Electrically Non Approved Battery chargers in Caravans
Submitted: Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009 at 20:37
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Members Paul and Melissa (VIC)
Evening all, i was just reading an electrical mag i get 3 monthly about some caravan manufacturers fitting non australian approved chargers to their vans,it does not say which manufacturers but it does show one of the offenders. the Power Saver Smart Charge apparently is not Australian Electrically approved,they have asked said caravan manufacturers to reveal their suppliers,quantities bought and numbers gone to consumers.i gaher they want to find out where they came from and why they were not approved. my parents charger in their van looks very similar to one of these so i will be checking that shortly(Supreme van) It may pay anyone that has a charger that matches this description to
check and see if it has australian compliance,if not refer it to the van manufacturer.(PS i am reading this from Energy Safe Victorias Mag)
Reply By: Robin Miller - Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009 at 21:11
Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009 at 21:11
Hi Paul
You might find some are still ok , as many still pass similar local tests but the Australian system is over bureaucratic, expensive and in some cases I have seen is basically a duplication that makes it un economic to comply.
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Follow Up By: Members Paul and Melissa (VIC) - Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009 at 21:30
Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009 at 21:30
Hi Robin, maybe but they also listed other criteria that should have been met if no approval was given but it was not done also.
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Follow Up By: turbopete - Wednesday, Jul 08, 2009 at 11:55
Wednesday, Jul 08, 2009 at 11:55
problem could be insurance wipeout if a fire occured Peter
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Reply By: RV Powerstream P/L - Wednesday, Jul 08, 2009 at 15:37
Wednesday, Jul 08, 2009 at 15:37
If a battery charger is considered by the relevent authority in each state as a delcared article it must be complied to be legally made availlable for sale in Australia.
The standard is AS/NZS 60335 Part2 Part 29 and similarly the same charger has to be complied so a mandated standard for emmissions under the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) such as CISPR 11 CISPR 14.1 or CISPR 22.
You can have a charger that meets the standard but if the laboratory that did the testing is not certified by NATA the Australian testing Authority or the IEC the International testing Authority it is still illegal to sell the product in Australia.
The requirements are controversial, ambiguous and the standards do not keep up with changing technology and are interpreted by individuals in each state with some differing meanings .
It is a costly and legal minefield.
All the ProTech and Pro Nautic chargers that we stock and sell as a distributor for Pro Miriner of USA are fully complied to the Australian Standards with approvals issued by Energy Safe Victoria and are complied also to CISPR 14.1 standards for ACMA Compliance.
The costs to achieve this end for the differing models was in excess of $30000.
So there are a lot of people importing chargers and hoping they do not get caught.
Ian
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