Segregation and Separation
Check what may share an enclosure and the separation.
Questions
Each answer describes what this tool calculates. The result is a design aid. Verify against the current standard.
What does the segregation tool do?
The tool reports whether two circuits may share a pipe, conduit, cable, enclosure or tray. It gives the clause, the arrangement needed for mixed voltage, and the minimum separation distance. It also reports the separation from gas, water and telecommunications services.
Which clause does the result come from?
AS/NZS 3000:2018 Clause 3.9.8. Clause 3.9.8.2.1 covers a common pipe or cable, Clause 3.9.8.2.2 covers segregation in a common enclosure, Clause 3.9.8.3 covers voltage levels, and Clause 3.9.8.4 covers gas, water and telecommunications services.
What is the minimum distance for segregation?
Clause 3.9.8.2.2 gives 50 mm where segregation in a common enclosure is achieved by distance. Independently sheathed cables and fire-resisting barriers are the other two methods. A switchboard at which the circuits originate or terminate is excepted.
Can low voltage and extra-low voltage share a wiring system?
Only under one of three arrangements in Clause 3.9.8.3: the low voltage cables give the equivalent of double insulation, every cable is insulated for the highest voltage present, or the low voltage cables sit in a separate compartment with fixed continuous barriers. High voltage never shares.
Does the tool give telecommunications separation distances?
No. Clause 3.9.8.4(c) sends those distances to AS/CA S009 in Australia and to the NZ TCF Premises Wiring Guidelines in New Zealand. AmpSize holds neither document, so the tool names them and gives no distance.