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UL compliance
- Thread starter Sifu
- Start date
A label on the equipment.
steveray
SAWHORSE
Label/ sticker....But usually we don't have time to check most things...What equipment?
Sifu
SAWHORSE
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 3,326
Sauna heater. I asked for verification and got a letter from the manufacturer concerning heater temperature. UL 875 is the standard, and it has a lot of requirements. I look for a UL mark, but if they didn't provide one when I asked for it then I assume it doesn't exist. I would also accept certification from an accredited non-UL lab, but I am guessing that doesn't exist either. Just seeking opinions for when the boss gets called.
I use this to search products sometimes, if they are listed by UL they should show up. Link - UL Product IQ
This is a list of current NRTLs. Each company has a list of standards that they are allowed to evaluate and they are not all equal.
The companies are for-profit so there is always a possibility of you finding something that is suspect. The labels are applied at a factory and that is not always reliable. For example, I found a hydro-massage bathtub that did not have the motor bonded to a water pipe. The installation instructions were absolutly clear in stating that the bond was not required because the motor was double insulated. In fact, the motor was not double insulated. So all of the UL labels were invalid. The manufacturer fought me on that one.
Field evaluations need a close look as well.
The sauna heater shall have a name plate and there you shall find a NRTL mark. I would request the manufacturer to provide as much material as I deemed necessary to convince me that the heater has been properly evaluated, listed and labeled. I used to have cell phone numbers of UL and ETL engineers. I toured an ETL test lab and discovered that what I thought was a sophisticated process is really not so much.
Something to watch out for is the UL Recognized Component mark. That mark denotes acceptance of a part of the assembly but not the entire apparatus. There is quite a lot to know about listing and labeling.
The NRTL list is also available at the electrical category of the Useful Links forum.
The companies are for-profit so there is always a possibility of you finding something that is suspect. The labels are applied at a factory and that is not always reliable. For example, I found a hydro-massage bathtub that did not have the motor bonded to a water pipe. The installation instructions were absolutly clear in stating that the bond was not required because the motor was double insulated. In fact, the motor was not double insulated. So all of the UL labels were invalid. The manufacturer fought me on that one.
Field evaluations need a close look as well.
The sauna heater shall have a name plate and there you shall find a NRTL mark. I would request the manufacturer to provide as much material as I deemed necessary to convince me that the heater has been properly evaluated, listed and labeled. I used to have cell phone numbers of UL and ETL engineers. I toured an ETL test lab and discovered that what I thought was a sophisticated process is really not so much.
Something to watch out for is the UL Recognized Component mark. That mark denotes acceptance of a part of the assembly but not the entire apparatus. There is quite a lot to know about listing and labeling.
The NRTL list is also available at the electrical category of the Useful Links forum.
Last edited:
Sifu
SAWHORSE
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 3,326
To follow up, I sent UL an inquiry on the heater in question because the documents the MFR sent me were a little strange, which I included in my email. An investigator called me the same day! It took some doing but we figured out that they do have a UL test, but why the MFR couldn't provide it is a bit of mystery to us. As I said to the UL investigator, seeing as how much they must have paid you would think trey would be proud and happy to provide it. Hats off to UL, they take this seriously and were appreciative of the attention I gave it. They sent me multiple documents both specific to the product and general information. They were also going to follow up with the MFR to help them understand their role, and why and what documents to provide. I can't say enough how impressed I continue to be with this and other interactions I have had with them.