Page 1 of 11 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 106

Thread: Installation of 220V downlights

  1. #1
    New Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape town
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Installation of 220V downlights

    Hello

    Does anybody know whether there is anything wrong with the following picture?? Or is the wiring correct. It has been declined for a COC.

    Thanks

    Hans
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	DOWNLIGHT WIRING.JPG 
Views:	14918 
Size:	50.4 KB 
ID:	1872  
    Last edited by Dave A; 09-Feb-11 at 11:29 AM.

  2. #2
    Email problem
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    20
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    Hi Oblivious,this is what is called exposed wiring.You can either put the connections in a joint box or use 5A Socket Outlets.Can't really see the wire size,but you should be safe with 1,5mm on 220V downlighters provided your distance is not very long.

  3. #3
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    4,923
    Thanks
    576
    Thanked 934 Times in 755 Posts
    Hi Oblivious and welcome to TFSA.

    You'll probably get more attention if you start a new thread in future.
    The picture clearly shows PVC insulated cables that are closer than 100mm to the 50w halogen dichroic lamp and directly above it. This is contrary to the 0142 regs and would be sufficient for it to fail a COC inspection. You could workaround this if LED lamps were in the fittings (or even CFL), however, the exposed wiring as already suggested could also be the cause for it not passing muster.
    The cable sizes and the actual terminations look fine to me.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

  4. #4
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts
    andy i do believe if the 100 mm clause had to be enforced correctly i could safely say 90 % of downlights in durban would be illegal....and a huge majoity of COC issued would have to be withdrawn.


    i believe the only problem with that light is the cover missing...so long as the standard test finger cannot touch any live wires...

    i believe there should have been a junction box with one wire feeding the light and with heat resistant wire or sleeved with asbestos tape...but unfortunately the reality that would be regarded as over doing it.

  5. #5
    New Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape town
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    HI. Thanks all for your valuable input. I will inform you later of the outcome. Great week to you.

    Oblivious

  6. #6
    New Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape town
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Another question, if I may..... I assume this is very stupid. Can I not tape it shut with some sort of special tape? I see murdock mentions something about tape. Chaw

  7. #7
    Gold Member Sparks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Port Elizabeth
    Posts
    890
    Thanks
    20
    Thanked 127 Times in 96 Posts
    Hi, you hit the nail on the head Andy. The exposed conductors are a small issue here because they cannot be made contact with during the normal use of the lights. The main reason would be the lack of heat resistant wire on the fitting. I must ask here though, is it 100mm or 200mm?

  8. #8
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,648
    Thanks
    3,304
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12
    May I draw attention to the two lines of surfex flat twin & earth in the picture... There's more going on than just a light connection point here.

  9. #9
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    4,923
    Thanks
    576
    Thanked 934 Times in 755 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by murdock View Post
    andy i do believe if the 100 mm clause had to be enforced correctly i could safely say 90 % of downlights in durban would be illegal....and a huge majoity of COC issued would have to be withdrawn.
    i believe the only problem with that light is the cover missing...so long as the standard test finger cannot touch any live wires...

    i believe there should have been a junction box with one wire feeding the light and with heat resistant wire or sleeved with asbestos tape...but unfortunately the reality that would be regarded as over doing it.
    Well I disagree one one point you make but agree with another. I think the 100mm clause (which might turn out to be a 200mm clause) is important. The operating temperature of these lamps is ridiculously high and can deteriorate the pvc insulation very quickly, in a matter of hours in fact. I can see very good reason for the clause and I could see a significantly increased fire risk if it were ignored. Arguably, this risk may be even higher for the ELV 12volt lamps but that's a discussion for another day, it still holds true for the 220volt version as well.
    I do agree that the termination box shown isn't adequate for two FT&e cables as well as the lamp holder wiring. There's only one cable anchor clamp for a start and it would be impossible to refit the lid no matter how tidy your terminations are. It also clearly breaches the 100mm rule so I'm hoping it isn't an SABS approved fitting


    Quote Originally Posted by Sparks View Post
    Hi, you hit the nail on the head Andy. The exposed conductors are a small issue here because they cannot be made contact with during the normal use of the lights. The main reason would be the lack of heat resistant wire on the fitting. I must ask here though, is it 100mm or 200mm?
    Hi Sparks,
    I'm not 100% familiar with the 0142 rules, I refer to them for design purposes but don't do any kind of domestic work/installations or inspections. I'm not sure if you're being polite knowing that it is 200mm distance required or not :-) I'll dig out my copy of the regs later and post back to clarify.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave A View Post
    May I draw attention to the two lines of surfex flat twin & earth in the picture... There's more going on than just a light connection point here.
    I think the two FT+e cables is a normal layout if there's more than one light in the circuit and the particular light we're looking at isn't the last one. I'm assuming the third thinner cable is the wiring going to the ceramic lamp holder and it's probably glassfibre sleeved and the wiring possibly teflon insulated.

    PS A roll of fibreglass tape is around R100.00, taping the terminations closed on several fittings won't be a cheap option.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

  10. #10
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts
    it just looks like 2 twin+e connecting into the box and the other wire is the feed to the lamp holder...which should be heat resistant wire.

Page 1 of 11 123 ... LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Electrical Installation Costs
    By Tracsec in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 31
    Last Post: 28-Jul-22, 05:38 AM
  2. [Article] New electrical installation regulations
    By QUINN in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 11-Jun-14, 03:01 PM
  3. Zen cart installation tips
    By garthu in forum Technology Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 13-Aug-10, 11:55 AM
  4. Who may work on an electrical installation?
    By douw in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 37
    Last Post: 16-Apr-10, 11:57 AM
  5. new installation
    By murdock in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 18-Feb-10, 01:34 PM

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •