Removing a Sonoff

[AxField]

I’m also trying to understand the comments above. A light switch can never be an isolator. For it to be such, it has to, well, isolate. Not only the live but also the neutral, which we know doesn’t happen. For years lights were powered before the Earth Leakage as lights didn’t have earth connections, the logic being that you can’t get to the light without getting up on a ladder. I don’t agree with the logic (as it’s safer to err on the side of caution and earth everything), but that is just my opinion.

As to the DB board: mine is in a cupboard in the kitchen. The electrician made me stick a sticker on the cupboard door to say the DB board was in there.

 

[krieg]

So is it your opinion or is it actually a requirement?

If you are building a modern house there wouldn’t have been a previous light fitting and if you are planning this to be smart from the very start there would be no requirement for a physical switch at all from the technical needs perspective.

Hence the question.

It was my interpretation of the SANS document yes pretty straightforward. If it was a new installation any decent electrician would add an isolator switch.

 

[SauRoNZA]

It was my interpretation of the SANS document yes pretty straightforward. If it was a new installation any decent electrician would add an isolator switch.

I have sometimes seen them in the roof mounted next to the fan housing or some such setups so could be for that very reason of being out of sight.

That was in office complex setups though.

 

[krieg]

I’m also trying to understand the comments above. A light switch can never be an isolator. For it to be such, it has to, well, isolate. Not only the live but also the neutral, which we know doesn’t happen. For years lights were powered before the Earth Leakage as lights didn’t have earth connections, the logic being that you can’t get to the light without getting up on a ladder. I don’t agree with the logic (as it’s safer to err on the side of caution and earth everything), but that is just my opinion.

As to the DB board: mine is in a cupboard in the kitchen. The electrician made me stick a sticker on the cupboard door to say the DB board was in there.

You get dual pole switches as well as dual pole isolators. You are correct everything should be on an earth leakage and if possible your circuit breakers should be dual pole. I think the lights being off an earth leakage might have to do with nuisance tripping as older incandescent globes lose a lot of energy due to heat which might when you add it up cause your earth leakage unit to trip.

 

[krieg]

I have sometimes seen them in the roof mounted next to the fan housing or some such setups so could be for that very reason of being out of sight.

That was in office complex setups though.

Needs to be within arm's length of the unit usually if possible. Your geyser should have another isolator switch right next to the unit as well as your stove/oven.

 

[AxField]

You get dual pole switches as well as dual pole isolators. You are correct everything should be on an earth leakage and if possible your circuit breakers should be dual pole. I think the lights being off an earth leakage might have to do with nuisance tripping as older incandescent globes lose a lot of energy due to heat which might when you add it up cause your earth leakage unit to trip.

Yeah, thing is though that light switches aren't dual pole. Neither are most of the CB's in the DB. The requirement for dual pole isolation is for isolating a circuit you will be working on (hence dual pole isolator at geyser), not using (like a light switch). That's the way all homes are wired and they get signed off all the time, and I know some pretty hard line electricians. I'm obviously not a qualified electrician, but I recently went through the process of rewiring a big part of my home and busy going through the CoC process.

 

[krieg]

Yeah, thing is though that light switches aren't dual pole. Neither are most of the CB's in the DB. The requirement for dual pole isolation is for isolating a circuit you will be working on (hence dual pole isolator at geyser), not using (like a light switch). That's the way all homes are wired and they get signed off all the time, and I know some pretty hard line electricians. I'm obviously not a qualified electrician, but I recently went through the process of rewiring a big part of my home and busy going through the CoC process.

I'm not sure if I understand correctly, I didn't advocate using the isolator as a switch, the fan is remote controlled and hence assuming the remote will be used. The isolator is there to isolate part of the circuit if something goes wrong or you want to replace the unit. If that unit for example in an unlikely event ever caught fire and let's say the antenna wire is burnt one would have to run all the way to the DB losing seconds which could make a difference. Just good practice to assume the worst and in this case the cost is negligible to prevent a possible catastrophe but as always the owner takes responsibility for the electrical installation of his own property.

 

[AxField]

I'm not sure if I understand correctly, I didn't advocate using the isolator as a switch, the fan is remote controlled and hence assuming the remote will be used. The isolator is there to isolate part of the circuit if something goes wrong or you want to replace the unit. If that unit for example in an unlikely event ever caught fire and let's say the antenna wire is burnt one would have to run all the way to the DB losing seconds which could make a difference. Just good practice to assume the worst and in this case the cost is negligible to prevent a possible catastrophe but as always the owner takes responsibility for the electrical installation of his own property.

Ah, it's quite possible that I misunderstood you then. I got the impression that you advocating for its use meant that you thought it was a legal requirement, which it isn't. Nothing wrong with being safer than what the legal requirement is, it's just important for all of us to be aware what's legal and what's nice.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Needs to be within arm's length of the unit usually if possible. Your geyser should have another isolator switch right next to the unit as well as your stove/oven.

Yeah those are the ones I’m aware of.