Inverter for the blower on a HVAC/Hot Air system?

[eveares]

Saw this in a utility/electrical cupboard of a large stately house that I was at earlier for New Years celebrations.

Inverter for the blower on the hot air heating system that the property has perhaps? It was mounted high up in the corner, and the room it was in was also near a large air inlet.

Invertek Optidrive

• eveares
• 1 Jan 2017

Regards: Elliott.

 

[ericmark]

Missing its enclosure, I caused a problem at Uni, I was given a project, and it asked for any health and safety implications, I thought it was a prompt and the lecturer knew there were some and wanted me to identify them. I found the Alan Bradley PLC's we were using were designed to be mounted inside an enclosure, you could access live parts without a tool, and there were holes over 1 mm diameter on upper surface. I included the BS7671 reference and the manufactures data saying how the units should be used in an enclosure.

However it seems the lecturer was unaware of this, and it raised questions as to the safety of the equipment being used. He wanted me to change my report which I refused to do, I said had I been unaware of the problem great, but once you know it's a problem you can't ignore it. There was not a problem with me working on the equipment since I was a competent person, but the set up could not be displayed on open days when the schools visited. A compromise was reached, some one had to be with the units while the schools visited to ensure the children did not play with the mains powered parts of the display.

 

[ColJack]

Safety's by means of placing out of reach.. ?

 

[DaveHerns]

You go to a stately home for celebrations, take photos of the electrical installation and post them here at 03.16 ? Couldn't have been very good celebrations!

 

[eveares]

Surprised no one else picked up on the colour of the wires, especially the mains feed going in at the top. Don't know for sure what it is used for, I am amusing it was part of the hot air central heating system.

As for an enclosure, as the unit does not have an integral one, then obviously it needs a generic one.

You go to a stately home for celebrations, take photos of the electrical installation and post them here at 03.16 ? Couldn't have been very good celebrations!

I only live a 5 minutes walk away, and had returned home by 1:00AM. Photo was taken around 11PM.

Also in the room housing the inverter was two single phase DB's, a satellite multi switch, a Sky box hooked up to a "HDMI over CAT5e" box, Wireless Router, and lots of unused/unterminated alarm/CAT5e wires coming through wall.

Here's the manual to the inverter: https://inverterdrive.com/file/Invertek-Drives-Optidrive-E2-Manual/

 

[AdrianUK]

Ignoring, for the moment, the white/black core colours on the mains lead (ie. US colors).... Isn't anybody else surprised that the OUTPUT only seems to have 2 cores? ie. it doesn't seem to be creating a three-phase output??

However, I do agree that this unit is not suitable for mounting in the way it has been. It should be inside a suitable enclosure.

 

[eveares]

Isn't anybody else surprised that the OUTPUT only seems to have 2 cores? ie. it doesn't seem to be creating a three-phase output??

Most likley a double insulated single phase blower/other single phase device. The inverter unit is likley this one: https://inverterdrive.com/group/AC-...rtek-Optidrive-E2-370W-single-phase-Inverter/

 

[AdrianUK]

Well, you learn something new everyday! I've used hundreds of the fractional HP single phase to three phase jobbies from ABB, IMO & SSD but never knew about the single phase to variable single phase drives! This new knowledge might make a few upcoming work projects a little easier

 

[JohnW2]

However, I do agree that this unit is not suitable for mounting in the way it has been. It should be inside a suitable enclosure.

Would that still be true if the cables had been terminated a bit more satisfactorily?

Kind Regards, John

 

[AdrianUK]

Would that still be true if the cables had been terminated a bit more satisfactorily?

Kind Regards, John

Yes, I think it would still be true. There is no provision for any kind of cord grip/restraint and the "live" terminals do not have any barrier - their only protection seems to be by the nature of their depth below surface of the plastic casing.

This item is intended to be a component of some control system and is intended to live inside a cabinet. I don't think its anymore suitable for mounting on that wall than a contactor or MCB would be.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes, I think it would still be true. There is no provision for any kind of cord grip/restraint ...

True - but does it differ in that respect from, say, a standard domestic meter (or, indeed, Henley block or cutout)?

... and the "live" terminals do not have any barrier - their only protection seems to be by the nature of their depth below surface of the plastic casing.

Again true. Although we cannot see from the pic what goes on at the top (which could be a different matter), the front, sides and bottom are, strictly speaking, only required to be IP2X, which I would imagine that 'depth' probably achieves.

This item is intended to be a component of some control system and is intended to live inside a cabinet. I don't think its anymore suitable for mounting on that wall than a contactor or MCB would be.

I certainly agree that it is intended to be in a cabinet, but I wonder whether that is strictly necessary for regulatory compliance.

Standard MCBs, and probably most contactors, are different, since I doubt that many would be IP2X anywhere, and certainly not IP4X at the top - at least, in the vast majority of cases.

Kind Regards, John