Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lalith A. Samaliarachchi
Session 2
The wiring regulations
Contents
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
Lalith A. Samaliarachchi
Aim
The aim of this session is to teach you the basis of the IEE Wiring Regulations, get an
idea about the meanings of some terms and symbols used in electrical installation.
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Specific Objectives
At the end of this session you will be able to
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Introduction
In the previous session we learnt that the main legal enactment regarding the
electrical installations is the Electricity Act and that under this Act, Electrical
Installations must satisfy the IEE Wiring Regulations. Why has the IEE Wiring
Regulations been specified? Why not some local regulation? Probably the
Regulations of the London Institution were originally specified because we were
under the British rule at the time of the original Ordinance in 1906. We continue to
use it as our regulation as for one thing drawing up afresh a regulation of that nature
for Sri Lanka is not a feasible proposition, for another thing our electricity system is
based on the British pattern and finally the IEE Wiring Regulations have been drawn
up after careful thought and presently in line with International Wiring Regulations.
There have been requirements for safe electrical wiring as far back as 1876 and, in
1882, the Society of Telegraph Engineers and Electricians, later to become the
Institution of Electrical Engineers (predecessor of IEE now part of the IET),
published the Rules and Regulations for the Prevention of Fire Risks arising
from Electric Lighting.
This first publication of the IEE Wiring Regulations was just a simple four-page
document. It was from these small beginnings that the idea of an inspection body with
teeth to protect the general public from the dangers associated with electricity use was
born. The first edition covered the topics dynamo machine, the wires, lamps and danger
to person, as these were the important topics at that time for public lighting. With time
the content and title of the regulations underwent various changes from edition to
edition, the work being undertaken by the IEE Wiring Regulation Committee.
The Wiring Regulation Committee are a group of members of the IEE who serve as
individual experts together with representatives of other professional institutions,
government departments, nationalized industries and electrical contractors and
manufacturers associations.
During the early 1950s, the electricity supply industry had begun taking increased interest
in installation issues, even at one stage proposing replacing the IEE Wiring
Regulations with a Code of Minimum Wiring Practice. This was opposed by
contractors, the ECA, the British Electrical & Allied Manufacturers Association
(BEAMA), BSI and the IEE, and the proposal was eventually dropped. The happy result
was a proposal for a more effective inspection body the NICEIC (National Inspection
Council for Electrical Installation Contracting), which was eventually formed in 1956.
Agreement had been reached some time before on the necessity for setting up of the
NICEIC, but difficulties of principle caused actual formation to take six long years.
The delay, however, had a major advantage and the 13th Edition of the Wiring
Regulations, introduced around 1955/56
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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With the proposed launch of the 15th Edition in 1981 more huge controversy
ensued, with many articles, news and views being aired in the trade press. A major
issue was that of mainland European influence, as the 15 th Edition was based in
layout on the IEC Wiring Regulations.
It should be noted that the two international bodies responsible for the publication of IEE
wiring regulations 15th edition are the International Electromechanical Commission (IEC)
and the European Committee for Electro technical standardization (CENELEC). These
are voluntary standards bodies made up of representatives of member countries.
After a about another decade, in December 1992, it was announced that implementation
of the 16th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations would come into effect from 1st
January 1993. The copyright of the publication is held jointly by the IEE and BSI.
Subsequently (2004) several amendments have been made to maintain technical
alignment with CENELEC harmonization document (HD) such as: Identification of
conductors by colors or numerals, safety principles for man-machine interface etc.
For example installation commencing on site after 31st of March 2006 are to comply with
the marking requirements of section 514 as amended and as appropriate cores identified
with the harmonized colors. Installations commencing on site after 31 st march 2004 and
before 1st April 2006 may be installed in accordance with Amendment No 2:2004 or
No 1:2002, that is, they may use the harmonized colors or the old colors, but NOT both.
17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations came into force in January 2008. The
copyright of the publication is held jointly by the IET (The institution of Engineering and
Technology) and BSI. This new edition of the Regulations applies to design, erection and
verification of electrical installations. Existing installations that have been installed in
accordance with earlier editions of the regulations may not comply with this edition in
every respect ant it does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe for continued use of
require upgrading. BS 7671:2008 will continue to be amended from time to time to take
account of the publication of new or amended CENELEC standards.
Whats in the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations? There are many important changes.
The most significant changes can be summarized as follows:
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Below is an overview of the history of various editions of the IEE wiring regulations:
1882 1st Edition of the 'Wiring Rules' issued. Entitled Rules and Regulations for
the prevention of Fire Risks Arising from Electric Lighting consisted of a 4 page
document
With the publication of the fifteenth edition it was decided that in future reprints of
the same edition (amendments) would be contained in one of five different colored
covers red, green, yellow, blue and brown, a new edition would be published when
the brown covered reprint required updating.
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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In about 2008, 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations came into effect.
Its chapters, sections, parts etc are not numbered in identical manner as normal
textbooks so that you may at first get confused. Numbering follows the pattern of
IEC60364. However, once you understand the plan, searching through the
Regulation becomes quite easy. The Regulations is divided into seven parts
followed by 16 appendices.
In the numbering system used, the first digit signifies a Part, the second digit a
Chapter, the third digit a Section and the subsequent digits the Regulation number.
These give the sense in which certain terms are used throughout the Regulations.
The subsequent parts give the body of the Regulations. They are:
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Part 4: describes the basic measures of protection against the various risks and
the circumstance for which the measures are suitable.
These are for the protection of persons, livestock, and property against the
hazards that may arise from the use of electricity. A modification to protection
against voltage disturbances and electromagnetic disturbances are now
included in the 17th edition. A new section has been added, which deals with
measures against electromagnetic disturbances. Electromagnetic interference
(EMI) may disturb or damage information technology equipment/systems as
well as equipment with electronic component or circuits. Current due to
lightning, switching operations short-circuits and other electromagnetic
phenomena may cause over voltages and electromagnetic interference. A new
section 444 provides basic requirements and recommendations to enable the
avoidance and reduction of electromagnetic disturbances.
Part 5: deals with the requirements for the selection and erection of equipment.
Part 6: covers the inspection and testing that is required to be carried out to check
that the installation concerned complies with the wiring Regulations.
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Now let us have a look at the plan of 17th edition of IEE regulations.
Figure 2.1 shows the important parts, chapters and sections of the Seventeenth
edition. Numbering follows the pattern of IEC60364 and CENELEC. You can
see from the diagram that various parts, chapters and sections are mentioned,
and that an all-number identification system is used.
Question
If you are required to search for Regulation 413.2, how would you set about doing
it? What do the individual digits mean?
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Discussion
First digit signifies the part, namely part 4-i.e. protection for safety. We have to then
turn to the chapter referred to by the second digit, namely chapter 1 of part 4-i.e.
protection against electric shock. We then have to select the corresponding section
referred to by the third digit, namely section 3 of chapter 1 of part 4-i.e. Protective
measure: Electrical Separation. The figure following the period/point is the regulation
or group number, namely regulation 2 of section 3 of chapter 1 of part 4, which for
simplicity is denoted by Regulation 413.2 (Four One Three point Two).
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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As mentioned in our one of the objectives, an integral and essential part of the
Regulations is that which gives the meanings of the terms used, namely the
definitions. We will state here some of the relevant definitions, while some other
will be given later when they appear in the text.
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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NOTE: For low voltage installations, systems and equipment, basic protection
generally corresponds to protection against direct contact, that is "contact of
persons or livestock with live parts".
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Design current. The magnitude of the current (rms value for a.c.) to be
carried by the circuit in normal service.
Earth. The conductive mass of the earth, whose electric potential at any
point is conventionally taken as zero.
Earth fault loop impedance. The impedance of the earth fault current
loop starting and ending at the point of earth fault This impedance is denoted by
the symbol Zs.
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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- Earth electrode(s)
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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Figure 2.2 diagrammatically shows the various types of protective conductors and
their use. Most of the definitions that we have considered are self explanatory. These
definitions should not be memorized, but their essence should be remembered.
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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ECX4234 Session 2 The wiring regulations
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If fault current A
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