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A recent thread on the suitability of a cable supplied preinstalled on a manufactured floodlight/pump had me wondering a few things.
Over the years the installation regs have placed more and more emphasis on following manufacturers instructions. I can see this would be fine for higher end manufacturers of commercial devices who go to great lengths to supply accurate manuals and guides for their products but given that the lower end of the market is notorious for providing a poorly translated single-sided photocopied flyer for their instructions....is it really a good idea to give this any legal weight?
I was also wondering how do you define 'manufacturer'? Many appliances are rebadged or even unbranded completely so the original manufacturer is actually unknown. I've even come across identical items from the same factory of origin under different brand names that come with completely different instructions and installer requirements. I've also come across identical items both of the same brand name sold by different 'authorised' agents who have their own varying installation requirements, would these be classed as MI's for regs purposes?
Suppliers often add their own restrictions on how/where a product may be installed/used in order to try to reduce the chances of failures under warranty. If the electrical supplier (think CEF or Edmunsons) you purchase the item from has their own installation instructions/requirements, or going even further down the chain maybe an Amazon vendor, would these carry any weight in the context of the electrical regs?
With regard to the suitability of the preinstalled cable surely this would be determined by the cable manufacturers data sheet which you would rarely if ever be able to confirm?
Over the years the installation regs have placed more and more emphasis on following manufacturers instructions. I can see this would be fine for higher end manufacturers of commercial devices who go to great lengths to supply accurate manuals and guides for their products but given that the lower end of the market is notorious for providing a poorly translated single-sided photocopied flyer for their instructions....is it really a good idea to give this any legal weight?
I was also wondering how do you define 'manufacturer'? Many appliances are rebadged or even unbranded completely so the original manufacturer is actually unknown. I've even come across identical items from the same factory of origin under different brand names that come with completely different instructions and installer requirements. I've also come across identical items both of the same brand name sold by different 'authorised' agents who have their own varying installation requirements, would these be classed as MI's for regs purposes?
Suppliers often add their own restrictions on how/where a product may be installed/used in order to try to reduce the chances of failures under warranty. If the electrical supplier (think CEF or Edmunsons) you purchase the item from has their own installation instructions/requirements, or going even further down the chain maybe an Amazon vendor, would these carry any weight in the context of the electrical regs?
With regard to the suitability of the preinstalled cable surely this would be determined by the cable manufacturers data sheet which you would rarely if ever be able to confirm?
