Hardware specs - amperage thoughts

Aren't your appliances typically UL ANZ certified (i.e certified by the AU/NZ branch of the UL)?

Here in the US almost every electric device from curling irons to nightlights to arc welders has a label like the one below...


The Intertek ETL logo indicates that the manufacturer has submitted the device to an independent testing agency (Intertek ETL on this case) and that it is certified to meet whatever published standards are applicable (UL Standard 499 for this one) . Is there anything similar in your part of the world?

Also note that this label shows a "US" listing and has not been certified to meet Canadian requirements, although it may actually meet those standards and should be just as safe north of the border as it is down here.

Looks like our equivalent is a tick symbol. Seems there is a bit of a history, with changes coming in in 2016, but I haven't read too much about it yet.

And it does look like we share a lot of our regulations definitions with NZ

It looks like that's called the RCM

The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) is a trademark owned by the government regulators in Australian and New Zealand. As with any trademark, the design and use of the RCM is legally protected. Suppliers must register to use it.

The RCM is a graphic symbol on a product which indicates compliance with all sections of the standard AS/NZS 4417.

The KEMA-KEUR mark is also significant...

Yeah, that's what I found (RCM Tick), that it changed in 2016 from the C-Tick and another regulation number indicated on the device.

Basically it looks like you can't sell an electrical appliance in Australia without it, which the Hubitat guys had to get as well:

Please remember it’s current (amperage) that primarily contributes to heat and is the main fire risk , voltage doesn’t directly but can arc/spark if very excessive. Voltage is generally constant on home wiring or at two different levels 110V and 230 ish.

Watts (power) = current squared * resistance

Watts are the generated heat in wiring and in wiring resistance increases with smaller diameter cables. I would never gamble on margins in ratings and your insurers certainly won’t.

The heat rises by the square of the current. So something drawing 2A will generate 4 times as much heat as something drawing 1A if the other values for voltage and resistance stay the same. Something drawing 10A would generate 100 times the heat cf 1A in the supply wiring.

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