What are the regs for using extension cords for portable equipment in a brewery in Belgium? The instrumentation on the cart is to be rolled out of the area before any washdowns occur.

I am suppose to spec a suitable 15 meter extension cord to power up a 12 A chiller plus four other 1 A loads.

Thanks,

Larry

Larry,
Have a look at IEC 309, I am making a huge assumption that this is single phase 230V you are after.
IEC 309 is the standard for IP56 (NEMA6) rated connectors, they also carry 16A.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BS_4343

EN 60309 "CeeForm" plugs are generally used for those kinds of scenarios.
These were adopted by the IEC as IEC 60309 (transposing the European standard).

They were adopted originally in the 1960s in the UK as BS4343 and as various other standard numbers in other EU countries. These are all superseded by EN 60309, which is acceptable across the EU.

Just ensure that your connectors are to that standard and not any other.

I would suggest that you contact the customer for advice as they may require a higher than normal IP rating depending on the circumstances.

Single phase 230V - Blue
Three Phase 400V - Red

There's an ABB catalogue for those connectors : http://library.abb.com/GLOBAL/SCOT/SCOT296.nsf/VerityDisplay/12B61B88C2F36C37C1256FFF0077B723/$File/2CMC700001C0201_A_en_Short_Form_Catalogue_29004.pdf

Like NEMA, they come in a LOT of configurations with various pin layouts and keying options.

It's not usually permitted to use any other type of connector in an industrial environment.

Irish regs go as far as requiring them for ALL outdoor setups as BS1363 is considered a shock hazard in a rainy environment due to the proximity of the pins to your fingers and the low IP rating of rewirable plugs.

So, you'll see blue 16A ceeform connectors on patio heaters, xmas light installations etc etc..

You can get reels like these



Various connector setups like :
http://www.olson.co.uk/iec309.htm

Most of these would have "3 Core 2.5mm² Arctic Grade" cable



You might be best to ask for local advice in Belgium though as wiring regulations across europe while fairly harmonised are not absolutely identical.

Regs on industrial setups in particular can be fairly tight and US equipment can be way off standard.

I couldn't stress how important it would be to ensure that your customer gives you advice.

Can you supply the gear to the customer without connectors and with connection instructions?

More BS4343/IEC309/CEEform connectors here:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Plugs_and_Sockets_Industrial_Index/index.html

As Dave says though, aside from general electrical standards there can be specific additional requirements for specific types of commercial establishment (in the U.K. theatres, mines, filling stations, etc.). No idea about Belgium, I'm afraid.

The blue connector combinated with 3 x 2,5mm² H07RNF (rubber cable) will be okay. Btw it is much more common than in Germany. F.i. every machine in a standard super market's wet area is connected that way.

Be aware of the fact that Belgium still has a lot of places with 3 x 230V TT-system. I.e. 2 live wires + PE(ground), no neutral. Then blue is a live wire.

I wish they had those types of connectors in USA... Those seem more durable than the regular straight blade plug and connector we use here.

~Matt

Yes - they are simply industrial grade connectors. The system specifies a great number of variations for different voltages, frequencies and amperages. 63A and up even have a pilot contact to control a contactor switching off the load when the plug is pulled.

A few examples: purple is for low voltage (48V I think), yellow is 120V between conductors, blue is 230V, red 400V.

Check a Hubbell catalog for Pin & Sleeve connectors. $$$

The BS4343 connectors here are cheap in the small, commonly used versions, such as 2P+E 16A 110V yellow (building site power tools) and 2P+E 16A 240V blue (mobile home/trailer hookups). Plugs in those sizes/configurations are typically only about £2 ($4) each.

When you get to the larger ones though, prices go through the roof. I've just ordered a 2P+E 125A 240V blue plug for a generator hookup -- £85 ($170) each!

Once we quoted the price for us to aquire the parts and have the cables made, they decided to get them locally.

That's what we figured would happen.

My thanks to everyone who answered my questions and have a safe holiday season.

Larry C

Yeah, Wasnt looking for 'hubbell price' though!

~Matt

They are excellent connectors, though the higher current ranges get a bit bulky. Used to use five pin green ones for 400Hz, and made the interesting discovery that different manufacturers used different latching arrangements. i.e the pin configurations always matched but they wouldn't always lock together. Apparently the outer case arrangements were outside the scope of the specs', which only covered pins and colours. That is 10 years or more, so hopefully they may have been updated.

"BS4343 connectors here are cheap in the small, commonly used versions, such as 2P+E 16A 110V yellow (building site power tools) and 2P+E 16A 240V blue (mobile home/trailer hookups). Plugs in those sizes/configurations are typically only about £2 ($4) each."

I wish they were that cheap over here in the US.
The best I have found is about $30 ea. for 16A 2P&E

Compare prices here, from 16A up to 125A versions:

http://www.essentialsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Plugs___Sockets_84.html

16A,32A, are not standard rating for the US,that may be a good subject if it would be allowed here, for another thread.

I can't see why not, Rollie, you're more than welcome to start a new thread.

The cheap, er, inexpensive (I have no experience with these, so as for quality I don't know) ones that I refer to are are actually international dual rated. ie 16A international is 20A for US, 32A/30A. 63A/60A 125A/100A respectively.
http://www.interpower.com/ic/p33list.asp