MrTeal,
Very good Sir, illumination of the masses is what I seek.
A bit of background first~
ETL is one of the newer testing facilities that we have begun to acknowledge and recognize in recent years to a limited degree. It is my understanding that their establishment was in an effort to expedite products being brought to market; A fast track UL Listing typically takes about a year to acquire at a cost of over a Mil, while an ETL is much quicker and a fraction of the cost.
As a note, I have seen very few ETL labels on equipment, what I have seen accompanies a UL Label. (ETL labeling is becoming more prevalent)
The nut of this is, as an member of the inspection community we are required to insure a safe installation in compliance with numerous federal, state and local laws or fail the installation; to the ends of protecting the populous. The hard line is if it is not UL Listed we will not accept it; this is the rule of thumb and is the official standard that is upheld in every state that I am actively licensed in.
That being said there are exceptions to every rule and inspectors can legally permit certain exceptions. Every installation is subject to blessings of the 'presiding authority having jurisdiction', that is the inspector over that area.
*There are conditions that permit 'Engineered Equipment' to be installed that is not listed, this is only permitted in industrial facilities with full time maintenance staff that are properly licensed.
To be honest, we can approve what ever we want... and when the system fails, burns, kills people, we serve 20 to life. The liability primarily lies with the contractor for installing equipment that is not listed, or more precisely their insurance company. If a contractor installs an unlisted part or piece of equipment that the inspector misses, and an incident occurs... well, the insurance companies wouldn't cover the incident and the contractor will likely be impaled. I have seen it happen.
If you as a home owner (assumption) who decides you are a qualified to install an unlisted commercial product and an incident occurs well who ya gonna call?
I realize I went off on a bit of a tangent, but this is the point.
OSHA -- Occupational Safety & Health Administration
U.S. Department of Labor:
-Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR)1910 and related articles National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 70)
National Electric Code 2011:
-Section 100- Definitions (pg 30)
"Listed"
"labeled"
And in direct response to your question; if there is an ETL alone NO.
** An ETL alone, with supporting documentation that it meets UL standards (ETL is supposed to at least meet UL standards), written request from the installer with supporting documentation indicating special precautions put in place around an unlisted device, and additional review from other inspectors in the jurisdiction and the final blessing of the chief inspector, there is a small chance.
EDIT: With respect to MrTeal, I am speaking of HF 'commercial equipment' (All documentation for HF equipment in my possession says 'Commercial'
) in comparison to consumer grade, different classification. As a consumer, you can buy whatever you want... buyer beware. As a business who purchases commercial equipment there exist requirements that electrical products be installed by qualified licensed personnel.
PS: Edit: I am not trying to be an ass, I see a problem that I am legitimately attempting to illuminate. By the way, in the electrical industry even the electrical tape is requires to be listed.
I won't disagree with you there, and HashFast has painted themselves into a corner with listing their product as commercial equipment.
I do stand by my original assertion though, that is it not illegal to sell electrical equipment without it being UL listed. Whether a building inspector would object is another point, but the UL listing itself is voluntary and selling without it isn't illegal.
