DIY Brew Control Panels and House Insurance

[breakbeer]

My wife is an insurance loss adjuster & what most people on here are saying about 'they'll do ANYTHING to get out of paying a claim' is simply & flat out not true.
In a nutshell, every policy & PDS is different in so many ways, unless it's written in stone on your policy then they have nothing to 'hang their hat on'
Comparing auto insurance policies regarding tire pressures & a House & Contents policy regarding electronics is like comparing Jessica Alba to the meth addicted, toothless chick who sleeps at the local train station.

Google the '2005 Financial Services Reform Act' if you're that way inclined

 

[spog]

A timely thread, I was looking at buying a second stc1000 for a fermenting fridge. The KK unit came to mind because I thought it might be worth the extra $ than the dodgy deathtrap I wired up

How can they sell an unapproved appliance?

That YOUI link tries to say that 240v is more deadly than 110v? Huh? Me fail electronics, but I thought it was current not voltage that kills ya?

I

Caveat Empor.( I think the spelling is correct) but basically it is buyer beware.
These days responsibility is becoming more and more self regulated,as a tradie I have to accept that anyone can buy a power tool or power lead that has not been tested/tagged as part of the purchase but the rules,regs,laws are just that.
The law is that I as a tradie must do the right thing or be held responsible.
Here the price of T&T is between $ 7.50/10.00 per item.
Off topic,yes,but I am saying that if you are caught out,lookout out.
Any sparkie ( in the true sense of this topic) would be stupid NOT to charge you / me / for their time and record it as an arse covering legal transaction.
A retailer sells a product in good faith what you ,we do with it is our choice,yes the liability argument can go on for ever.
But as I understand,plug and play brew systems and appliances (from a complient trader) are covered by household insurance.

 

[zarniwoop]

So if your not trained and not deemed to be found competent, where does leave you..?

I know your looking at it from a pure legal view, but personally I think its irresponsible to give people the impresion that they can go and wire up equipment at will. I hope I am wrong with how I have interpreted your view.

Yes they can go and wire up equipment at will, it's the law. In the same way they can go and fix their own brakes on a car or repair their scuba tank regulator there's nothing to say they can't. It's up to the individual to decide whether they are competent to do this and as a qualified and experienced electronics engineer I get fed up with people stating that something is illegal when it isn't, there is far too much scare-mongering regarding electrical issues and this is a classic example.

Yes it can be dangerous, but so are many things, it's up to the individual to decide but they should have the facts regarding what they can and cannot do legally before they do.

 

[zarniwoop]

My wife is an insurance loss adjuster & what most people on here are saying about 'they'll do ANYTHING to get out of paying a claim' is simply & flat out not true.
In a nutshell, every policy & PDS is different in so many ways, unless it's written in stone on your policy then they have nothing to 'hang their hat on'
Comparing auto insurance policies regarding tire pressures & a House & Contents policy regarding electronics is like comparing Jessica Alba to the meth addicted, toothless chick who sleeps at the local train station.

Google the '2005 Financial Services Reform Act' if you're that way inclined

This and other insurance info is the most useful in this thread so far.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

My wife is an insurance loss adjuster & what most people on here are saying about 'thoey'll do ANYTHING to get out of paying a claim' is simply & flat out not true.

http://m.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/brisbane-business-wins-supreme-court-case-against-allianz-over-stormwater-insurance-rejection/story-fnihsrf2-1226684555779

http://m.smh.com.au/environment/weather/when-is-a-flood-not-a-flood-20110105-19g0p.html

http://www.ausbt.com.au/will-your-travel-insurance-cover-brisbane-s-floods

Mmmmmm..........

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Yes they can go and wire up equipment at will, it's the law.

Can you point me towards the legaslation that allows for this, I would like to check it out further.

 

[DU99]

:icon_offtopic: few years ago the ETU tried to have the rules selling electricial parts changed so only licensed people could buy them..
Also OCEI in victoria imposes very heavy fines for non licensed electricial work connected to the supply.

 

[barls]

ever done the test and tag course. 3 days if your not electrically qualified but about 3/4 if you are.
and yes i have my test and tag number plus a cert 4 in electronics and electrical and another one in frontline govt management.
if anyone can tell me what the second one does ill be happy

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I wouldn't imagine there would be any legislation pointing out things that are not illegal, but one thing's for sure Bunnings and other electrical wholesalers wouldn't be selling cable, electrical plugs, sockets and the like for fear of litigation if Joe Blow the village idiot who doesn't know his earth from his elbow wired something up and he had an accident.
Responsibility is with the purchaser.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Bunnings & TLE etc state that electrical wirring must be performed by licenced electricians. Its not illegal to sell it, just installing it

 

[Screwtop]

Electrical contractor installed power to my shed including a sub switchboard with a safety switch, lighting circuit and two power circuits, one 15A.

I built my control panel, if it malfunctioned/shorted/burnt resulting is a fire or damage to the building without tripping the breakers/safety switch installed by the contractor I would sue him if my insurance provider would not pay up.

Screwy

 

[booargy]

Electrical contractor installed power to my shed including a sub switchboard with a safety switch, lighting circuit and two power circuits, one 15A.

I built my control panel, if it malfunctioned/shorted/burnt resulting is a fire or damage to the building without tripping the breakers/safety switch installed by the contractor I would sue him if my insurance provider would not pay up.

Screwy

The protection installed on the circuit is only designed to protect the wiring not what is plugged into the outlet. So if the fault current doesn't exceed the circuit protection it will not trip.
for example a "hot joint" is a high resistance connection(loose,corroded,broken cable strands) that gets hot enough to burn but doesn't draw enough current to trip the circuit protection.

 

[zarniwoop]

Can you point me towards the legaslation that allows for this, I would like to check it out further.

Sure when you can give me legislation that says I can eat chocolate cake or whistle a tune or build a model train. In the vast majority of cases legislation exists to tell you what you can't do, not what you can do. The lack of a law banning this means you can do this.

Just so we are very clear on this I will state my point again: Whilst it is illegal to work on fixed mains voltage equipment, it is not illegal to work on non fixed mains equipment (i.e. equipment connected to the mains by a plug) with the exception of Qld.

Evidence to the contrary please? (and not just what someone thinks or they were told)

 

[O-beer-wan-kenobi]

zarniwoop I hear your point.
I work for a switchboard manufacture. We can have people working on our equipment installing cables, bus bars etc with no electrical qualifications at all. However the equipment must be tested and to the relevant standards before it is connected to the main supply.
To work on mains connected equipment we must use licensed electricians.

I'm not sure of the regulations about non fixed mains equipment via plugs. The WA Energy Safety web site below does not say that it is illegal or legal to work on appliances. If it was illegal I would have thought that they would state this.
It does say that it is legal to connect plugs and cords.

http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/energysafety/Content/Consumers/Safe_use_of_electricity/index.htm

These rules are there for a reason to make sure we are safe. If we do not follow them there maybe consequences

 

[pcmfisher]

I have known of car accidents where they didint pay out because the tryes where not inflated to the correct pressure.

And I know someone that got a chicken bone stuck in their throat while eating at KFC, and when the doctor removed it he said "That's not a chicken bone, its a cat bone".......

I actually did know this person. Really and truely. Honest.

 

[DU99]

portable equipment has to be tag and tested at certain periods of time,reason being that they are safe for people to use

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS/NZS_3760
http://www.appliancetaggingservices.com.au/electrical-safety-standard

 

[Coalminer]

Sure when you can give me legislation that says I can eat chocolate cake or whistle a tune or build a model train. In the vast majority of cases legislation exists to tell you what you can't do, not what you can do. The lack of a law banning this means you can do this.

Just so we are very clear on this I will state my point again: Whilst it is illegal to work on fixed mains voltage equipment, it is not illegal to work on non fixed mains equipment (i.e. equipment connected to the mains by a plug) with the exception of Qld.

Evidence to the contrary please? (and not just what someone thinks or they were told)

Not disagreeing with this, but we all know laws are stupid sometimes (reflects the commonsense of those that draw up those laws)
But therefore I can change the oven element in a microwave oven or small plug-in conventional oven but I can't change the oven element in a fixed wired conventional oven as its permanently connected!

 

[pk.sax]

Not disagreeing with this, but we all know laws are stupid sometimes (reflects the commonsense of those that draw up those laws)
But therefore I can change the oven element in a microwave oven or small plug-in conventional oven but I can't change the oven element in a fixed wired conventional oven as its permanently connected!

Makes sense to me.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

But therefore I can change the oven element in a microwave oven

Good luck with that.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Stoopid double posting...