on social media groups without a clue of why the regulations was added to the SANS book.

I am not here to name and shame, but very concerned about the state of this industry, considering that person this is an IE, who should have a pretty good understanding of the SANS regulations and enough experience.

What do we take from this thread, we need more mentors in this industry, people like some on this forum, need to step back and go back into the work space and mentor the younger lads, share their experience to help improve the state of this industry. Training centre will teach you the basics, but the real knowledge comes form years of working in the industry.

Maybe we need to start a go fund me, to cover costs for the older guys to go onto site and work.

Maybe what we should do is find a way to put a reg then ask why the reg is in the SANS book.

[Dave A]

2/ The other was the 3 X 1.5 mm wires in the 10 amp mcb.

Our experience is that many of the cookie cutter solar installers haven't really looked at what it is going to take to split circuits between essential and non-essential parts of the installation at time of quote. They have sold a package deal that assumes the split is going to be trivial.

When it comes to time to actually doing it and they are suddenly confronted with a much larger task than budgeted for, the BS starts.

Reading the list of "faults" in the OP, one has to wonder about the competency of the person doing the install

[Tradie]

You hit the nail on the head, it starts with the person doing the installation, and the person signing off the project. When you see a name on the inverter and the name of the COC, when it is not the same, it means the installation was done by solar installer (which by the way could be anything from a gate installer to an IT person to a panel beater etc etc etc)

It is not like you need to be a green card holder to figure out an installation is not compliant, you just look at the name advertised on the inverter and the name of the company, the registered person is using for their DOL registration.

If ABC solar did the installation and advertise their company on the inverter and ABC projects signed the COC, I dont know that it could be any easier for you to figure it out ?

The problem is not the people trying to put food on the table (it sort of is) , but more the system regulating the industry that seems to be the problem. It also makes you wonder about the training and qualification standards.

I read and hear about regulations disputed on social groups, legal action, its all just jibba jabba.

Reading the list of "faults" in the OP, one has to wonder about the competency of the person doing the install

[Tradie]

The big question, what is the industry going to do about, who has the qualification and skills to tackle this challenge, this could explain why we have never heard of a conviction in a court case, a lot threats by certain individuals, but other than that, let us know if you are aware any, I have been doing this for a few decades and yet to hear of one.

We all know what motivates action, insurance, clearly the industry hasn't hit rock bottom yet, where electrical installations are bursting into flames, resulting massive claims.

Something that has improved recently, in our part of the country, more companies being audited for safety, just had another request for a test report, when they dont already have a COC even though they have been operating in the same location for years.

It looks like the clipboard patrol will get to you sooner than later, if you haven't already had a visit.