Can I get imported lights certified for use in NZ?

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margrich

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#127135 31-Jul-2013 09:18

I have just imported and had installed by a registered electrician an entire houselot of lights that I imported from a company in China. I asked several times before purchasing whether they could and would supply CE certificates for all of the lights purchased, which they assured me over and over again that they did. They lights are now installed, but the electrician will not sign off the code of compliance until he has the CE certificates for the lights, which after 2 months of battling I still cannot get from the company who supplied the lights. Can anyone tell me if I can get lights tested and certified for use in NZ?

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#869114 31-Jul-2013 10:21

See this....
http://www.ianz.govt.nz/services/accreditation-2/accreditation/laboratories/electrical/
and this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking

timmmay

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#869118 31-Jul-2013 10:23

I thought you needed NZ certification, or maybe Australia certification, not just CE certification.

It may be cheaper to replace the lights with NZ certified lights than to take someone else's product through certification.

Handle9

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#869137 31-Jul-2013 10:45

You are pretty screwed. You don't need CE certificates, you need evidence that the lights are compliant to NZ safety regs. If they are LEDs with drivers you may also need C-Tick for them.

wellygary

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#869155 31-Jul-2013 11:10

timmmay: I thought you needed NZ certification, or maybe Australia certification, not just CE certification.

It may be cheaper to replace the lights with NZ certified lights than to take someone else's product through certification.

I'm guessing that you would probably not even be able to get them certified based solely on an examination of the physical product.

You will likely need circuit diagrams, input and output specifications, and a whole pile of other technical data you wont have and wont be able to get from the manufacturer...

Inphinity

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#869157 31-Jul-2013 11:12

Sadly I agree, if the manufacturer isn't coming to the party, it's probably going to be cheaper & faster to just replace them. If the certification process for lights is anything like it is for other electrical products, it's not really viable unless you're planning to import and sell reasonable quantities.

sir1963

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#869456 31-Jul-2013 18:26

margrich: I have just imported and had installed by a registered electrician an entire houselot of lights that I imported from a company in China. I asked several times before purchasing whether they could and would supply CE certificates for all of the lights purchased, which they assured me over and over again that they did. They lights are now installed, but the electrician will not sign off the code of compliance until he has the CE certificates for the lights, which after 2 months of battling I still cannot get from the company who supplied the lights. Can anyone tell me if I can get lights tested and certified for use in NZ?

CE is rudely called Chinese Export, and can simply mean the paint is non toxic.
The light fittings need to meet the NZ/AUS electrical safety standards, and it will cost a lot to get them signed off.
You need to supply a reasonable number, they will be tested to destruction and you will pay by the hour which means you may be looking at up to $20,000 or more depending on how complex the fittings are.

mattwnz

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#869468 31-Jul-2013 18:41

sir1963:

CE is rudely called Chinese Export, and can simply mean the paint is non toxic.
The light fittings need to meet the NZ/AUS electrical safety standards, and it will cost a lot to get them signed off.
You need to supply a reasonable number, they will be tested to destruction and you will pay by the hour which means you may be looking at up to $20,000 or more depending on how complex the fittings are.

Makes me wonder if all the ones that are sold by lighting sellers in NZ and on trademe meet all the NZ standards, as many I have seen look to be ones you can buy off chinese wholesale websites.

This is why I am a fan of retrofitted bulbs that fit conventional B22 and E27 fittings. Philips now make affordbale LED bulbds for them, from $18-25 per bulb depending on wattage, and that can only come down.

It sounds like trying to save a bit of money by the OP, may be false economy if you can't get them signed off to meet NZ standards. The cheapest option is often not the cheapest option in the long run I have found.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

gregmcc

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#869519 31-Jul-2013 19:25

Makes me wonder if all the ones that are sold by lighting sellers in NZ and on trademe meet all the NZ standards, as many I have seen look to be ones you can buy off chinese wholesale websites.

A lot of retailers/trade me sellers pretend to not know about the requirements and hope to get away with it, sooner or later there will be a fire caused by one of these cheap fittings and then there will be a world of hurt brought down on the sellers.

Bung

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#869525 31-Jul-2013 19:33

The world of hurt will also involve the installer. I can't think of a clumsier system than importers and suppliers having to give individual electricians a copy of their SDoC. Even the biggest names aren't organised properly. They should have to satisfy Energy Safety before being allowed to sell in the 1st place.

mattwnz

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#869526 31-Jul-2013 19:40

gregmcc:

Makes me wonder if all the ones that are sold by lighting sellers in NZ and on trademe meet all the NZ standards, as many I have seen look to be ones you can buy off chinese wholesale websites.

A lot of retailers/trade me sellers pretend to not know about the requirements and hope to get away with it, sooner or later there will be a fire caused by one of these cheap fittings and then there will be a world of hurt brought down on the sellers.

Yes it is a worry, espeically as some aren't suitable for enclosed fittings, so could overheat. That is why I stick with good brands like Philips, which although are expensive, there is more piece of mind.

sir1963

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#869532 31-Jul-2013 19:55

gregmcc:

Makes me wonder if all the ones that are sold by lighting sellers in NZ and on trademe meet all the NZ standards, as many I have seen look to be ones you can buy off chinese wholesale websites.

A lot of retailers/trade me sellers pretend to not know about the requirements and hope to get away with it, sooner or later there will be a fire caused by one of these cheap fittings and then there will be a world of hurt brought down on the sellers.

You often see product recalls by various bigbox retailers who tried and failed, but then again you also get the spectacular failings like Samsung washing machines which can burst into flames (they should supply an android app so you can see when it happens )

timmmay

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#869541 31-Jul-2013 20:09

My lights, from lighting direct, came with a certificate of compliance (or whatever it's called). The electrician should really have asked for that before he installed them.

richms

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#869663 1-Aug-2013 00:51

How did you pay the seller of the lamps? Hope it was a credit card so you can start threatning them with a chargeback.

The CE certs will say what tests were applied. When a friend looked into it, there wasnt one that was a direct equivalent for the downlight tests since it seems in europe they dont have the problems of retarded insulation installers covering them up like in NZ. If they were a direct 1:1 replacement of old lights they dont need to meet all the new standards for residential downlights anyway.

IMO your sparky is a bit silly for installing gear without the SDOC from the importer to start with. Since the SDOC is provided by the importer and you are the importer whats to stop you from making a BS one? The sparkys dont need to see the test results, just the statment on the SDOC that you have them. Absurdity at its most extreme but there you go.

Then you have the suppliers overseas who will fudge any test result cert you need and the importer can go "look, I have a test cert here!" and that is what they based their SDOC on.

Richard rich.ms

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#869665 1-Aug-2013 01:04

The thing is how can YOU trust the lights if they have no proper NZ certification?

mattwnz

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#869668 1-Aug-2013 01:35

There was a story about cheap power multiboards being sold in NZ, and them causing fires. I wonder if they had certificates and met NZ standards, before NZ stores sold them. When you buy from a NZ store, you do pressume that they do meet standards and have certifications, but these fires have got me a bit worried, that there are substandard power devices being sold by retailers.

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