CE listed IEC 60898-1 and IEC 60947-2 Curve C breakers in the USA

[brycenesbitt]

I'm looking to learn more about the listing requirements for breakers under the NEC.
CE listed IEC 60898-1 and IEC 60947-2 mini DIN rail breakers are ubiquitous in Europe, and seen in a lot of imported equipment in the US and Canada.
The breakers seem to use mostly Curve C. While NEMA AB-1 is identical to UL489, UL489 differs slightly from the ICE standards.
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What NEC concerns does this bring up? NEC Section 240.2 and 90.7 and 110.3 don't seem to be very specific.
"equipment has been listed by a qualified electrical testing laboratory in accordance with 110.3(C)." So do these CE marked breakers count?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

I'm looking to learn more about the listing requirements for breakers under the NEC.
CE listed IEC 60898-1 and IEC 60947-2 mini DIN rail breakers are ubiquitous in Europe, and seen in a lot of imported equipment in the US and Canada.
The breakers seem to use mostly Curve C. While NEMA AB-1 is identical to UL489, UL489 differs slightly from the ICE standards.
-
What NEC concerns does this bring up? NEC Section 240.2 and 90.7 and 110.3 don't seem to be very specific.
"equipment has been listed by a qualified electrical testing laboratory in accordance with 110.3(C)." So do these CE marked breakers count?

The CE mark is a self certification by the manufacturer and not a listing. A listing requires that the product be evaluated by a third party testing laboratory.
110.3(C) requires that the testing, evaluation, and listing (product certification) shall be performed by recognized qualified electrical testing laboratories. An Informational Note says the one method of determining that the testing laboratory is qualified is to select one from the OSHA list of National Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs).

 

[brycenesbitt]

110.3(C) requires that the testing, evaluation, and listing (product certification) shall be performed by recognized qualified electrical testing laboratories. An Informational Note says the one method of determining that the testing laboratory is qualified is to select one from the OSHA list of National Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs).

If the NTRL, say ITE, tests to IEC 60898-1 is that good enough?

 

[petersonra]

If the NTRL, say ITE, tests to IEC 60898-1 is that good enough?

No. It has to be listed to a standard accepted in the US by the NRTLs. Right now that would be UL489. But many products are designed to meet multiple standards so a product could conceivably meet both.

UL and the IEC folks are working to harmonize the standards so over time they will use the same standards for products.

 

[brycenesbitt]

No. It has to be listed to a standard accepted in the US by the NRTLs. Right now that would be UL489.

Where exactly is that spelled out?
Are there any cases where an IEC 60898-1 device would be OK in the USA (they're same day delivery on Amazon and various supply houses, so you can be sure they're selling here)? Are they used in panel boards or the like?
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The UL489 breakers are available in C curve and D curve. I know what those do electrically, but what is the appropriate curve for residential use?

 

[petersonra]

Where exactly is that spelled out?

By what the NRTL is willing to list.

Are there any cases where an IEC 60898-1 device would be OK in the USA (they're same day delivery on Amazon and various supply houses, so you can be sure they're selling here)? Are they used in panel boards or the like?
...

I don't know if they will fit in any US style panelboard. There is no law in the US that says unlisted products cannot be sold here. However, the electrical code does require circuit breakers be listed. So if the application involves the cb having to comply with the nec, you can't use it and be in compliance if it is not listed.

Having said that, just being listed is not enough. It has to be suitable for the application and you have to follow the manufacturers instructions if it is a nec application.

The UL489 breakers are available in C curve and D curve. I know what those do electrically, but what is the appropriate curve for residential use?

I don't think it matters.

 

[petersonra]

I realized my answer to this might be confusing. The NRTLs and the standards making bodies have a partnership where they have made agreements about who is going to make the standards and the NRTLs agree they will test to those standards.

ANSI is sort of the father of the standards makers for this country. All the standards makers are part of ANSI.

It can be confusing because UL is both a testing lab and a standards body on its own.

ETL is a testing lab but does not create standards.

Where exactly is that spelled out?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Where exactly is that spelled out?
Are there any cases where an IEC 60898-1 device would be OK in the USA (they're same day delivery on Amazon and various supply houses, so you can be sure they're selling here)? Are they used in panel boards or the like?
...
The UL489 breakers are available in C curve and D curve. I know what those do electrically, but what is the appropriate curve for residential use?

110.3(C) Listing.
Product testing, evaluation, and listing (product certification) shall be performed by recognized qualified electrical testing laboratories and shall be in accordance with applicable product standards recognized as achieving equivalent and effective safety for equipment installed to comply with this Code.

The applicable product standards are ones written for the US.
There are some standards that are acceptable for use in the US, Canada, and the EU. If such a product is listed by UL it will have the listing mark shown below.
If you look at a product listing standard, the standard itself will show what countries it is intended to be used in.

[/QUOTE]

 

[Jraef]

Here is the current list of acceptable NRTLs.

OSHA's Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program - Current List of NRTLs | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

www.osha.gov

CE is not on that list because it is not a "testing agency" that is independent of the device manufacturer.

For circuit breakers to be used as "FEEDER or BRANCH" circuit protection here, they must be listed as such, which means UL489, even if the actual listing were to be done by one of the other NRTLs (but none of them do breaker listing anyway, so that's a moot point).

SOME of the IEC breakers are in fact listed under UL489, you can find them generally from manufacturers who sell in North America as well as the EU, such as Siemens, ABB, Schneider, Eaton etc. There are many other smaller brands sold elsewhere in the world that do NOT offer UL489 listing, and/or product lines WITHIN those companies that do, which are not sold in N. A. because they don't have UL489. So it's something that you must be careful of when selecting.

UL489 does not have separate curve requirements like they do in IEC specs. You CAN however buy those UL489 version IEC breakers with C curves in some cases, but do not assume so, because some of those that are UL489 listed are only offered in B curves. So again, something that requires careful investigation.

Also somewhat confusing is the fact that we (N.A.) allow what's called "supplementary circuit breakers" to be "listed" under UL1077, a different standard. The potential pitfall there is that UL1077 does NOT allow them to be used as Feeder or Branch circuit protection, so if you want to use them, you need another UL489 breaker ahead of them, and so what's the point?

 

[brycenesbitt]

Here is the current list of acceptable NRTLs.

OSHA's Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program - Current List of NRTLs | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

www.osha.gov

UL489 does not have separate curve requirements like they do in IEC specs. You CAN however buy those UL489 version IEC breakers with C curves in some cases, but do not assume so, because some of those that are UL489 listed are only offered in B curves. So again, something that requires careful investigation.

Very very helpful. Thank you.
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With your help I'm starting to get the hang of this.
Curiously that the UL489 breakers found so far are larger. In the case of Nader it's a regular ICE
breaker, with a lot more regulatory language printed on it, and these little finger guards.
They're kinda sort attached, but can be snapped right off.
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Apparently 489 assumes that American Sparkys can't correctly strip wires to length?

 

[petersonra]

They are probably there to allow their use in the USA. The clearances required in the US for feeder circuits are much higher then IEC. It's why mccb designed mostly to IEC standards often come with a plastic insulator that the mccb mounts on top of to insulate it from the panel. Otherwise the exposed terminals will be too close to an uninsulated piece of metal.

 

[Corysan]

Other things to note are whether the circuit breakers are switch duty rated (SWD) and heating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HACR) rated. SWD should not be an issue for residential installation, but HACR would be. According to Schneider Electric's website UL489 circuit breakers are HACR rated, but they may not be labeled accordingly. Eaton and Allen Bradley make B,C, and D curve breakers, Eaton being much more available amd affordable. I'm sure other companies do as well. Your biggest hurdle for using the IEC style UL489 mini circuit breakers in the US would be installing them in a listed panelboard or loadcenter if you are going to use them as branch circuit or feeder protection as in Europe. I'm pretty sure removing the dividers defeats the UL listing.

 

[brycenesbitt]

Your biggest hurdle for using the IEC style UL489 mini circuit breakers in the US would be installing them in a listed panelboard or loadcenter if you are going to use them as branch circuit or feeder protection as in Europe. I'm pretty sure removing the dividers defeats the UL listing.

The dividers are amusing not a problem other than size and giggle factor: removing them no doubt would violate the listing so I won't.
..
In Europe I could just slap some din rail in a box, and scatter breakers as needed.
In the USA if a single IEC style UL489 breaker is inside a box, does that turn it from voluntary UL508A into a panelboard needing a separate listing? Where exactly is that dividing line: in my application the breaker could in fact count as branch circuit protection.

Man I wish for the days of fuses . Could I just drop some fuses in and be done with this regulatory tangle ?

 

[jim dungar]

In the USA if a single IEC style UL489 breaker is inside a box, does that turn it from voluntary UL508A into a panelboard needing a separate listing?

No.
A control panel (UL 509A) and a panelboard are completely different items, do not mix their regulations. For the most part, panelboards contain only OCPDs and their associated "bussing".

Who said you had to use breaker instead of fuses?

 

[brycenesbitt]

No. For the most part, panelboards contain only OCPDs and their associated "bussing".

That's the issue. I have an application that wants OCPDs, bussing, and control components in a single enclosure. The device in part regulates a variety of branch circuits.

 

[jim dungar]

That's the issue. I have an application that wants OCPDs, bussing, and control components in a single enclosure. The device in part regulates a variety of branch circuits.

You get to chose which UL listing you want to have.

In general if you are building an enclosure that contains control components you would pursue a UL508A listing. I have seen many control panels that contain branch circuit protection along with the control components, many panel board manufacturers actually offer OEM style bussing for use with standard UL 489 breakers.

 

[petersonra]

That's the issue. I have an application that wants OCPDs, bussing, and control components in a single enclosure. The device in part regulates a variety of branch circuits.

Then UL508a listing as a control panel is probably appropriate. Although it is common to put control components in switchboards too.

It just depends on what your AHJ thinks it is.

The busing part of it makes me a little nervous because I don't know what you mean by that.

 

[Corysan]

Then UL508a listing as a control panel is probably appropriate. Although it is common to put control components in switchboards too.

It just depends on what your AHJ thinks it is.

The busing part of it makes me a little nervous because I don't know what you mean by that.

By bussing he may mean manufactured insulated compatible listed bus that connects to the top of the breakers. It is made in single phase, two phase, or three phase configurations. It works quite well.

 

[Corysan]

The dividers are amusing not a problem other than size and giggle factor: removing them no doubt would violate the listing so I won't.

I believe the dividers are because the device are rated for 480/277v

 

[petersonra]

By bussing he may mean manufactured insulated compatible listed bus that connects to the top of the breakers. It is made in single phase, two phase, or three phase configurations. It works quite well. View attachment 2573646

I use these with small fuse holders too. They are pretty handy sometimes.