| Approved Appliance |
One which has either a Regulatory Compliance Mark attached
or alternatively a state based approval number. In Victoria, the marking
is prefixed with the Letter 'V'. |
| AS/NZ 3760 |
Australian and New Zealand Standard for Portable Appliance
Testing |
| Basic Insulation |
Provides for one layer of "basic protection"
against shock for example older 'figure 8' flex only has basic insulation
where a three core flex has basic insulation protected by an outer sheaf. |
| C Tick |
See RCM (Regulatory Compliance Mark) |
| Class 0 |
Class 0 electrical appliance - means an electrical
appliance in which protection against electric shock relies upon basic
insulation. Source NZECP 3:1998.
|
| Class I Appliance |
Equipment where protection against electric shock is
achieved by basic insulation and earthing. Equipment usually contains
metal parts, e.g. a washing machine or dishwasher.
An electrical appliance that has one layer of electrical
insulation. This requires exposed metal to have an earth bond.
|
| Class II Appliance |
A Double Insulated appliance - meaning two layers of
protective insulation. The appliance must have either the words 'Double
Insulated' on the plate or the International symbol of two squares, one inside
the other, to be considered Double Insulated. If not, it is considered to
be Single Insulated or Class I. |
| Competent Person |
One who has the necessary practical and theoretical skills,
acquired through training, experience or a combination of these to
correctly undertake the tasks prescribed by AS/NZ 3760. |
| CBR |
Core Balance Relay or Safety Switch |
| Cord Extension Set |
An Extension Lead - an assembly of three parts, a plug
intended for connection to a mains outlet socket, a sheathed flexible cord
and cord extension socket. |
| Core Balance Relay |
Another name for a Safety Switch or RCD |
| Current Rating |
The maximum current a device is designed and / or
approved to carry. For example a domestic power board has a current rating
of 10 Amps. This is the maximum current that is permitted to flow through
the plug. If the power board has four outlets then the outlets can supply
a maximum of 10 Amps between them or an average of 2.5 Amps each. |
| Double Insulated |
Means two layers of Insulation |
| Earth Bond |
The Earth Bond applies to Class 1 electrical products.
The Earth Bond test is designed to verify the integrity of the protective conductor (earth wire) and that all parts of the conductive case of an ‘earthed’ product are properly
connected to the Earth terminal. |
| ELCB |
Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (see RCD) |
| IEC |
International Electro-technical Commission. The IEC
is the standards organization for all areas of electro-technology. www.iec.ch |
| IEC Lead |
Generally refers to a cord set with an IEC 320 14A connector
as used to connect to computer equipment and monitors. |
| Electrocution |
Death by electric shock. The term is often used incorrectly
to refer to a non-fatal event of electric shock. |
| EPOD |
Electrical Portable Outlet Device - a power board |
| GFCI |
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter |
| GPO |
General Purpose Outlet - refers a wall socket supplying 240
Volt mains power and commonly rated to supply 10 Amps to the appliances
connected to it. This is the current required to power a 2400 Watt fan
heater on its highest setting. |
| Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter |
Another name for a Safety Switch |
| Leakage Current |
Is current that flows in alternative paths, instead of the
intended path; the alternative path being an earth conductor or through a
person when they make contact with the equipment. The leakage current then
flows via the earth conductor and back to the neutral via the earth-link on
the switchboard neutral bar. |
| mA |
Milliamp or 1/1000 part of an Amp |
| Megger |
A brand name of an Insulation Resistance Tester |
| MOV |
Metal Oxide Varistor - See Varistor |
| OCEI |
Office of the Chief Electrical Inspector
(Now Energy Safe Victoria) |
| PAT |
Portable Appliance Tester |
| RCD |
Residual Current Device (Safety Switch) |
| RCM |
Regulatory Compliance Mark, also known as the "C
Tick". This is a tick inside the letter 'C' and all contained inside
a triangle. It indicates that the supplier claims the product is
compliant and meets regulations. |
| Safety Switch |
See RCD |
| Supernova XE |
Top of range Portable Appliance Test set manufactured by
Seaward Instruments UK to meet Australian Standards and used by
VicTesters. |
| Trip Current |
A current which when flows will interrupt the supply by
tripping a Circuit Breaker or RCD. |
| UPS |
Uninterruptible Power Supply. An often misunderstood piece of
equipment unwisely installed to perform magic in case of power interruption.
e.g. power a load greater then its design values. |
| VA |
Volt-Amps - The product of Volts and Amps used to indicate
the apparent power that a UPS can supply or the maximum apparent power
requirement of a device. VA is often misunderstood and
confused with Watts. This confusion misleads many to believe that a 1000VA
UPS can supply the equivalent power consumed by a 1000 Watt heater. If
only this was true. In fact it is more of an indicator of the maximum
current when VA is divided by 240 (Volts). |
| Varistor |
Non linear resistor which reduces its resistance as the
voltage applied across it increases. Used as a surge or spike suppressor. |
vers 2.31
