Darren Crannis, ECA Technical Manager, looks at protective earthing systems and unravels the difference between PME and PNB. The distinctions between TN-C-S earthing variants, Protective Multiple Earthing (PME) and Protective Neutral Bonding (PNB), often lead to confusion. Despite both falling under the TN-C-S category, they diverge significantly, impacting design considerations and inspection outcomes. Here we ...

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Jake Green, Head of Technical Engagement at Scolmore Group, briefly considers one aspect of selectivity as it relates to overcurrent protective devices (OCPD), and in particular circuit-breakers conforming to BS EN 60898. Selectivity is one element that designers must consider as part of the coordination requirement detailed in Regulation 536.3 (Fig 1). Selectivity is defined ...

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Need help with cracking those EICR codes? The technical team at NAPIT, with the help of the 18th Edition Codebreakers publication, answer your latest coding queries. Click on the photos for a closer look! ALISTAIR RIGBY: THERE WAS NO POWER TO MY NEW BOARD SO I OPENED UP THE ISOLATOR FOR A LOOK AND FOUND ...

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Are you involved directly with heat pump installations or expecting to deal with an existing installation? A better understanding of RCD requirements associated with HPs can save time and money for you and your customers, as Chaz Andrews, Technical Manager at Doepke UK, explains. ASHPs (air source heat pumps) contain large inverters in comparison to ...

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In this article, originally written for the IET Wiring Matters publication, James Eade looks to dispel some of the myths surrounding the use of flexible cables in fixed installations. The content for this piece was inspired by a comment that was posted on the IET EngX Forum which stated: ‘Flexible cables are not permitted in ...

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Working on your own? Need some technical advice? Don’t know where to turn? The technical team at Megger answers the latest technical query from end users. YOU ASK: I’M OFTEN BEING ASKED ABOUT FITTING AND MAINTAINING ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) CHARGEPOINTS BUT I NEED TO BE SURE I HAVE THE RIGHT TEST EQUIPMENT FOR DOING THIS. ...

The post Made 2 Measure: what test equipment do you recommend when working on EV chargepoints? appeared first on Professional Electrician.

Hager’s Technical Training Manager, Paul Chaffers, shares the importance of observing protective device terminal markings and discusses the requirements for disconnecting all live conductors, including the neutral conductor for certain applications. Usually, we consider the current flowing through a protective device to be in one direction only, i.e. from the distribution board to the load. ...

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With less than a week to go until the DPC for Amendment 3:2024 to BS 7671:2018 closes, Mark Coles, Head of Technical Regulations at the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET), gives an update and dispels a myth going on in the industry. We announced the Draft for Public Consultation with BSI on 8 May ...

The post Amendment 3:2024 to BS 7671:2018 – Draft for Public Consultation (DPC): Dispelling The Myths appeared first on Professional Electrician.

The column where you get to put your lighting questions to the head of the Ovia lighting business, Mike Collins, and his team of technical experts. Q. What makes your products (or one product in particular) easy to install? The timing of this question is spot on as we’ve just launched our next tranche of ...

The post Ask Ovia: what makes the Inceptor Milli downlight easy to install? appeared first on Professional Electrician.

Q. My apprentice has completed his AM2S but I’ve not got the apprenticeship certificate yet. Why is this? There can often be confusion around which certificates NET issue directly and what is issued by other bodies. When your apprentice passes their AM2S this is the final piece of their apprenticeship training. They will receive two ...

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