In mid-March I invited multiple manufacturers to lend me a sample of their AFDD wares for me to show to you, the dear public, on that thar YouTube! Some agreed, one declined, one was hard for it... until they reviewed what kind of content I actually put on that thar YouTube, and the others ignored me entirely. All were sent to the following open letter as a private link, but I'll make it public now that submissions are closed and filming is to begin.
Open letter begins...
Greetings.
If you’re reading this, chances are I doorstepped you at an electrical exhibition asking about your AFDD offerings, whether that was memorable to you or not. At the time, you perhaps returned a raised eyebrow and politely sent me away with a frowning expression at worst, and a goodie bag with a mug, notebook and branded Biro at best, but here I have something that may be of interest to that brand if you want to play ball?
I know this already sounds like some kind of cheap phishing scam, but rest assured, I’m only asking to borrow one of your consumer products to show the public.
I imagine that raises a few questions so, tell you what, I’ll ask your questions for you, and I’ll provide my answers for me, that way you don’t have to do anything but read on if you have a minute….
Okay, I’ll bite, question number one, who even are you?
I’m nobody - just an electrician; an average house-basher with a beer belly and a bad haircut who happens to be in your target market. That said, I do have a modest YouTube channel where I talk technical to the trade. The sub count is around 33k at the time of writing, and while that isn’t the biggest audience out there, the channel is respected and many of those subs are bona fide electricians just like me.
Yeah, yeah, what’s the price?
What? Nothing. Just hear me out…
So, what exactly do you want?
I want to talk Arc Fault Detection Devices. In fact, I’ve been talking AFDDs since 2018 and at this point, I have more content on them than anyone else in the world. Literally – look it up. Aside from information on my website at dses.uk, I have hours of vlogs on Youtube on what they do, how to fault find a trip, what does and doesn’t trigger them, what’s on the market, how they differ, fault code indications etc. What I don’t have is anything on your brand, so here’s an opportunity for you to show your own AFDD to the world and, by extension, for you to gain some easy brand recognition.
Wait, you want what now?
I just want a loan of one of your AFDDs rated at 16A or higher. If you want the sample returned, it shall be returned, used but undamaged. If you’re not bothered about a return, it may be featured in yet more AFDD content in the future. It’s up to you.
C'mon buddy, what’s the price?
We already did that. I’m not asking for money; mine isn’t a sponsored channel. I’d just like an example of your wares, on at least a temporary loan, to show to other interested sparks.
Hmm. Y’know, our tech team thinks that’s not a bad idea…
Yes, I often find that.
...however, when mentioned to our marketing team, their sphincters puckered right up.
Yes, I often find that too. My use of fruity terms such as ‘sphincters’ habitually puts the marcomms people right off, however, consider this: my channel may be small compared to some, but it has a reputation for no-nonsense, non-sponsored honesty. Sure, the language can be peppery at times, but if you’re kindly participating in the task that I ask, I guarantee I won’t give you a rough ride. Voluntary involvement lends credibility to your brand - I’ve already covered many of the major marques, so your support for my channel means I will support your product… at least, so long as your product isn’t inherently iffy and doesn’t immediately explode into my eyeballs and earholes when powered on.
Alright… so if we send you a sample, what exactly are you planning on doing with it?
I’ll run your device through my arc-fault rig which is made mainly out of brass and Lego bricks. Either I’ll be able to show it working… or I won’t. To date, I’ve shown models working from Siemens, Wylex, Fusebox, Proteus, Hager (ARC model) and Verso. I haven’t been able to show Hager’s new Bluetooth smarty-pants ARR model working to date, but I accept that my testing is amateur and not to BS[EN]62606.
So, what happens if our model also doesn’t work on your shonky Lego arc-fault rig?
It doesn’t have to. I have already admitted that my rig is amateur and won’t necessarily fool a connected device. It’s nice if it does work as I can show world-plus-dog the detection fault codes on any LED or mechanical display built into your product, but failure to react to my monkeyshines won’t be presented negatively. I admit it’s a flawed test; merely a false attempt to force operation which won’t necessarily always be successful.
You say that, but I just looked at your channel and Hager have taken quite a kicking…
Well, yeah, but Hager get the hatred because they’re the first (and only) major manufacturer to put smart tech into a protective device under the proviso that it’s my responsibility as an installer to go out and check each device periodically for updates. That process involves me interrogating, via Bluetooth, each individual AFDD I install or happen across to see if it’s current. The implication on me, whether I choose to update or not, becomes problematic and has forced me to introduce specific T’s&C’s to protect myself from liability. If your device is not field-updatable, I won’t have cause to get sniffy.
What if we don’t want anything to do with a drunken bum like you?
That’s alright, I quite understand. I’ll tell my audience that I approached you and you declined to participate. That’s just to stop repeat questions coming in from them asking “have you tried Brand-X?”. Obviously, I could still go out and buy your AFDD to independently show it, but unless there is any specific reason why I think yours stands out then that won’t happen as I’m too poor to buy examples of all that are on the market.
Is anyone else biting?
The Siemens and Verso models I’ve already shown were provided by those manufacturers on request. The older Hager model along with the Proteus and Fusebox examples were donated by audience members who wanted me to look at them. The new Hager and the Wylex models were purchased directly. For the next video, five manufacturers have already provided samples at the time of writing, however I’m after a wider selection to make the presentation more encompassing. It can’t hurt you to be in on it.
When is the next AFDD video?
Later in April. Now that I’ve contacted you, and assuming you read this far, if you would be kind enough to give me an answer as to whether I can expect a sample or not by the second week of April, then it would be appreciated.
Hmm… well… I dunno…
Well, hey; here we all are. Choose your own adventure with one of the two options below:
Yes! Please show my branded wares to an interested and relevant audience:
Glad to! Please send your sample to the following address:
DSES.UK
3 Morris Drive
Whitnash
Leamington Spa
CV31 2RQ
A B16, 20, 32 or 40A device would be required for the test load. Let me know if dispatch has occurred and I’d recommend a recorded or signed-for service. Please provide return instructions if you want the sample to be sent back afterwards. Alternatively, if you’re in the Midlands and would like to meet up to know more, I’d be happy to provide you with a cup of tea and a demo of what I’m doing, so give me a ring and we'll arrange a date.
No mate, we’re not touching you with a bargepole.
That’s okay. Thank you for your time.
Original post: 14/03/24. Several manufacturers have been invited to read this open letter. To find all relevant content to date on the dseselectric YouTube channel, click the magnifying glass next to the Community tab and enter "AFDD" as the keyword or click this link which (hopefully) does it for you. The search function throws in non-relevant vids, but all AFDD videos have that term in their title.
[Original text updated 01/04/24 to reflect a fifth manufacturer had provided a sample]
18/04/24 Submissions are now closed.
Cheers to all who have helped me with this request, jeers to those who didn't! I have all the AFDDs I need and filming will begin in the coming days for a release (hopefully) by the end of April.
I'd like to pay particular thanks to the following for their assistance in securing samples:
Lewden
Chint
Niglon
CPN Cudis
Garo
City Electrical Factors (Warwick branch)
Westbasedirect.com
William Winter (Torque Up Podcast)
Ben at Contact Electrical
Libby at Azzuri Electrical
Mark at Apprentice-121 and Powersonic
Andrew Brown, A.J. Brown Electrical Services
Electrium
Editing is complete and this video went live on 4th May 2024.