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Service of double-insulated products:
Class II
A Class II or
double insulated
electrical appliance is one which has been designed in such a way that it does not require a
safety electric earth connection (US: ground).
The basic requirement is that no single failure can result in dangerous voltage becoming exposed so that it might cause an
electric shock and that this is achieved without relying on an earthed metal casing. This is usually achieved at least in part by
having two layers of insulating material surrounding live parts or by using reinforced insulation.
There is no earthing/grounding means provided on the product, and no earthing/grounding means is to be added to the
product.
In Europe, a double insulated appliance must be labelled “Class II”, “double insulated” or bear the double insulation symbol (a
square inside another square).
Servicing a double-insulated product requires extreme care and knowledge of the system, and is to be done only by qualified
service personnel. Replacement parts for a double-insulated product must be identical to the parts they replace.