South african electrical installation regulations

The standards and regulations define precisely how electrical installations are installed and used. These are guidelines on how an installation should be installed. For example, subclause 6. Normative describes what must be done. A: The standards apply to a fixed electrical installation, which includes electrical equipment and accessories. It does not apply to the construction and safety of equipment, appliances or accessories.

This super-heated steam is used to turn a turbine that has a shaft that is coupled to the rotor of a generator. The rotor is a cylindrical electro-magnet that spins inside large coils of copper, generating the electricity. But this is just the beginning. To get electricity from the power stations to our homes and buildings it has to be transported along power lines.

Voltage is the measure of electric pressure or force, and a volt is the unit that we use when we measure the force of electric current. To be able to move the electricity over long distances, the electricity must be carried at very high voltages, even higher than the electricity that has been generated.

Factories normally use a voltage of 11 kV 11 volts , while the electricity we use in our homes, shops and offices is usually supplied in an electrical circuit with a driving force of either volts or volts. It may be supplied to the building in what we call a single phase, in which case there will be two wires, one that is live and one that is neutral. Or it may be supplied in a three-phase system and there will be three live wires and one neutral wire.

All the electricity that Eskom generates is fed into the national grid for distribution. But Eskom does not distribute all the electricity. Most municipalities buy electricity in bulk from Eskom and then resell it to their consumers. Whoever supplies the electricity will supply and install a meter box so that the amount of electricity used can be measured. For safety reasons, our laws state that only qualified electricians are allowed to install electricity in our buildings. But electricians have to work very closely with contractors and supervisors to be sure that power points are positioned exactly where they are required.

When we build our homes, offices, schools, hospitals and other buildings, the owner of the property or the contractor applies to Eskom, or to the local authority or municipality , for an electrical connection. An electrician, appointed by the owner or contractor, then wires the building and installs all the different elements including a distribution board to control the power through a series of circuits, isolators, plug points and light fittings.

He or she also earths the current so that if there is too much power or a fault in the system, the live electricity will go to ground or earth. When supply cables run overhead, the earth cable is usually connected to a copper rod that is pushed into the ground. Otherwise the main earth terminal, which is where the electrician connects wire in an electrical circuit, is connected to a device that is clamped to the mains service cable.

Distribution boards are where you will find the mains switch and other switches that you can use to isolate the various circuits in the building.

All modern distribution boards also have an earth-leakage unit and various circuit breakers or trip switches that will trip if there is an electrical fault.

Local authorities have strict requirements regarding the type and size of distribution board that must be used. They are usually located in the kitchen or in the garage, but they must be easily accessible in case of a power failure or fault. Earth leakage units tell us when the electricity supplied to our buildings goes to ground by simply shutting off the power supply.

This protects us from the possibility of fire or from getting an electric shock which could be lethal. Earth- leakage units react much quicker than old-fashioned fuses or circuit breakers that do the same job. Circuits are the complete circle that the electric current travels. The load or amount of electrical power that can be produced in any one circuit is limited, and the electrician will decide which power points will be linked to which circuit.

The number of circuits used in any building will depend on what is required. In an ordinary house we normally have at least one circuit for the lights and then another for the plugs.

There is also a separate circuit for the water heater or geyser and another for the stove, because these appliances both draw a lot of power. Lighting circuits always run separately to other circuits and they use thinner cable with a lower amperage. This is because lights use a lot less current than appliances like fridges and washing machines, or machines that we use on building sites.

Usually houses will have at least two light circuits so that if there is a problem with one circuit at night, there will still be light from the other circuit. Isolators are units that we use to either isolate the system from the mains supply, or to isolate one or more circuit. To be able to wire a home, the builder lays conduits which are plastic or metal pipes through which the wiring will be threaded by the electrician.

The conduiting can run either within the floor slab or within the roof space, from where it is chased, or cut, into the walls so it can be positioned to extend to various outlet points where light fittings and plug points are needed. Even though a qualified electrician is responsible for the wiring itself, it is a good idea for all supervisors and contractors to be able to identify different types of cable and flex. The insulation material around the wires inside cables and flex are different colours to make it easy to identify them.

Green or green and yellow is the earth, live wires are brown or red, and neutral is either light blue or black. Once the wiring in a building is complete the entire system must be checked by an accredited person from Eskom or the municipality who will issue a certificate of compliance to say that the system has been installed correctly.

Only then will the supply authority link up the wiring to the mains supply so that we can switch it on. Tags build coal fired power concrete electric shock electricity and electronics faulty wiring fitting a dimmer switch house local authority municipality source of energy. Hi, I want to buy myself a erf and develop it. With it I also want to build extra flats on the erf.

Application for registration as a registered person 1 An application for registration as a registered person shall be made to the chief inspector in the form of Annexure 5 together with the registration fee prescribed by regulation Withdrawal of registration and approval 1 Subject to the provisions of subregulation 2 , the chief inspector may withdraw an approval issued to an approved inspection authority, a registration issued to an electrical contractor or a certificate of registration issued to a registered person if such person— a no longer complies with any of the conditions referred to in regulation 3 2 a , 6 4 or 11 2 , respectively; or b is convicted of an offence referred to in regulation Substitution of lost, damaged or destroyed certificate 1 If any registration certificate issued in terms of these Regulations to an electrical contractor or a registered person is lost, damaged or destroyed, the person to whom the certificate was issued may apply to the chief inspector for a duplicate certificate in the form of Annexure 6, together with the relevant registration fee prescribed by regulation Fees payable The fees payable in respect of an application in terms of regulation 3 2 , 6 3 and 11 1 or a duplicate certificate of registration in terms of regulation 13 1 shall be R,00 and shall be payable in the form of uncancelled revenue stamps affixed to the application form when payable to the chief inspector.

Offences and penalties Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with any of the provisions of regulations 3 3 , 4, 5, 6 1 , 7, 8, 9, 11 4 and 11 5 shall be guilty of an offence and liable upon conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a maximum period of 12 months and, in the case of a continuous offence, to an additional fine of R Download original files.