Domestic use electrical materials
Electrical material encompasses a vast range of diverse products that are used to transport, product, transform, distribute and use electricity. At CEISLAB we specialise in verifying electrical product conformity in regard to products used in daily life and which are a part of household or tertiary sector installations (offices, shops, etc.).
Switches for domestic use
Domestic switches are for LV installations (U≤ 1000 V) and consist of an electro-mechanical device that permits establishing, interrupting or changing the connections in an electrical circuit so that the user can manage household appliance such as lights, blind motors, heating systems, etc.
There are fundamentally two dominant switch types on the market:
- Mechanical: This is the most basic type of switches, and they permit establishing or interrupting the electrical circuit via a mechanical device.
- Electronic: With the progress of electronics in electrical devices being more common in household switches, some electronic components are added to facilitate control by users of the charge connected to them, such as dimmer switches, remote controlled switches via Apps, etc.
The tests we apply at CEISLAB focus on electrical safety:
- Marking
- Construction
- Dielectric properties
- Trip power
- Electro-mechanical endurance or normal functioning
- Mechanical strength
- IP Protection rating
- Heat resistance
- Fire resistance
- Abnormal functioning conditions
Applicable standards
- IEC 60669-1
- UNE-EN 60669-1
- IEC 60669-2-1
- UNE-EN 60669-2-1
- IEC 60669-2-5
- UNE-EN 60669-2-5
Domestic plug sockets and plugs
Plug sockets are electrical products for LV installations (U≤ 1000 V) which permit powering a point of consumption or charge for household appliances, televisions, phone chargers, electric vehicles, etc., and are connected to the domestic electrical wiring via two or more points of contact consisting of holes.
The plug, on the other hand, is the complement to the socket and it is a device consisting of an insulating material and two or more pins or metal protrusions that permit connecting the charge from the electrical socket to the electrical appliance.
There are many different types of plugs depending on the very different uses and needs defined in the different markets. They are mainly classified by:
- Schuko or German plug (Type F)
- French connection plug (Type E)
- Non-earthed plug
- Europlug
- According to construction
- Fixed socket: These are installed to frames and/or walls and are designed to be connected to permanent wiring installations.
- Mobile plug sockets: These are designed to be integrated in a flexible cable and can easily be carried when connected to the electricity grid. Adapters and extension leads are included in this category.
The tests we apply at CEISLAB focus on electrical safety:
- Marking
- Construction
- Dielectric properties
- Trip power
- Electro-mechanical endurance or normal functioning
- Mechanical strength
- IP Protection rating
- Heat resistance
- Fire resistance
Applicable standards
- IEC 60884 (Series)
- UNE-EN 20315 (Series)
Automatic or magneto-thermal switches
These are devices designed for LV installations (U≤ 1000 V) which can disconnect the electrical current in a circuit when certain defined values are exceeded, with the aim of protecting the installation and persons from overloads and short-circuits.
They work on the basis of two of the effects of current passing through a circuit:
- Thermal (Joule effect) on which circuit protection against overloads is based, since excessive current for a certain length of time produces a thermal gradient that affects a bimetallic strip. When the gradient exceeds a set value for a given time, this strip causes the switch to open.
- Magnetic (Ampère’s Law) on which protection of the circuit against short-circuits is based, defined by very high currents in respect of the dimension of the installation for a short period of time. In this case the actuator is an electro-magnet.
These devices are mainly classified by their construction, according to:
- Intensity or amperage for installation. The device must be correctly sized for the conductors comprising the circuit it protects.
- Curve characteristics: These define the values at which the device is rated to actuate in the thermal and magnetic zone.
- Number of poles: Depending on the phases of the protected circuit, these can be single pole (1 phase) or four pole (3 phases and neutral).
The tests we apply at CEISLAB focus on electrical safety:
- Marking
- Construction
- Dielectric properties
- Terminals
- Verification of normal operation - Characteristic time-current curve
- Short-circuit resistance and trip power
- Electro-mechanical endurance
- Mechanical strength
- IP Protection rating
- Heat resistance
- Fire resistance
- Climate tests
- IEC 60898 (Series)
- UNE-EN 60898 (Series)
These are electro-magnetic devices designed for LV installations (U≤ 1000 V) with the ability to interrupt the current in a circuit to protect people from accidents caused by contact with active parts of the installation (direct contact) or with elements of the installation that are charged with voltage or power resulting from a shunt due to a lack of insulation of active parts of the installation (indirect contact).These devices also indirectly protect from fire hazards.
They are given this name because they work by comparing the current input and output of a circuit. If both points have a fault, a difference is produced which the switch detects causing it to trip.
The sensitivity of these devices is set at 30 mA in domestic installations and at 300 mA in industrial installations.
These devices are classified by the type of default current they are capable of detecting:
Class | Type of detected current | Installations |
AC | Alternating current | Domestic, industrial |
A | Alternating current and pulsed currents | Domestic, industrial, EV charging systems |
B | Alternating current and pulsed currents up to 1 kHz | Power electronics, converters |
B+ | Alternating current and pulsed currents up to 20 kHz | Frequency shifters, speed shifters |
F | Mixed alternating current and pulsed currents | High frequency shifters |
They can also be classified according to:
- Intensity or amperage for installation. The device must be correctly sized for the conductors comprising the circuit it protects.
- Number of poles: Depending on the phases of the protected circuit, these can be single pole (1 phase) or four pole (3 phases and neutral).
- Trip delay: If they are designed to work in coordination with other protection or not.
The tests we apply at CEISLAB focus on electrical safety:
- Marking
- Construction
- Dielectric properties
- Terminals
- Verification of normal operation - Characteristic time-current curve
- Short-circuit resistance and trip power
- Electro-mechanical endurance
- Mechanical strength
- IP Protection rating
- Heat resistance
- Fire resistance
- Climate tests
Applicable standards
- IEC 61008 (Series)
- UNE-EN 61008 (Series)
Automatic-differential switches
These are electro-magnetic devices for LV installations (U≤ 1000 V) which are capable of interrupting the current in circuits in order to protect:
- The installation against overloads and short-circuits.
- People from direct contact with active parts of the installation or indirect contact with parts of the installation that are powered.
They are the result of combining fault detection technologies of a magneto-thermal switch and a differential switch.
These devices are mainly classified by their construction, according to:
- Intensity or amperage for installation. The device must be correctly sized for the conductors comprising the circuit it protects.
- Curve characteristics: These define the values at which the device is rated to actuate in the thermal and magnetic zone.
- Number of poles: Depending on the phases of the protected circuit, these can be single pole (1 phase) or four pole (3 phases and neutral).
- Trip delay: If they are designed to work in coordination with other protection or not.
- Device sensitivity
The tests we apply at CEISLAB focus on electrical safety:
- Marking
- Construction
- Dielectric properties
- Terminals
- Verification of normal operation - Characteristic time-current curve
- Short-circuit resistance and trip power
- Electro-mechanical endurance
- Mechanical strength
- IP Protection rating
- Heat resistance
- Fire resistance
- Climate tests
Applicable standards
- IEC 61008 (Series)
- UNE-EN 61008 (Series)
Enclosures, protection boxes or distribution panels
These are closed elements made from insulating material that permit housing electrical equipment such as automatic switches, domestic switches, differential switches, connection terminals, sockets, etc., in order to protect them from impacts, deterioration caused by the environmental conditions, dust, and also to avoid direct contact by people.
If the enclosure contains several electrical circuits and has the function of a shunt from the circuits to the different lines or parts of the installation, they are usually referred to as distribution panels.
There are many different classifications, including the following:
According to | Categories |
Material | Metallic, Plastic or insulating material, Compound. |
Type of installation | Built-in or partly built-in, Surface mounted, Special sites such as concrete. |
Type of input to the panel | For sheathead cables, for flexibles cables, for smooth or corrugated conduit. |
Operating temp. | -25 to 60 ºC. |
Tests applied
- Marking
- Dimensions
- Construction
- Mechanical properties
- Dielectric properties
- Heat resistance
- Resistance to fire and abnormal heat
- Fire performance
- Leakage lines and distances from the air
- IP Protection rating
- Resistance to corrosion
Applicable standards
- IEC 60670 (Series)
- UNE EN 60670 (Series)