Installation safety
New Zealand has some specific mandatory requirements for the construction of installations that deviate from the relevant North American and Japanese Standards.
Recreational Vehicles or Caravans converted to operate at 230 Volts are likely to have safety deficiencies:
Operation of protective devices (Circuit Breakers).
Protective devices used to protect against fire and electric shock due to overloads, short circuits and earth faults are required to operate within specified operating times. In the case of earth faults the operating time is required (by Regulation 69A (1)) to be less than 0.4 seconds (AS/NZS 3000 1.7.4.3.4).
Where a transformer is installed, the available fault current would not be adequate for any standard protective device to function within an acceptable time.
RCD's
New Zealand has specific requirements for the operational characteristics of RCDs. GFCIs (Ground Fault Current Interrupters) used in North America and RCDs (Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers) used in Japan are not likely to meet with the requirements applying in NZ.
Rating of wiring insulation (Cables)
All wiring systems have a rated voltage above which the insulation properties are not adequate. The minimum rated voltage for 230 volt ac systems recognised for safety is 450 volts ac. Only cables rated at or above 450 volts ac could be retained for use on circuits reconfigured to supply NZ fittings at 230 volts ac. The use of single strand cables is not generally considered to be a safety deficiency provided the cable is constructed and installed to reduce the effects of movement, although not in accordance with AS/NZS 3001.
Standards for isolation
If a transformer, or converter, is being used to reduce the voltage to 110 volts the transformer must be designed to a Standard that ensures appropriate and reliable separation of the primary and secondary. Type test results and production testing information is critical in establishing the compliance of any transformer/converter used.
Requirements for isolated supplies
Two options are available for the configuration of the 110 volt supply if derived from a converter or transformer:
- Floating (Isolated) – in which case all switches and protective devices must be two pole and co-incidentally interrupt both the two current carrying conductors.
- Earthed – in which case the earth connection must be referenced correctly to the incoming earth connection in the same way as a main switchboard in an ordinary installation.
Certification
All wiring work above Extra Low Voltage (230 and 110 volts) must be performed by a licensed worker – the "home owner" exemption does not apply to Connectable Installations. Any installation work requires certification, which covers the safety of the installation, including appliances connected to it.
To be acceptable as a safe installation, any Recreational Vehicle or Caravan must be demonstrably able to meet all of the mandatory requirements of the Electricity Regulations, AS/NZS 3000 and AS/NZS 3001, and all the appliances that form part of that connectable installation, or are supplied with it, must comply with AS/NZS 3820 and the Declared Article and Supplier Declaration Regulations. Where this is not the case, the supplier, and user, and any party supplying electricity to the Recreational Vehicles or Caravans risk compliance and enforcement action.
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