230V / 110V Segregation

Why can't you make all the IT equipment run at the same voltage?

BS7671, to quote its full title, is the 'Requirements for Electrical Installations'. Appliance leads are not part of the 'installation', and thus aren't covered by the wiring regs.

ScottyUK,

I agree with your comment to a certain extent, the IEC leads are supplying 'portable' current using equipment which are manufactured to a standard other than BS7671. But because the leads are connected to fused spurs rather than non interchangeable plugs, the electrical 'installation' may cause danger or damage to equipment if the leads were mixed up.

Maybe there is a reference to my query in an equipment standard BS / BS EN which may help? Unfortunately I don't have access to equipment standards.

Alan

This just keeps getting better!

Could you consider using the industrial type of plug & socket (the yellow or blue types for 110V & 240V respectively)?

BS7671 doesn't cover portable equipment, whatever its origin. BS7671 stops at the final circuit outlet, be it a socket or a fused spur. The equipment fed from the final circuit is covered by one of the multitude of other BS/EN regs. Sorry I don't know which one - I will have to defer that to someone else.

One question at something of a tangent: is your 110V supply earth-referenced, i.e. a 110V 'live' and 'neutral' where the neutral is connected to earth, or is it floating? If it is floating, you should consider connecting one end to earth.

ScottyUK,

Thanks for your reply, we've settled with durable caution notices.

The floating neutral query has been a problem where I work for quite some time. We specify 110-0V tx's with a secondary fuse & white neutral link, linked to earth. Time & time again we get tx's with two secondary fuses (floating neutral)& end up modifying them ourselves. I can't understand how these transformers meet the required standards, offering no earth fault current return path???

Alan