Do connecting conduits to appliances have to meet the fire class requirements set in CPR or Environment Buildings Decree (BBL)?

Answer:

  • According to NEN1010, short connection cables for devices may deviate from the minimum requirements as long as they are short and do not extend to other fire compartments:
  • NEN1010:2020 527.1.4: If cables that do not meet the minimum requirements for resistance to fire propagation as per NEN-EN-IEC 60332-1-2 are nevertheless used, they must be limited to short lengths for connecting devices to fixed cabling systems and may under no circumstances be allowed to pass into other fire compartments.
  • This is a safety requirement, so it is wise to define ‘short’ as being as short as possible, e.g. 50cm. This also prevents the cable from unexpectedly being pulled through to another fire compartment.
  • According to the BBL, Art. 4:46, depending on the type of application, a small percentage (often 5% at most) of the surface of a construction component (such as a cable) in a space may be exempted from the required classification.
  • If a device, such as a lighting fixture, is certified including the connecting cable, then it falls under the Low Voltage Directive rather than the CPR or BBL, and the requirements of the BBL do not apply (of course, the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive do apply).
  • However, in many cases, you may have discussions with customers or inspection authorities about this: What is short length? Is a power socket also a device? (no), Is a connecting cable that has been attached to a device by a fitter, not by the manufacturer, covered by the manufacturer’s CE declaration? (no) When is a pluggable electrical cable a connecting cable and when is it not? In most cases, it is therefore easier to use a connecting cable with Euro class B2ca or to equip a device with a chassis socket and feed it with a coupling cable that meets the Euro class of the installation.
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  1. › Do connecting conduits to appliances have to meet the fire class requirements set in CPR or Environment Buildings Decree (BBL)?
  2. What is the CPR?
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    Answer:  CPR is the European Regulation 305/2011 of 9 March 2011. CPR stands for Construction Products Regulation and is a European law, not a standard. The aim of the CPR is to make buildings more fire safe and to reduce the number of casualties and injuries, damage and losses caused by building fires. CPR applies to products covered by a standard harmonised (linked) to the CPR. These harmonised standards are published on the EU website: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/european-standards/harmonised-standards/construction-products_en

    This includes all kinds of standards for construction products. And on 10 June 2016, cables in compliance with standard EN50575 were added and became mandatory on 1 July 2017. From 1 July 2017, cables in compliance with EN50575 that are produced by manufacturers in Europe or placed on the European market by importers and used in fixed electrical installations of construction works must comply with the CPR fire classification and be supplied with a DoP (Declaration of Performance) stating a fire classification and CE marking..

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  3. Are GST18 cables in furniture also covered by CPR and NEN1010?
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    Answer:  Yes. NEN1010 Section 713 covers electrical installations in furniture (unless another standard applies to this furniture and the electrical installation in it). The provisions in this section apply to cabling systems in furniture connected to the fixed installation, and specifically to pluggable electrical installations as per EN61535, regardless of the method used to connect into the fixed installation. The section focuses specifically on protective measures. Cables must be selected as per NEN1010 and be suitable for external influences.

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  4. What is the fire classification of old GST18 cables from before CPR legislation?
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    Answer:  Wieland has certified that the H05VV (PVC) and H05Z1Z1 (LS0H) cables it has delivered in the past comply with fire class Eca.

    Given the changes to the Building Decree from 1 June 2020, these were no longer allowed to be used in new installations for the uses listed in the Building Decree.

    In view of the changes in the BBL 2024 compared to the 2020 Building Decree, where cables of fire class Eca are in contact with indoor or outdoor air, they may not be used in new construction but also no longer in rebuilding of existing installations.

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  5. What is the fire class or Euro class?
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    Answer:  The EN50575 standard for cables stipulates that cables must undergo fire tests that are set out in another standard, the EN50399. Standard EN50399 divides electrical cables into fire classes, the so-called Euro classes: B2ca, Cca, Dca, Eca and Fca. These Euro classes indicate the degree of fire propagation. Furthermore, there are additional conditions (s, d and a) that indicate how much smoke is released, how many falling burning droplets, and the toxicity of the fumes. An Eca cable is only self-extinguishing, but a B2ca s1, d1, a1 meets very strict requirements for fire propagation, heat release, smoke development and fumes.

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  6. Does the CPR apply to pluggable electrical installations; and the Building Decree? And what about the DoP, Declaration of Performance?
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    Answer: Officially, the pluggable installation is not covered by the European CPR legislation and no DoP may be issued for the pluggable installation.

    But Dutch building legislation does set requirements for electrical cables in buildings. Until 31 December 2023, it was the Building Decree, and from 01 January 2024 it is the Environment Buildings Decree, the BBL.

    The BBL requires that certain fire classes and smoke classes according to the Euro classes from the CPR be used for all electrical cables in buildings, and thus also pluggable installations. So in fixed installations, you are still required to use Dca s2 or B2ca s1 cabling, for example, for pluggable installations. So how does that work, exactly?

    A pluggable electrical installation is a fixed installation with flexible cables that is used in buildings. Is a pluggable electrical installation covered by CPR? With pluggable electrical installations, we use a cable that meets the EN50575 standard and must therefore have a Euro class label. However, the manufacturer of pluggable electrical installations turns this into a new product, a pluggable electrical installation cable, which must comply with and be certified in accordance with the EN61535 standard. The manufacturer of pluggable electrical installations tests and certifies the new product as per EN61535, and issues a CE declaration as per EN61535. The product has changed and is now subject to EN61535, rather than EN50575. And this EN61535 standard is not assigned to the CPR. A pluggable electrical installation is not covered by the CPR. Please refer to this website: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/european-standards/harmonised-standards/construction-products_en

    What about the Declaration of Performance (DoP)? A DoP is a certificate proving the Euro class of a building component as per the CPR. However, a pluggable electrical installation is not covered by CPR. Therefore, no DoP should be issued for it. This is only allowed on products covered by the standards assigned to the CPR. Wieland, manufacturer of pluggable installations, solves this by also indicating on the CE declaration they issue for their products which fire class the cables they use comply with. Of course, this will also be stated on the cable. If necessary, the DoP of the cable used in the product can also be issued.

    According to Section 4.2.7, Art. 4.45a, the BBL requires that electrical cables comply with the fire classes and smoke class specified in Table 4.42. This also applies to electrical cables in a pluggable electrical installation. For both new construction and rebuilding, see Section 5.3 Art. 5.12.

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  7. What are the requirements of the Environment Buildings Decree (BBL) for cables per use function?
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    Answer:  The BBL sets specific requirements in Section 4.2.7, Art. 4.45a for fire classes and smoke classes of cables adjacent to indoor air or outdoor air according to Table 4.42

    A minimum fire and smoke class is specified for each use function and type of space (extra protected escape route, protected escape route or other space). The Building Decree does not set requirements for the drop class (d) and corrosion class (a) specified in the CPR for cables. The requirements per use function are listed in the table below.

    According to the BBL, these requirements also apply when rebuilding (Section 5.3 Art. 5.12)

    requirements of the Environment Buildings Decree

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  8. Are separate GST and BST connectors also covered by CPR?
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    Answer:  No. The CPR is about cables, not about connectors, so these cannot and should not receive a CPR qualification or DoP. These Wieland connectors are made of flame-retardant (according to UL94-V0) and halogen-free materials. They are also tested according to EN60695-2-11 (filament test). Wieland connectors may therefore be used in all fire class environments listed in the CPR and the Environment Buildings Decree: B2ca s1,d1,a1; Cca s1,d1,a1; Dca S2,d2, a2;

    However, they are not products that retain functionality!

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  9. Do cables in walls and ceilings also have to comply with the fire and smoke classes of the Environment Buildings Decree (BBL)?
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    Answer:  The requirements in the BBL apply to most cables in hollow walls, raised ceilings and double floors. These cables are adjacent to the indoor air. If a ceiling is fire-separated from an underlying room, cables above it may comply with the lowest fire class of the table for that use function. If a cable (or conduit) is encased in concrete then there is no contact with indoor or outdoor air, the requirements do not apply and an Eca cable may also be used, for example.

    Substantiation: BBL Art. 4.54a: the requirements on electrical conduits and pipe insulation according to Table 4.42 only apply if these products are adjacent to indoor or outdoor air. Sometimes electrical cables are concealed in other structural components, such as solid concrete walls, in such a way that they are not themselves adjacent to indoor or outdoor air. Therefore, the regulations do not apply in these cases. The requirement does apply to ducts installed in the space above a suspended ceiling.

    If this room above the ceiling is fire-separated from a room below it through which an (extra) protected escape route leads, the lowest fire class applies as per Table 04:42.

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  10. What is the difference between smoke classes s1, s1a and s1b?
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    Answer:  There are different smoke classes. Simply put, they are defined as follows: s1: low (little smoke), s2: medium, s3: high (a lot of smoke, no requirements). For smoke class s1, there are 2 additional subclasses that both fall under s1: s1a, and s1b. If you comply with one of these, you also comply with smoke class s1. For smoke class s1, there is no requirement for light transmission of smoke. For subclass s1a has an additional requirement for smoke transmission of more than 80% according to EN61034-2. For subclass s1b has an additional requirement for light transmission of smoke between 60% and 80% according to EN61034-2.

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  11. Are separate GST and BST connectors also covered by CPR?
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    Answer:  No. The CPR is about cables, not about connectors, so these cannot and should not receive a CPR qualification or DoP. These Wieland connectors are made of flame-retardant (according to UL94V0) and halogen-free materials. They are also tested according to EN60695-2-11 (filament test). Wieland connectors may therefore be applied in all fire protection areas specified in the CPR and the Building Decree: B2ca s1,d1,a1; Cca s1,d1,a1; Dca S2,d2, a2; Eca; Fca. However, these are not application-critical products!

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  12. May Eca cables still be used?
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    Answer: The Building Decree 2012 has been amended as of 1 June 2020. For new installations, the use of Eca cables in contact with indoor or outdoor air is no longer permitted.

    The Environment Buildings Decree, which replaces the Building Decree from 1 January 2024, has the same requirements.

    Eca cables are only allowed where they do not come into contact with indoor or outdoor air, e.g. cast in a concrete wall.

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