Does anyone have any questions about how we do things(electrically) over here in New Zealand and Australia, if so, write away!.
And no comments about us and sheep, please.

I can't remember if we may have already touched on this subject. If so, please forgive the repetition.

I know the standard Aussie/NZ outlets are rated 10A, but what OCPD ratings are usually used with these sockets? Are there are any specific rules about the maximum number of outlets per branch circuit or the maximum floor area served by each circuit? Do you require (NEC-style) specific small-appliance circuits for kitchen/diner areas?

ah... Nope you can have as many as you like,
as long as it works, Not an ideal situation but thats the rules.

Trumpy — Are you familiar with this url? More utility-oriented electrical, but still interesting: Aussie Road And Pole Freak http://www.ozpoles.0catch.com/

“ Insulator overload, late 50's shot ”




[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 09-25-2002).]

Hi Trumpy,

Just got back from a couple of weeks in Oz. I like the Antipodean system - neat, polarised and with a sturdy earthing pin that is not easily broken off.

Couple of questions, I noticed some very neat setups in hotel bathrooms with GFCI duplex sockets and built in 2-pin shaver sockets offering 115V and 240V I presume fed with an isolation xfmr. The 115V was useful for charging my US cell phone but I did wonder what the point was having a seperate 240V shaver outlet in the unit unless it is simply to accomodate foreign as well as Ozi plugs.

The cover plate on this and many other sockets and switches appeared to clip on as there were no obvious mounting screws - I presume they just pull on and off - I didn't try it!

Hotels and offices tended to have what I assume is the circuit number printed on a small coloured disc attached to the top right of the face plate - is this a regulation or just convenience.

I noticed that the plugs are rated at 10A which seems conservative as the pins are larger than US 20A ones. The maximum power rated I observed on a kettle was thus 2400W - somewhat smaller than the 3kW UK grunter I have. Why is this standard plug rated at only 10A?

I saw mention somewhere that there are higher rated plugs - what do these look like and are they downward compatable like the US ones?

I seem to remember that you have a whole range of 3 phase couplings etc like the US NEMA types. Do you have any pictures of these or know of a web site where I could look at them?

Thanks in anticipation.

Well, I've got a few questions about AUS/NZ. I've read somewhere that the colour coding of the flexible cords is the standard brown- blue-g/y, but that the rest is some "native" code. Considering the fact that you have a new electrical code and even adjusted the voltage from 240 to 230V, have you "harmonised" the colour coding as well?

I've also read somewhere that the voltage sometimes exceed the upper limit (253V) considerably, resulting in fried 230V equipment. Any truth in this?

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 09-29-2002).]

C-H,
Australia and New Zealand inherited the British red/black/green color code, and to the best of my knowledge they still use red and black (L,N) for fixed cables. I think they may have followed England in switching to green/yellow instead of plain green in the last few years. (I'm looking at pictures in the Jaycar catalog.) I don't know exactly when they adopted the Euro colors for flexible cords.

Trumpy, Old Appy, help us out here please!

P.S. Just remembered: Trumpy, didn't you say that N.Z. only switched to brown/blue cords comparatively recently? I've seen references in Electronics Australia which suggest that in Aussie-Land it was earlier (maybe 1970s?).



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 09-30-2002).]

Hello, well let's open the floodgates.
Let me say first off, over here our 10A socket outlet circuits are protected in accordance with the size of the cable that feeds it, for a 1.5mm2 circuit, it is protected at 16A max, if it is wired in 2.5mm2, the maximum size of MCB that may protect this is a 20A, by regulation, you are not allowed to more than double the size of the outlet, with the protection.
With respect to smaller appliances in kitchen areas, they are normally fed through the normal socket-outlet circuits, as the MCB protection is the same for all appliance circuits, apart from Cookers,etc.
Hutch-All of the new types of accessories over here are like this,it is what we call a clean look, however with respect to the ID plates, these are more convenience than anything, it makes life a lot easier in a large installation working out which board and CB feeds which socket/light switch.
(Check out hpm.com.au or pdl.co.nz)
Our electrical equipment over here, must be able to withstand a continuous voltage of 245VAC,it is only in rural areas that the voltages, vary a wee bit, as we have ATC units(Auto-Tap-Changers),to set our voltage within 2.5% of the nominal voltage(230V).
With respect to colour codes in our flexes,
the colour code was changed some years ago, to combat the problem with DIYers with colour-blindness, getting the Phase and Earth wires around the wrong way, this has killed a few people over here.
We now use Brown-Blue-Green/Yellow, as a colour-blind person cannot distinguish between Red and Green.

Wow! Within 2.5%? Then you must have adjusted the voltage downwards for real, not just on the paper.


I had never thought of the problem with colour blindness until a guy came into the shop and wanted instructions on how to add or replace a socket. "I'm colour-blind, you see. But I've figured out that black is earth, right?" I convinced him to get an electrician to do this otherwise rather simple task. Black is live here!

Wow,
Sorry about that, the new Voltage Drop percentages are as follows:
1 circuit @ 230V fed from a 11kV/400/230
Xformer, is 5.5%
1 circuit @ 400V fed from a 11kV/400/230
Xformer, is 10%

Now you've lost me. Are you referring to voltage drop from transformer to house?

Why would the voltage drop % be different for a 400V service? Is this to take into account that there is balance of load and hence no voltage drop in the neutral?

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 10-05-2002).]

Hi Trumpy
I notice that Australia has ammended it's nominal voltage to 230/400V from 240/415V.
Do you know if they are actually adjusting the voltages lower, or is it just a paper exercise in harmonization like the UK?
Our nominal voltage changed from 240/415 +/-6% to 230/400 +10% -6%, which has meant that in reality our voltages are the same as they always were. Only difference is the voltage has to be as low as 216V before you can complain to the power co., & I have never seen it that low at the supply terminals.
Also are Australia & NZ intending to change the colours of fixed wiring from the current: red, white & blue as phases, black as neutral & G/Y as earth?
I am told that we in the UK are going to have to adopt the new Euro code of: brown, black & grey as phases, blue as neutral, g/y as earth, by 2006.
However I have not seen any official mention of this in BS7671 yet.

David

That raises a query: Hutch told us some time ago that South Africa stuck with white as B-phase instead of changing to yellow like the U.K. Did Australia and/or N.Z. also stick with white?

I haven't heard about the proposed mandatory change for fixed cables here, but when I was in Ireland (Republic) in 1998 I noticed a couple of installations where the meter tails had been changed to brown and blue. I don't know whether they've adopted the Euro-colors right across the board as yet though. I've seen references that Ireland has also started to use the Schuko plug, although I've not been able to confirm it.

*Note for non-U.K. readers:
BS7671 = IEE Wiring Regulations.



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 10-06-2002).]

In Italy due to long 220V runs in rural areas the Voltage at houses is sometimes as low as 190V. Pretty low, compared to the nominal 220V back when I got these readings. My tape recorder complained a little bit!

I think some parts of Spain are also notorious for very poor regulation and large voltage drops during periods of heavy demand. I've seen people quote 180 to 190V as not uncommon at times.

At that level in England, we'd be calling the PoCo to complain!

Welcome David,
Just to throw a spanner in the works,guys, we used the colours of Red,Yellow,Blue, in all of our 4core cables, until a short time ago, where we started using Red,White, Blue, to conform to international convention, so I am told.
However, our Earth conductors in these same
cables have remained the same,no Green stripe.

So, the U.K. changed B-phase from white to yellow over 35 years ago, and N.Z. has just recently changed the opposite way! Don't you just love standards?!

Er, shouldn't that be no yellow stripe?

Yeah, thanks Paul,cannot concentrate at the moment, very short of sleep,got a huge wiring contract on.

To clean up all of the confusion about our system voltages over here, I am currently reading the new AS/NZS 3000:2002 Standard for Electrical Installation, it states that all voltage drops within an installation (anywhere in the installation)shall not deviate any more than +/-6% of the nominal supply voltage, regardless of whether it is single or three phase supplied.
With regard to the voltage in Australia, I
think that they have always used the 240/415V system over there,not too sure.
New Zealand is slowly being "harmonised" with Australia, with respect to Regulations and so forth, our registration requirements are now the same,because of a lot of NZ sparkies,going over there to work.