"have to" what ?
What about "Wago alternatives" in bulk?
Quite possibly true, but what evidence is there that such is the case?
Wago alternatives? Cost effective
- Thread starter jcaan
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Me having initially being able to buy a relative small quantity from SF now finding they are sold in bulk
I think they have always been available in bulk quantities from some suppliers. TLC currently offer a price for 100 of most Wago connectors, but the price per unit for 100 does not work out a lot less than when buying 10.
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There are no regulations about what brands of electrical items can be bought/used. All that matters is that items offered for sale comply with relevant product Standards.
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I always thought it odd that the round screwed junction boxes are no longer allowed but terminal strips are OK, yet they both used screwed connections.
Anyhoo - I do find Wago's expensive for the DIY'r as there are not small kits available in Screwfix like the ideal one there is, you have to spend about £30 in order to make off a few assorted connections instead of £13.
We recently had a large control panel build at work where all the terminals (and there was hundreds) were wago lever ones, in one way using them is easier than screw terminals, other ways it's harder as you cannot put double cord end crimps into them.
Either way, I now have a nice little collection so I made myself a box to put them in.
One of the lads at work who has a large collection is going to give me a couple of boxes of Wago's so he too can have a box like this
Anyhoo - I do find Wago's expensive for the DIY'r as there are not small kits available in Screwfix like the ideal one there is, you have to spend about £30 in order to make off a few assorted connections instead of £13.
We recently had a large control panel build at work where all the terminals (and there was hundreds) were wago lever ones, in one way using them is easier than screw terminals, other ways it's harder as you cannot put double cord end crimps into them.
Either way, I now have a nice little collection so I made myself a box to put them in.
One of the lads at work who has a large collection is going to give me a couple of boxes of Wago's so he too can have a box like this
How can we check if they do or not?
They are still very much 'allowed', provided only that they are 'accessible for inspection and testing' (but opinions will vary as to exactly what that means). Nearly all electrical accessories, and all the devices in CUs etc, in the UK still use screwed terminals
That's always been a problem with Screwfix - on countless occasions I've had to buy a 'pack of 5, 10, 25 or whatever' of items when I've only wanted one or three!
If they comply to a standard, there should be marking to that effect, and also an indication in the associated documentation
It can get a bit complicated, but the short answer is probably 'no', particularly if the product claims (truthfully or not!) to comply with a Standard.
They are allowed, and always have been - provided they are installed and used properly which means the junction box is secured to the building fabric, cables are secured & supported and the junction box is accessible for future inspection.
Slinging such things under floorboards hanging by the cables was never acceptable, even though plenty of people did and probably still do that.
Regulation of electrical devices in the EU/UK* is based primarily on trusting manufacturers/importers to self-certify their products as compliant, and trusting retailers to do their due-dilligance on their suppliers. Large organisations tend to take this at least somewhat seriously, because if they supply substandard products and those products get someone hurt/killed they could be faced with extremely expensive lawsuits and recalls, not to mention the reputational damage.
Marketplace sites do an end-run around much of this regulation. If you buy a product shipped direct from a retailer outside the UK then in many cases *YOU* are the importer and *YOU* are the one legally responsible for it's compliance. If you buy from a supplier that ships from inside the UK then you are not the importer, but who is? probably some company with little in the way of assets or reputation that will disappear before their substandard products catch up to them.
* While we have left the EU, I don't believe we have substantially changed our legal framework on this stuff.
Quite so. I've seen under the floorboards of countless houses with electrical installations of appreciable age, and I'm not sure that I have seen (m)any that did not have at least some examples of what you describe. So, 'acceptable' or not, I would therefore suspect that there must be very many millions of such things in service in the UK
So if I buy some unbranded versions of wago like connectors from ebay shop. 90 going for 8 quid or so. Shipped from the UK. I don't hold accountability for it ?
Where items claim to be shipped from is irrelevant.
If you are buying items for electrical installations or any other purpose, YOU are the one responsible for your actions.
When someone's house burns down due to the equipment or materials you installed and enquires are made in your direction as to what where why and when, there are two possibilities:
1 - provide evidence that you purchased items from a reputable source where the manufacturer is known, the products are declared to comply with the required standards and that you installed them in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
2 - state that you obtained some unbranded no-name items from some random vendor on ebay, which had no instructions, no manufacturer details, no declaration of conformity or evidence of compliance with any standards for such products.
Which of those do you think will have a favourable outcome, and which will end up with you found guilty for gross negligence and liable for the vast costs of the of the damage, death and destruction caused?
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