We have summarized all of the important information for the safe, standard-compliant usage of WAGO products.
Splicing connectors fall within the application scope of the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU.
DIN VDE 0100-520 for electric cable and wiring systems in buildings clearly specifies that, in the construction of these systems, only connectors meeting the applicable European standards and the German product standards derived from them are permitted for connecting conductors. DIN EN 60998 (VDE 0613) is cited for splicing connectors and DIN EN 60947 (VDE 0611) for rail-mount terminal blocks. In the worst case, the party constructing such systems must verify that the products used satisfy these standards. Therefore, WAGO submits all its connectors to independent testing agencies in accordance with these standards to ensure maximum product safety for electrical system constructors. The approval marks that have been granted are affixed to the packaging and products. WAGO also provides the certificates upon request.
Tested and Approved
WAGO’s installation connectors are used by electrical system installers around the world. Approval according to the applicable standards is a requirement for international use. For this reason, WAGO’s installation connectors and their packaging carry national and international approval marks, as well as further information specific to the application domain. This lets users know that, with WAGO’s installation connectors, the material they work with is standard-compliant.
In Europe, WAGO certifies its installation connectors according to the ENEC process to ensure that the European standard EN 60998 is met and that the connectors conform to all procedures for obtaining the VDE mark.
With this single test, WAGO products are granted approval covering all of Europe. This approval is indicated by the ENEC approval mark. An identification number representing the certification agency is listed after the approval mark. Technical specifications regarding nominal current and voltage, as well as the conductor type and cross-section that can be used, are also affixed. Information about the conductor types is given in English. WAGO installation connectors labeled with an “r” (rigid) can connect solid or stranded conductors. WAGO installation connectors labeled with an “s” (solid) connect solid conductors. WAGO installation connectors labeled with “str” (stranded) connect stranded conductors. WAGO installation connectors labeled with an “f” (flexible) connect fine-stranded conductors.
WAGO installation connectors that were certified before the ENEC test have national approval marks such as the VDE approval mark, the KEMA KEUR approval mark (Netherlands) or the DEMKO approval mark (Denmark). These approval marks are also followed by technical specifications. Usually only one conductor cross-section is indicated, not a cross-section range. WAGO installation connectors can connect at least the next two conductor cross-sections smaller than this stated cross-section in accordance with EN 60998.
In addition to the European approvals, WAGO’s installation connectors are also certified for the North American market, specifically from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for the US and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) for Canada. In the past, these two certification agencies jointly introduced the “cULus” mark. In accordance with this standard’s requirements, information about the application area is indicated after the mark.
Unlike Europe, North America uses the American Wire Gauge system (AWG) instead of the metric system (mm²) to specify the conductor cross-section.
WAGO’s installation connectors are also used by electrical installers in Japan. Therefore, the connectors also fulfill the requirements of the Product Safety Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law (PSE standard). This certification is issued by Japan Electrical Testing Laboratories (JET). Here too, information about standards compliance and permissible conductor diameters is presented. In Japan, the conductor diameter is used instead of the cross-section. Because WAGO’s installation connectors are optimized for installation size, the approval marks and corresponding information cannot always be presented sequentially.
Local operating conditions vary as widely as the actual applications themselves do. Surrounding air temperature is a very important operating parameter, since it places special requirements on the heating characteristics of the installation material.
Manufacturers can also specify different temperatures.
Maximum 1 Watt Power Loss
Calculating Power Loss of Rail-Mount Terminal Blocks and Splicing Connectors:
Therefore, DIN VDE 0298-4 recommends values for conductor’s current load capacity that are based on parameters such as surrounding air temperature, cross-section and installation type. On both the national and international level, types A1, A2, B1 and B2 have especially great practical significance. These installation types describe surface and concealed wall or floor wiring installed in electrical conduits and ducts. Taken together, operating temperature, conductor cross-section and installation type yield the maximum current load.
TOPJOB® S 2003 Series Multilevel Installation Terminal Blocks with Internal Disconnection – for Use in Small Circuit Groups.
Additional precautionary measures are required to ensure that periodic testing will not present a danger to persons or livestock. Property and equipment must not be damaged, even if a circuit fails. To prevent damage to equipment due to the higher test voltage (e.g., 500 V), this standard also recommends connecting the live conductors L and N during measurement.
Is it permissible to roll up reserve connectors?
“Just roll them up” is, or rather was, often considered the solution to unused wires in switchgear units. However, the standards do not permit such rolling. For touch-proof protection, it is best for the reserve conductor to be connected to a replacement terminal block. Using a terminal for this purpose has several advantages: It prevents contact with active parts, preventing dangerous voltage carry-over. And if the space required for the replacement terminal block is included during switchgear planning, no additional changes are necessary if the system eventually expands. And in the best case, you will have the right terminal block at hand. A general statement on the convenience and usage of reserve conductors can only be found in DIN EN 60204-1:2006 (VDE 0113, Part 1). Section 13.4.7 “Additional conductors” states: “Consideration should be given to providing additional conductors for maintenance or repair. If spare conductors are provided, they must be connected to spare terminal blocks or insulated to prevent contact with active parts.”
Terminal blocks in the cable duct?
Are electrical cables in cable ducts allowed to be connected to splicing connectors? Under certain circumstances, yes, because, figuratively speaking, a cable duct can pass for a box or cabinet.
Why is this important? The DIN VDE 0100-520:2003-06 standard, section 526.5, requires that conductor connections must be made in boxes or cabinets – in the case of cables, also in sleeves. Connections may also be made within electrical equipment, but only if the manufacturer has provided spaces with permanently installed terminal blocks for this purpose.
Therefore, terminal blocks in cable ducts are also feasible per the standards, if their cover can only be removed with a tool (e.g., a screwed cover). In addition, the electrical installer must ensure that all connection points are relieved of mechanical stress and tension.
N-conductor disconnect terminal blocks: Where are they mandatory?
N-conductor disconnect terminal blocks: Where are they mandatory, and why can they be useful even outside the standard?
Contrary to common misconceptions, neutral conductor disconnection isn’t always mandatory for electrical installations, such as in private residences. Nevertheless, it can also be useful where it is not directly required. Why and where it is actually required by law? Let’s take a look at the relevant standards.
Where is N-disconnection required?
N-disconnection devices (per DIN VDE0100-718) are mandatory in public buildings, workplaces or buildings where people gather. These include restaurants, shopping malls, train stations, airports, parking structures, apartment buildings, theaters and stadiums. In those places, the insulation resistance must be measured frequently, and at conductor cross-sections under 10 mm 2, measurement must be possible without disconnecting the conductors. N-disconnection devices are also mandatory for neutral conductors if the workplace has an increased fire risk, according to the VdS 2033 directive.
Why is N-disconnection useful?
With N-conductor disconnect terminal blocks, an insulation measurement can be performed without disconnecting the neutral conductor according to DIN VDE 0100-482. But there is also a practical benefit: N-disconnect terminal blocks greatly accelerate electrical system troubleshooting – thanks to the sliding disconnect function. Simply switch off all fuses, pull all N-disconnect sliding links from the N-busbar and then, with the RCD switched on, switch each individual circuit back on. After all, do you have the time and money for hours of troubleshooting in either private or commercial installations?
Electrical installation: How does an ambitious do-it-yourselfer handle electrical work?
By saying: I’ll do a little of that electrical work myself. Thanks to this attitude, electrical professionals often encounter laymen’s work – especially while making service calls in private homes. One thing is certain: Electrical installation is a business for professionals, not amateurs. But how should electrical professionals respond to DIY installations? Volker Kuhlmann, ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTIONS technical customer consultant at WAGO, cites the legal basis and gives tips.
The Material Is No Problem
“When laymen perform electrical installations in private homes, there’ a danger that they, not only can they do a lot wrong, but they can also pose a risk to both their own lives and the lives of those around them,” warns Volker Kuhlmann. OK, so how do unskilled electricians actually get the right materials for the job? “In addition to distribution via electrical wholesalers to electrical specialists, WAGO products are also available to anyone via other distribution channels” – DIY stores or the Internet.
The Legal Basis
WAGO therefore points out that laymen are generally prohibited from performing electrical work. “This prohibition extends to the entire residential electrical system, including the replacement of equipment such as sockets and switches. It makes no difference if the material in question was acquired through the open market,” says Kuhlmann as clarification. In this context, he refers to Section 13 of the German Low Voltage Connection Ordinance (Niederspannungsanschlussverordnung – NAV).
NAV – Section 13
NAV is the acronym for the German Low Voltage Connection Ordinance. It is a national ordinance on general conditions for grid connection and its use for low voltage electricity supply.
Section 13 deals with “Electrical Installation.” Section 13, subsection 2 states: “[...] Apart from the grid system operator, the work may only be performed by an installation company entered in an installer directory of a grid system operator; in the interest of the subscriber, the grid system operator may only make an entry in the installer directory based on proof of sufficient technical qualification to perform the job. [...]
Source: Federal Office for Justice
Note to Those Responsible
Legality is one thing, but the reality is another. “It is advisable to notify the system’s operator, for example the landlord, and to shut down the electrical system in order to counteract possible claims for damages, as well as personal injury and damage to property,” advises Volker Kuhlmann. If the system is not shut down, the advice to do so should at least be documented in writing. To avoid this from the outset, the following note carries tremendous weight: “If the layperson causes damage by their faulty electrical installation, the layperson’s insurance does not guarantee coverage.”
What can electrical laymen do themselves?
From the point of view of ambitious do-it-yourselfers, the question then arises of what work laypeople should be allowed to perform and when it’s time to call a professional. In this blog article, an insurance company provides concrete answers and work for electrical laypeople, such as changing bulbs or setting junction boxes.
Who is liable for infringement?
If the regulation is violated, you are threatened with nothing, not even a fine – as long as nothing happens. “But if incorrect installation leads to a cable overload and an apartment fire, or if a person suffers an electric shock, then the do-it-yourselfer is liable,” says Volker Kuhlmann.
Green-yellow through terminal block?
The search for green–yellow through terminal blocks is in vain, because they don’t exist. This fact is based on the IEC 60947-7-1 product standard, which applies to through terminal blocks. In 2009, the following wording was added to section 7.1.4: “The color combination green–yellow is not permitted for marking terminal blocks.”
So what should be done if an insulated protective conductor connection is required and must be recognizable as such? Basically, all colored through terminal blocks can be used for this purpose – except for blue and green-yellow. The insulated protective conductor terminal points can be marked with the symbol “protective earth (ground)” per IEC 60417-5019 (BD:2002-10) with the letters PE or a green-yellow label.
If this shocks or confuses you or leaves you unconvinced, it should pointed out that this color variant prohibit does not apply to ground conductor rail-mount terminal blocks, since these are also available in green–yellow, because they are approved per IEC 60947-7-2.
Bootleg grounding: modification or grandfathering?
When expanding existing electrical installations in residential buildings, electricians often ask themselves if a modification must be made or whether the electrical installation is somehow covered by a grandfather policy – for example, when there is bootleg grounding.
The situation: An electrician is supposed to expand an electrical system, but in a building constructed in 1963, he encounters “bootleg grounding.” He asks himself, “Does this planned expansion now also require adapting the existing system to the generally recognized rules of technology, or is the existing system covered by a grandfather policy?”
What is bootleg grounding?
Bootleg grounding means that the protective contact of sockets is connected to the grounded return conductor (“N”). This has not been permitted since 1973; however, it does occur, especially in buildings built before 1970. Protection by residual current devices (e.g., RCD or FI/LS switches) cannot be implemented in such electrical systems.
No Grandfather Policy in the Standards
Actually, it is necessary to design corresponding circuits in such a way that the protective and neutral conductors are routed separately from each other in order to use residual current devices. Volker Kuhlmann, ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTIONS technical customer consultant at WAGO, starts by saying: “The concept of a ‘grandfather policy under building law is not defined in the DIN or VDE standards. Therefore it’s only partly transferable to existing electrical installations.”
System Age Is Decisive
Kuhlmann refers to the detailed information from Initiative Elektro+ on the subject to clarify any possibility of existing systems being grandfathered in. The date of construction is particularly relevant. The key concept: the lifespan of the electrical system or electrical equipment. “As a general rule, electrical installations with a 40-year service life are no longer grandfathered in.” However, only a safety assessment can definitively answer the question of whether a grandfather policy can even be asserted. In case of doubt, however, the following applies: Conformity is better than a grandfather policy!
Notification of Defects Brings Security
As a general rule, the safety, reliability and usefulness of the electrical system always take precedence over any protection under a grandfather policy. However, if the detected defects cannot be remedied quickly, for example, because the order is missing, Volker Kuhlmann advises the electrical contractor to definitely issue a notice of defect. This notice should then be confirmed by the operator or owner – as long as the defect poses no acute danger to the user’s life. Otherwise, the system should be shut down.
Adapting Existing Systems
For adapting existing electrical systems, WAGO provides several options to meet the requirements of existing regulations (e.g., Series 2003 and 2005 for RCDs and RCBOs). Due to their low profile, all distribution terminal blocks fit easily under the distribution board covers of standard manufacturers. Project design is supported by an online configurator.
WAGO Connector Box
An electrical installer’s everyday work can be hard enough – the last thing you need is missing materials. In building installations, the robust Vario-T-BOXX and L-BOXX make it easier for you to get out of a tight spot. According to the version, they contain the most commonly used connectors from the 221, 224, 243, 773 and 2273 Series, plus mounting carriers. This means that every qualified electrician is always ready for action – whether for new construct, expansion or service. And with the enclosed parts list, each Boxx can be refilled in no time at all.
