Electrical cable recall

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freitasm

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Topic # 152265 22-Sep-2014 10:38

Did these cable make their way into New Zealand?

Lu Luo’s approach to cable wiring puts 40,000 homes across Australia in danger

These were sold in AU by Woolworths (the biggest share of the recall), and others. Apparently appealing to those retail because they cost 50% than competitors...

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Reply # 1133495 22-Sep-2014 10:51

"cab-ling" ????

Glassboy

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Reply # 1133496 22-Sep-2014 10:55

"art-cles"

ubergeeknz

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Vocus

Reply # 1133517 22-Sep-2014 11:13

Oh dear :/

What on earth crap were they using in the insulation that last only 5 years!?

cyril7

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Reply # 1133575 22-Sep-2014 12:17

Are they referring to the TPS sheath or the individual conductor insulation, if its the former then the risk is quite low, but still a concern if exposed to regular mechanical motions.

Cyril

freitasm

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Reply # 1133611 22-Sep-2014 13:03

Apparently the cables decay in very short time.

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SepticSceptic

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Reply # 1133617 22-Sep-2014 13:05

Maybe the same manufacturers that made the HP/Compaq Laptop powercords that are now in recall ? Again degraded insulation.

HP-Laptop-Power-Cord-Safety-Recall-and-Replacement

Look for the LS-15 stamp on the end that plugs into the power brick

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Fred99

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Reply # 1133643 22-Sep-2014 13:37

That's not very good. The photos on that cable show "V 90" indicting that it withstands 90 deg C for a test period within specified limits of degradation, plasticiser loss, thermal degradation etc. Pretty sure these tests were to an AS/NZS, and that accelerated tests (higher temp for shorter duration) are used (or should be) in QA.
Something went wrong, crappy grade and/or recycled PVC, poor formulation etc. - Chinese QA.
40,000 homes in Aussie - jeesh - probably millions in China. Thing is that even though there's a "don't panic" message being sent out, there's no indication given of just how far off-spec the cable is. It might be relatively trivial if perhaps a local manufacturer tested samples looking for small non-conformity - and has pounced.
It could also be tied in with changes to cable specs in Europe, where for environmental reasons lead salts are being banned for use as stabilisers in PVC cable - and it's very hard to find an affordable effective alternative.

Zeon

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Reply # 1133674 22-Sep-2014 13:48

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Anyone surprised about Chinese manufacturers trying to cut corners/costs?

mattwnz

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Reply # 1133684 22-Sep-2014 14:00

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Reminds me of that plumbing which many home had installed in the 80's-2000's which is failing around the country. It is false economy to buy cheap stuff like that. It could be tens of thousand to replace a house lot of wiring in a house, and may require wall boards to be cut or removed..

I thought this imported stuff from china had to have electrical certificates to show it reached NZ standards for durability etc.

gzt

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Reply # 1133750 22-Sep-2014 14:59

Article: Electrical cable is supposed to last up to 40 years, but the Infinity product could fail after just five due to it being poorly insulated. In announcing the national recall ACCC chairman Rod Sims said: “Testing has found that the cables will degrade prematurely and, if the cables are disturbed, the insulation could break and expose live conductors, resulting in possible electric shock or fires.”

Coincidently I've seen this occur on the outer sheath of flexible 240v plugged cable supplied with a chinese pump I bought a few years ago. Coincidently this occurred after approx 5 years of service. I'm willing to bet it's a similar problem. There might be a lot of of this about.

Fred99

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Reply # 1133753 22-Sep-2014 15:02

Import stats show about $5 million worth (CIF) of electrical cable imports from China (I looked up 2013 only) with the tariff item code which would apply for domestic wiring cable. About 500 tonnes - very cheap IMO.

While there are probably many manufacturers in China, and hopefully good documentation, I can't help but feel that there's diplomatic pressure on NZ and a bit of a blind eye turned, lest the Chinese implement strict punitive testing regime on food imports.

The brands of cable sold in Aus may not have been sold here, but that doesn't mean much. They can change the dot matrix print on the cable, and print any label the customer requests on the reels and cartons.

Batman

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Reply # 1133777 22-Sep-2014 15:22

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Zeon: Anyone surprised about Chinese manufacturers trying to cut corners/costs?

umm not at all BUT ... what isn't made in china? it's not like a phone/car where you go ah Toyota tick, Samsung tick - I don't know ANY brands of electrical wires mate!

gzt

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Reply # 1133809 22-Sep-2014 15:55

joker97:
Zeon: Anyone surprised about Chinese manufacturers trying to cut corners/costs?

umm not at all BUT ... what isn't made in china? it's not like a phone/car where you go ah Toyota tick, Samsung tick - I don't know ANY brands of electrical wires mate!

Yes. This is more a problem with falsification of documents by a particular manufacturer I expect.

That said I would like to see some minimal sensible testing regime for some products, but it is a challenge.

Fred99

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Reply # 1133927 22-Sep-2014 17:24

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gzt:
joker97:
Zeon: Anyone surprised about Chinese manufacturers trying to cut corners/costs?

umm not at all BUT ... what isn't made in china? it's not like a phone/car where you go ah Toyota tick, Samsung tick - I don't know ANY brands of electrical wires mate!

Yes. This is more a problem with falsification of documents by a particular manufacturer I expect.

That said I would like to see some minimal sensible testing regime for some products, but it is a challenge.

So the manufacturer does what's asked of them - not their problem, unless they are selling on a delivered duty paid basis where they could get tripped up by customs in NZ. Normally they'd be selling ex-works or FOB at some Chinese port, NZ regulations aren't their problem. The local importers are the problem. Too many kiwis in China chasing an easy buck - and treating the process of getting stuff in to the NZ market as a game where evasion and deception are okay.

gzt

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Reply # 1133942 22-Sep-2014 17:35

Fred99: So the manufacturer does what's asked of them - not their problem, unless they are selling on a delivered duty paid basis where they could get tripped up by customs in NZ. Normally they'd be selling ex-works or FOB at some Chinese port, NZ regulations aren't their problem.

Excellent point. Adding to that - in this case (in Australia) the importer is in liquidation, so it is obvious the importer does not have the assets to resolve the issue.

The local importers are the problem. Too many kiwis in China chasing an easy buck - and treating the process of getting stuff in to the NZ market as a game where evasion and deception are okay.

Do you know of industries in which this is occurring?

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