does "Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory" include CE? if....

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markjkubicki

Member
Location
New York City
this is about a plug-in <somewhat decorative> lighting fixture:

the query is: "...the fixture is (European) CE approved; can it be 'legally' installed in the US?"

Previously, there would have been a few immediately disqualifying issues: voltage/Hz, plug configuration, lamp holder (socket), <etc.>
However, with the arrival of the LED, none of them are relevant:
- the power supply unit (PSU/driver) has an input voltage of 120-250V (ENEC), frequency 50-60HZ
- there is no lamp holder
- the plug can easily be "adapted"
- <etc.>

so the question is:
Does an internationally (?) recognized agency fall within the range of a nationally recognized agency ?

___________________________________
one other curious (somewhat parallel) note:
almost without exception today, our fixture specs call for fixture ratings not as "damp" or "wet", but under the far more specific European IP rating system:
EX
IPx3 = Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect
vs
IPx5 = Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
vs
IPx7 = Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).
and so forth
for the most part, we presume the implication of a "damp" or "wet" rating, overlay-ed with the additional criteria
 
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petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
markjkubicki said:
this is about a plug-in <somewhat decorative> lighting fixture:

the query is: "...the fixture is (European) CE approved; can it be 'legally' installed in the US?"

Previously, there would have been a few immediately disqualifying issues: voltage/Hz, plug configuration, lamp holder (socket), <etc.>
However, with the arrival of the LED, none of them are relevant:
- the power supply unit (PSU/driver) has an input voltage of 120-250V (ENEC), frequency 50-60HZ
- there is no lamp holder
- the plug can easily be "adapted"
- <etc.>

so the question is:
Does an internationally (?) recognized agency fall within the range of a nationally recognized agency ?

___________________________________
one other curious (somewhat parallel) note:
almost without exception today, our fixture specs call for fixture ratings not as "damp" or "wet", but under the far more specific European IP rating system:
EX
IPx3 = Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect
vs
IPx5 = Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
vs
IPx7 = Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).
and so forth
for the most part, we presume the implication of a "damp" or "wet" rating, overlay-ed with the additional criteria
Click to expand...
CE means that the manufacturer has certified that the product meets all the applicable standards for Europe. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the US.

The NEC requires luminaires to be LISTED. CE is not a listing. So the easy answer is unless it is also listed (which it might well be) you can't use it here in the US.

There are a number of foreign based testing labs that are considered NRTLs. OSHA has a list so do some state electrical contractor boards.
 
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GoldDigger

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Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
The key thing about listing by NRTLs for US use is that the labs all test against the same standards, often UL created.
CE, in addition to being a self-certification, uses an entirely different set of standards.
 
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markjkubicki

Member
Location
New York City
whens all else fails...
check the obvious

"CE means that the manufacturer has certified that the product meets all the applicable standards for Europe. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the US."

OF COURSE !

thanks all,
m.
 
rbalex

rbalex

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Mission Viejo, CA
Occupation
Professional Electrical Engineer
This is FedOSHA's list of current NRTLs.

It is important to know not every NRTL is a NRTL for all products. By this, I mean that not every test lab is permitted to certify all products as a NRTL. Several NRTls have limited scopes. For example, CSA, a widely respected and rightfully so test lab, may indicate they have certified a product, but the certification must also indicate it is to a US Recognised American National Saftey Standard not only a Canadian one.
 
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