240V electrical work in Vans

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by W&KO

In Queensland your restricted electrical license need to be endorsed with them type of equipment.

Like for me I can only work on the electrical side of gas appliances. Not unless it changed in the last few years.

---

The restricted electrical (general) allows for the safe disconnection of supply, removal, repair/replacement and re fitment of equipment that is like for like (minor variations like mechanical bolting, colour are allowed for) and the reconnection of the supply.

What it specifically prohibits is changing, installing or the permanent removal of items. So... on paper..

for me to fit a new 15A inlet to someones caravan is fine, for me to change it to another model with an inbuilt RCD is not. similarly if they want a light added or removed I can't do that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

Although the Authorities aren't inspecting this a s a matter of course, I can guarantee an Electrical Inspector will form part of the prosecution team if anything serious was to go wrong, and then the installer/replacer would be asked questions like "Which code/part of the code did you rely to install the item? Which AS or similar standard did you test the installation to? Where is the documentation for the installation and testing? etc"

---

Agree 100%. Unfortunately someone will be injured or killed by some substandard wiring before this is likely to happen. 🙁

Such is the way of these sort of things unfortunately.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

The restricted electrical (general) allows for the safe disconnection of supply, removal, repair/replacement and re fitment of equipment that is like for like (minor variations like mechanical bolting, colour are allowed for) and the reconnection of the supply.

What it specifically prohibits is changing, installing or the permanent removal of items. So... on paper..

for me to fit a new 15A inlet to someones caravan is fine, for me to change it to another model with an inbuilt RCD is not. similarly if they want a light added or removed I can't do that.

---

Sort of.

i had this out with an electrical inspector.

I can disconnect and reconnect,basically,only, as part of my work trade,such as compressors,pumps,fan motors,contacters,controllers,pressure switches,etc,etc.
I can also do any fault finding,as part of my trade.Three phase,single phase,whatever.
We do this all day.
I can't run fixed cabling.Cant even replace the interconnecting cable for a split system,because the last person ran cables that do not comply with the regs.

So technically,i can replace a light fitting in a cool room,but not one at home.I also can't technically fit a new 15A inlet to a van,or replace a power point at home.This work is not part of my trade.

Not that i would do anything like that anyway[bighmmm]

Put it another way,some plumbers have restricted electrical tickets,they can only disconnect and reconnect heaters in hot water systems,that is part of their trade.As an example,they can't replace a contacter or defrost timer in a mechanical switchboard.

Dave,so yours must be a different type of electrical ticket than mine?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

The restricted electrical (general) allows for the safe disconnection of supply, removal, repair/replacement and re fitment of equipment that is like for like (minor variations like mechanical bolting, colour are allowed for) and the reconnection of the supply.

What it specifically prohibits is changing, installing or the permanent removal of items. So... on paper..

for me to fit a new 15A inlet to someones caravan is fine, for me to change it to another model with an inbuilt RCD is not. similarly if they want a light added or removed I can't do that.

---

Not the case case when I got my restricted electrical.....

If your sponsor or employer ticks all the industries and is happy to sign off all good.....

My industry at the time was gas, I could only be endorsed for gas appliances, probably because we were following the requirements to a T......the guys from coke-cola that wet on the same course got endorsed for food manufacturing equipment.

Maybe it was a little different when you did your training and the application to tie electrical licensing board.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Homestar

Agree 100%. Unfortunately someone will be injured or killed by some substandard wiring before this is likely to happen. 🙁

Such is the way of these sort of things unfortunately.

---

Speaking with a mate (yes, I do have some [tonguewink]) who is with one of the larger (read largest) van building companies, he was involved in an industry regulatory meeting a few weeks earlier, and they are looking at synchronising the rules/regulations of the entire industry, clamping down on all and sundry, country wide.
It seems very few manufacturers do any real world type destructive testing on anything, including framework etc. Was a bit of a surprise to me, as I would have thought this, to some degree was already in place.
Waiting to catch up with him again in a couple of weeks, so I might have better info there after. Hopefully, it won’t take someone being killed to get this right.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by W&KO

Not the case case when I got my restricted electrical.....

If your sponsor or employer ticks all the industries and is happy to sign off all good.....

My industry at the time was gas, I could only be endorsed for gas appliances, probably because we were following the requirements to a T......the guys from coke-cola that wet on the same course got endorsed for food manufacturing equipment.

Maybe it was a little different when you did your training and the application to tie electrical licensing board.

---

the restricted electrical varies from state to state (no surprise there) and what you're endorsed for.

just like truck rego and licences.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scarry

Sort of.

i had this out with an electrical inspector.

I can disconnect and reconnect,basically,only, as part of my work trade,such as compressors,pumps,fan motors,contacters,controllers,pressure switches,etc,etc.
I can also do any fault finding,as part of my trade.Three phase,single phase,whatever.
We do this all day.
I can't run fixed cabling.Cant even replace the interconnecting cable for a split system,because the last person ran cables that do not comply with the regs.

So technically,i can replace a light fitting in a cool room,but not one at home.I also can't technically fit a new 15A inlet to a van,or replace a power point at home.This work is not part of my trade.

Not that i would do anything like that anyway[bighmmm]

Put it another way,some plumbers have restricted electrical tickets,they can only disconnect and reconnect heaters in hot water systems,that is part of their trade.As an example,they can't replace a contacter or defrost timer in a mechanical switchboard.

Dave,so yours must be a different type of electrical ticket than mine?

---

And I can do all this in NSW, Vic, Tas and Sa but not Qld, NT and WA.
Those states refuse to acknowledge my quals.....[emoji849]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rick130

And I can do all this in NSW, Vic, Tas and Sa but not Qld, NT and WA.
Those states refuse to acknowledge my quals.....[emoji849]

---

Should be national recognition for trades.

I can guarantee a licensed electrician has never been near 99.999% of caravans in Australia. The wiring is woeful and horrendous if you ever have the side off one (except the pommy built caravans. They seem to run proper wiring harnesses).

Just change the plug. I guarantee you will do a better and safer job than the factory did (even if you are just using a shifter and $2.00 pair of pliers from ALDI).

The only thing I would make sure of is if there is a safety switch fitted .... the damn thing was actually wired correctly ( and it actually works ). If there wasn't one fitted.... Fit one!

Safety Switch Caravan RV Double Pole 16 Amp 4.5kA with 2 Module Enclosure 2 pole | Isupply Electrical

Nearly every caravan I've seen the cladding off I've been able to find something REALLY DODGY on. eg: staples into the 240volt wiring (I **** you not, its VERY common). Or ... nails into the 240 volt wiring ... The 240 volt wiring is always swinging around uncontained in the walls ............ mixed with 12volt wiring (that is often only twisted together :Thump::no2: I am not kidding ... the 12volt wiring is just twisted together and covered in insulation tape ..... Swinging uncontained in the walls (mixing with any aeriel/240volt wiring). The gentlest tug on the 12volt wiring will pull it apart!

safety switch .... you must fit one ..... absolutely. I think the aluminium frame caravans would be much safer as you wouldn't tend to end up with live staples/nails around the 'van (as the whole caravan is an earth, so the thing will pop fuses/circuit breakers if the factory has put screws/pop rivets through the 240volt wiring).

When the builders were working on my place I came home oneday to find no power to 1/2 of the house... Very strange, I figured an appliance must have died in the house. So I busily unplugged *everything* I could find.... and finally the safety switch stopped tripping. OK, so lets plug everything back in one at a time and see what is tripping it. Imagine my surprised when ***anything*** at all plugged in tripped the circuit breaker..... I finally worked it out though. If you short neutral and earth together .... the safety switch will not see the earth leakage until you apply a load (as its wired into the active). So I switched the power off and went outside to the end of the house where they had removed the bricks and hung foil insulation to cover the house frame. I know where the powerpoint was inside the house, so I pushed on the insulation until I felt the wiring .... and traced it across the bottom of the frame, then up the wall .............................where I found a staple straight into the wiring (rather than the frame). The fact our meter box has been upgraded to safety switch/circuit breakers on each circuit probably save the builders life ....... You really should bang staples into the 240volt wring ...........

seeya,
Shane L.

There was actually a thread on another forum and some pics of wiring in vans before it was sheeted over,I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

There have also been a few fires in newish vans caused by electrical faults,but nowhere was it stated what the fault was,it could have been the 12V wiring.

Something sure needs to be done about it.