Festive/Christmas Lighting

[FrodoOne]

I would appreciate advice as to whether any temporary Festive/Christmas lighting for outdoor, indoor, Christmas Tree use - etc. is allowed to be powered directly from the "Mains" supply in the UK or is it required that all such temporary lighting be powered by Extra Low Voltage transformers, controllers, double insulated power supplies etc.

(Only Extra Low Voltage supplied devices of this type are allowed for these purposes in this country and, as far as I can remember, this has been the case since at least the 1950s.)

Apparently, 120 V Mains supply "Festive" lighting of this type is still allowed in North America ! ! !

 

[ericmark]

Since you are in Melbourne Australia it would be more appropriate to ask this question on the "Electrics Outside of the UK" part of the forum. Or in fact an Australian forum.

 

[davelx]

Since you are in Melbourne Australia it would be more appropriate to ask this question on the "Electrics Outside of the UK" part of the forum. Or in fact an Australian forum.

Er, no, I don't agree - he's asking about UK electrics:
"is allowed to be powered directly from the "Mains" supply in the UK or"

 

[Newboy]

Based on the question the OP asked

is allowed to be powered directly from the "Mains" supply in the UK

This would seem to be an appropriate forum

Short answer - in the UK we can plug anything in to the mains outlets providing the manufacturer has designed it for the environment it's used in.

At this time of the year, I'm sure there will be the usual selection of multi-way adapters wrapped in bin liners with a mains flex jammed through a window frame!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

(Only Extra Low Voltage supplied devices of this type are allowed for these purposes in this country and, as far as I can remember, this has been the case since at least the 1950s.)

Yes, but your country has some strange ideas about electricity, including the one that job protection for electricians should be bought at the cost of people's lives.

 

[JohnD]

(Only Extra Low Voltage supplied devices of this type are allowed for these purposes in this country and, as far as I can remember, this has been the case since at least the 1950s.)

That's interesting. You mean that if I walk down an Australian street, and see lamp festoons across a shopfront, round a beergarden, or running from one side of the street to another, over the shoppers heads, they're all ELV?

https://assets.atdw-online.com.au/i...24d24fe.jpeg?rect=172,0,3451,2588&w=800&h=600

https://assets.atdw-online.com.au/i...2073ff1fb.jpeg?rect=0,0,2133,1600&w=800&h=600

https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/christmas-in-melbourne

https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/shopping/summer-night-markets-in-melbourne?package_page=97582

 

[JohnW2]

That's interesting. You mean that if I walk down an Australian street, and see lamp festoons across a shopfront, round a beergarden, or running from one side of the street to another, over the shoppers heads, they're all ELV?

If so, the sort of things you illustrate must involves some fairly seriously fat cables - and goodness knows how fat in the days (if they have moved on from them!) of incandescent bulbs/lamps!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Robin0577]

That's interesting. You mean that if I walk down an Australian street, and see lamp festoons across a shopfront, round a beergarden, or running from one side of the street to another, over the shoppers heads, they're all ELV?

I'm only guessing here, but I could easily imagine a situation in which commercial or municipal exterior lights installed by professionals may be subject to different rules from those sold in DIY stores for domestic use.

 

[JohnD]

In the UK, these
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Xmas_Lights/Festoon_Party_Lights/index.html
are sold with an ordinary fused plug.

For a permanent/fixed installation, it seems there is a regulation of the equipment to be used, seemingly UK/EU harmonised. I think my local street market has supply pillars for something like this.
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Xmas_Lights/Festoon_Harness/index.html

In the UK, there is no licence required to purchase electrical equipment or components.

IIRC there are regulations in Australia intended to protect the income of certain trades.

 

[JohnW2]

For a permanent/fixed installation, it seems there is a regulation of the equipment to be used, seemingly UK/EU harmonised.

That's not a 'regulation' - it's a Standard.

IIRC there are regulations in Australia intended to protect the income of certain trades.

Some certainly seem to believe that to be intention, although I don't doubt that the regulations were probably created in the name of 'safety'. Why Australia should require a greater degree of electrical 'safety' than almost any other country, I couldn't tell you.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Apparently, 120 V Mains supply "Festive" lighting of this type is still allowed in North America ! ! !

Unless something has changed which I haven't noticed, ~230V mains "festive" lighting is still allowed in the UK.

Does the insistence on ELV lighting in Australia to which you refer apply only to 'temporary' lighting - and, if so, can one get around it by making one's festive lighting 'permanent'?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Some certainly seem to believe that to be intention, although I don't doubt that the regulations were probably created in the name of 'safety'.

It's not working: https://www.voltimum.com.au/search/site/electrocution deaths in australia

Why Australia should require a greater degree of electrical 'safety' than almost any other country, I couldn't tell you.

It's not got it.

Why they thought that the Australian regime would work differently to the NZ one I couldn't tell you.

 

[JohnW2]

It's not working: https://www.voltimum.com.au/search/site/electrocution deaths in australia

Indeed - domestic electrocutions per capita appear to be more than double those in the UK - despite (or perhaps because of?) their level of regulation of electrical work.

Kind Regards, John

 

[scousespark]

Indeed - domestic electrocutions per capita appear to be more than double those in the UK - despite (or perhaps because of?) their level of regulation of electrical work.

Kind Regards, John

What are you basing this on, as I don't believe any official uk stats exist, or have the government starting recording them again?

 

[JohnW2]

What are you basing this on, as I don't believe any official uk stats exist, or have the government starting recording them again?

I'm not sure from where they were ultimately derived, but the most recent published UK stats I've seen indicated about 22 domestic electrocutions in a year, in a population which is, what, abut 64 million? In contrast, although it's all a bit muddled, I think the link BAS posted suggests 15 domestic electrocutions per year in a population which I think is around 25 million.

Of course, in both of the countries, at least some of the electrocutions will inevitably be ones which are in no way the fault of the electrical installations concerned (and, incidentally, a good few are probably ones which an RCD could not have prevented)

Crude data on the number of UK deaths due to electric shock are available in the UK from death certification records, but those records do not allow one to distinguish between domestic and other situations.

Kind Regards, John