New Safety Standard for Seasonal and Holiday Decorative Products

NMX-J-588-ANCE-2017: Seasonal and holiday decorative products: Safety requirements

SCOPE

Safety requirements for electrical decorative items for seasonal and holiday use, along with their accessories, whose rated voltage is not greater than 250 V.

Examples of season products include but are not limited to the following:

a) Lighting chains;

b) Inflatable decorative figures;

c) Illuminated structures;

d) Illuminated tubes integrated with a lighting chain;

e) Decorative figures;

f) Ornaments that integrate LED chains or similarly illuminated ornaments; and

g) Trees with lighting chains or optical fiber.

This Mexican Standard does not apply to:

a) Nightlights with seasonal decorations;

b) Lights, lamps or portable flashlights powered by batteries;

c) Figures, tubes or strips without decorative purposes and intended for illumination only, whether in a fixed or mobile display;

d) Other decorative items that have a particular Mexican Standard regarding their safety; and

e) Luminaires with seasonal decorations (see NMX-J-307-ANCE-2011).

f) Chains utilizing threaded lampholders with a rating greater than the intermediate type that are sold without lamps.

MAIN CHANGES

New standard contains much of the same requirements as the old standard, with the following additions:

• Overload protection Protective element or fuse shall be tested at 135% to 200% of the fuse current, and proper overload protection shall be provided.

• Construction Couplers can be used to join distinct elements of a decorative item, as long as they provide safe mechanical conditions.

• Heat and fire resistance Conductors and cords utilized in seasonal decorative items must comply with the FT2 horizontal flame test. Cords for rough use and non-rough use must comply with the flame tests based on the type of wire utilized. NOTE: Heat and fire resistance requirements will be applicable 540 days after standard enforcement (May 1st 2019).

• Decorative items for outdoor use Decorative items intended for exterior use, in accordance with their marking or commercial information, must be resistance to the conditions they may undergo in normal outdoor use conditions.

– Rain test: Decorative item shall be placed in a chamber with an artificial rain device, and immediately after the decorative item must comply with the dielectric voltage withstand test.

– Resistance to UV rays exposure: Each sample must be exposed to ultraviolet light and the spray of water testing. NOTE: UV rays requirement will be applicable 540 days after standard enforcement (May 1st 2019).

On August 9th, 2017, it was published in the Official Gazette the new NMX-J-588-ANCE-2017 standard for Seasonal and holiday decorative products: Safety requirements , that will be enforced 90 days after its publications (November 7th, 2017). This new standard replace the old applicable requirements stated on the NMX-J-521/1-ANCE-2012 standard for Household and similar electrical appliances: Safety requirements.

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