Browse Forums General Discussion Re: buying lights overseas 5Mar 05, 2013 12:00 pm Building a Delta 21 at Craigieburn - http://homeofzero.blogspot.com.au/ Deposit: 26/02. Contract: 22/05. Settlement: 29/05. Site start: 18/10. Re: buying lights overseas 8Mar 05, 2013 8:02 pm Jemathonical I recently bought and installed some 5W GU10 leds from China off ebay. I made sure to read in the description whether they were up to Australian Standards and they were. I'm pretty sure most things are. This is a great misconception. I've seen plenty of stuff (not light fittings) and even bought some advertised as "meets Australian Standards" and it wasn't. Lights are a tricky one; they don't necessarily need to be "approved" but still need to meet minimum safety requirements of Australian Standards. Most electricians I've spoken to have no idea of the requirements, and will simply install it (they'll do whatever they're paid to do), and even wrongly believe that any light you can buy over the counter in Australia is also safe (in reality, some of the lighting shops buy directly from overseas no differently to what you or I might buy on eBay - just in much larger quantities). Parts of light fittings such as edison screw and bayonet cap lamp holders, ballasts and starters for fluorescent lights, are known as "declared articles" (or "prescribed articles" in other states of Australia) and are required to be approved prior to sale/supply. The Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004 states that declared articles are required to contain the Regulatory Compliance Mark or number prior to sale or supply in Australia. More info can be found here: http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/Busin ... goods.html - note particularly the PDF document at the bottom of the webpage. The most common problem I find is "pendant" style suspended fittings where the top section is earthed, however the suspended lower section isn't. As many lights don't come with any markings, it's near impossible to tell (without dismantling it) whether the entire bottom section is actually "double insulated" (and therefore not needing to be earthed). There is usually a twin cable with clear insulation and clear sleeving coming down to the suspended section of the light. Some lights use a plastic screw to secure the suspended section onto the outer clear sleeving, however I have seen some with metal screws - which would likely pierce the clear sleeving (and then the lower section becomes "single insulated" and therefore is required to be earthed). Without dismantling the light, it's impossible to determine whether the sleeving is continuous all the way to the lamp-holder terminals, and if the terminals are enclosed/insulated. I have seen one light which had holes in the top of the suspended section through which I could see coloured single-insulated cables, and the suspended section was not earthed. My most recent find was a house full of unearthed light fittings; some didn't even have any earth terminal or stud to earth the frame. Most of the appliances were also unapproved. Even things which seem simple such as a 3pin plug, also require approval. (Getting abit OT but there was a recent product recall where the active and neutral pins of a powerboard were swapped; even the A & N markings next to the pins were wrong). In summary, there is alot of rubbish light fittings out there (both available locally and overseas), and it's a real lucky dip whether it's a safe fitting or a dangerous one. Ultimately the electrician is responsible for installing it and determining whether it's safe to install and connect. If someone gets an electric shock from it (a safety switch may not necessarily be protecting lighting circuit(s) on older houses), the authorities would be after the electrician which installed it (and also where it was purchased from to possibly remove from sale any others, and perhaps even force the importer/seller to issue a "product safety recall"). Re: buying lights overseas 9Mar 06, 2013 8:16 am Quote: My most recent find was a house full of unearthed light fittings; some didn't even have any earth terminal or stud to earth the frame. Most of the appliances were also unapproved. Even things which seem simple such as a 3pin plug, also require approval. (Getting abit OT but there was a recent product recall where the active and neutral pins of a powerboard were swapped; even the A & N markings next to the pins were wrong). I replaced my old lights in my bathroom the other weekend and found they weren't earthed, even though there was an earth terminal on the fitting. The earth core was just cut off at the sheath. I asked someone about it because I would always earth lights (this one had a brass frame thing anyway..) and he reckons that they don't always. This house was built in 1995 so I don't know if standards have changed or if it was wired incorrect at the time. Re: buying lights overseas 10Mar 06, 2013 7:39 pm Jemathonical I replaced my old lights in my bathroom the other weekend and found they weren't earthed, even though there was an earth terminal on the fitting. The earth core was just cut off at the sheath...... This house was built in 1995 so I don't know if standards have changed or if it was wired incorrect at the time. I'm pretty sure earthing of light fittings came in well before 1995. Given your description, I'd say it was one of two things: the original light didn't require an earth (although even a basic batten holder (which are commonly fitted to new houses) has an earth terminal), or the fitting was changed at some stage after the build (although the brass fitting most likely wouldn't have been double insulated). I had couple of quotations from pre-covid times, I am quite sure they are more expensive now plus with current USD rate and shipping costs it makes them really unaffordable. 6 24378 Thanks. There are plenty of builders around my suburb. I'll make sure to do some door-to-door knocking, or note their building details on the temp fence. 4 5009 So I'm just reading up on this ecosystem of lights. I'm planning on putting deck lights along the outside edge of a large deck. Will need about 3 packs (18 lights) plus… 0 23190 |