HL: Ah! Back at work and firing on all cylinders... at last!
OKAY... I know you've been back for a while, but everyone only really gets going from the beginning of February anyway - that's when the guys who were unlucky enough to have been on standby over Christmas and New Year return at the end of January - yes?
And those Class I and Class II appliances you received for Christmas? Are they still functional or have they been exchanged for something else?
You will recall we spoke about the two ‘main categories' for appliances, namely Class I and Class II.
Do you still remember what those were?
Class I has provision for earthing and Class II is without provision for earthing.
So to continue:
Both these categories are further sub-divided into the following ‘sub categories' if you like - please remember these ‘sub categories' cover both Class I and Class II appliances!
3.4.3 fixed appliance - ‘appliance that is fastened or otherwise secured at a specific location, and that would require the use of tools to be moved to another location'
The key to defining a ‘fixed appliance' is quite clear - it would require me to undo mounting bolts, nuts, electrical terminal nuts etc before I can remove the item or move it from one position to another.
Okay, so what would you say could be defined as a ‘Class I Fixed Appliance'?
A geyser, stove and luminaires (light fittings) are fixed appliances - why?
Firstly, the appliances have provision for earthing and secondly, I need tools to disconnect water pipes, electrical connections, etc. before I can move the appliance - simple... right?
3.4.4 portable appliance ‘appliance that is moved in the course of normal operation'
Here again, the key is ‘...moved in the course of normal operation'. In the older codes ('83 to '87) the words ‘while connected to the supply' were included - or did I include these words subconsciously myself to avoid confusion?
‘Portable Appliances' would, therefore, include electric handheld drilling machines, vacuum cleaners and so on.
A battery-operated appliance falls outside the scope of SANS 10142-1 but can also be ‘...moved in the course of normal operation' so the battery-operated submarine you play with in the bath, is definitely not part of this definition.
Whether the appliance is classified as a ‘Class I or Class II Portable Appliance' would therefore depend on whether it has provision for earthing or not.
The interesting thing is that from 1989 to 1991 the persons responsible for the then SABS 0142, deleted ‘Portable Appliance' in favour of ‘Portable Water Pump'... and then brought it back into the Code again.
Strange... They probably only realised a couple of years later that a portable water pump is indeed a ‘Portable Appliance'... and they should never have fiddled in the first place.
3.4.5 stationary appliance ‘appliance that is normally not moved or cannot easily be moved while in operation'
A ‘Stationary Appliance', on the other hand, ‘cannot easily be moved while in operation'. Note that the statement is ‘cannot easily' and not ‘impossible'.
This type of appliance includes appliances such as washing machines (with no fixed / permanent plumbing that requires tools), plug-in stoves, etc.
So, what does this mean in the real world?
Firstly, you would not think as though you are installing a stove, a geyser or a light fitting but rather ‘an appliance' and you would firstly need to ‘classify' you appliance.
Next you would identify the position of installation - is there water nearby, in a bathroom, kitchen etc?
And, finally, you would install that appliance according the rules applying to that Class and sub class of appliance and not a light fitting per se.
An example:
A geyser installed above a bath (the areas of consideration are not to be taken as definitive, but rather an indication of the thought process involved):
- You would install according the rules for a ‘Class I Fixed Appliance' in Zone 1 in a bathroom with particular reference to earthing and bonding
- You would protect the supply cables and disconnect according to general rules for ‘Appliances' - match rating of appliance and supply cables, de-rating factor for supply cables mounted on the surface or in plaster, multi/single core cable current carrying capacity, voltage drop etc.
- The placement of the ‘disconnecting device' according to the rules for disconnecting devices - near appliance, in a distribution board, lockable etc.
So no more arguments, right?
