Hi all Anyone know any site for Spanish house wiring(no funnies!) Specs. I thought all Europe was the same now. A few things confusing me.
1, All installs I have lookd at, all the installation goes through the RCD. 2, All lamp holders have black/blue conductors reaching them. Many thanks
No. There are some high level haromised specs, but each country has its own specific wiring regs, combined with what is or is not common practice. I'm not familiar with spainsh-specific regs.
Spain may (like some areas of France) have IT earthing systems, and thus require the RCD to meet the requirement to disconnect the supply on a short to earth. Alternatively, it may be like some UK installations which have TT earthing system (earth rods), which cannot be relied upon alone to pass enough current to trip the protective current device on a short to earth.
Alternatively, it may be provided to protect all circuits against risk of electrocution faults. It is not permitted to have a single RCD protecting all circuits against electrocution faults in the UK, but it is something you often find less clued up electricians have installed.
To identify live and neutral, most likely.
Blue is the neutral in the NEW EU standards scheme.
"...Less clued up electricians"? Are there no inspections or permittng authorities in the UK? This would seem to be a major issue. Can anyone call themselves an electrician and just go-to-town (so to speak)?
I know in the US I've seen many a botched wiring job, but usually it is a homeowner, or the handyman brother-in-law who doesn't know what he is doing. To be a licensed electrician at least requires a knowledge of the code and usually requires passing a test and having some experience.
Beachcomber
In practice yes, even if in theory no.
There are a set of recognised qualifications for electricians in the UK known as the City & Guilds qualifications, but many electricians aren't qualified. Government recently introduced a scheme for domestic installers, but it's based on paying to be a member of a trade body, and isn't related to the competence of the electrician, so it's being largely ignored by the trade (most of whom were not members of the trade bodies) and by the consumers who rightly see no value in paying extra for it, and wasn't necessary in the first place. City & Guilds qualifications are also open to DIYers, and there are usually a number to be found on any of the courses, and there are many very good DIY books covering the topic.
Dangerously botched wiring in the UK is very much less of an issue than in most other countries, in spite of DIY wiring being very popular. Continuous improvements in electrical wiring accessories over the years by the manufacturers (each trying to show they are safer than their competitors) has made wiring accessories very easy to use, and very forgiving of misuse. Although there has been a heavy growth in DIY wiring over the last ~40 years and an increase in the number of electrical installations (more homes), the number of dangerous and fatal electrical installation incidents has been steadily dropping over that time and is now at an insignificant level compared with other causes of accidental death/injury.
In Spain:
Phase: Brown (rule says it could be grey or black) Neutral: Blue Protection: Yellow+Green
That's the rule (by law). Now, the practical is using a black or grey wire for a switched Phase). So, in a lamp holder you should use a neutral and a switched phase, so Blue and Black. The switch receives a phase (brown) and gives a black. Note, now the law enforces to place a protection wire (Y+Gr) even in the lamp holders.
Regards! Edu
Andrew Gabriel ha escrito:
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