EN 60335-2-2: Safety of Vacuum Cleaners

EN 60335-2-2, “Household and similar electrical appliances – Safety – Part 2-2: Particular requirements for vacuum cleaners and water-suction cleaning appliances”, is the harmonised European standard for the electrical safety of vacuum cleaners used in homes and similar places. It is applied under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and is always read together with EN IEC 60335-1; Part 2-2 contains only the rules that are added or changed for vacuum cleaners.

For EN 60335-2-2 testing and CE marking of your vacuum cleaner, apply to CE Danışmanı (CE Consultant); we manage the whole process for you.

EN 60335-2-2 at a glance

The edition cited in the Official Journal is the one that gives presumption of conformity with the Low Voltage Directive. Confirm the cited edition with the laboratory before testing starts.

Why vacuum cleaners have their own standard

A vacuum cleaner combines a high-speed motor, a powered brush, a long supply cord and warm exhaust air. Each of these is a hazard in a home: a motor winding can burn out, the cord can be crushed or overheated, the brush head can jam on hair or fabric and overload the motor, and the lithium cells of cordless models can overheat. The user carries the appliance between sockets, knocks it against furniture and drops it. A further risk is fire inside the appliance, where fine dust meets a source of arcing.

Products covered

• Cylinder, upright and hand-held vacuum cleaners
• Corded and rechargeable (battery) models
• Wet and dry vacuum cleaners for household use
• Bag, cyclone and water-filter systems
• Vacuum cleaners with a carpet or upholstery cleaning head
• Household robot vacuum cleaners

Products not covered

• Commercial and industrial wet and dry vacuum cleaners: EN 60335-2-69
• Carpet shampooers and floor polishers: EN 60335-2-10
• High-pressure cleaners: EN 60335-2-79
• Central vacuum systems installed in the building

Particular requirements for vacuum cleaners

• Cord reel endurance. On models with an automatic cord reel, the cord must be undamaged and electrically safe after 6,000 pull-out and rewind cycles. The reel channel and drum material should be chosen for this number at the design stage.
• Clause 19, blocked inlet. The appliance is run with the suction opening completely blocked. The thermal protection must operate, or the motor must settle at a safe temperature. No fire and no smoke.
• Clause 19, other abnormal conditions. Empty bag, overfilled bag, locked motor. None may lead to fire or electric shock.
• Clause 22, powered brush head. After endurance running under load, the wiring, bearings and insulation of the motorised brush must be undamaged.
• Clause 22, wet handling. Parts held by the user must stay electrically safe when touched with wet hands, which matters most on wet vacuum cleaners.
• Clause 25, supply cord. The cord is subjected to repeated pull tests; the appliance fails if internal connections come loose or the insulation is damaged.
• Battery models. Short-circuit, overcharge and drop tests are applied to the battery, together with EN 62133-2 at cell and pack level. The charger goes through the heating and electric strength tests of the standard.

Typical test programme

• Construction: verification of the insulation class (Class II or Class III), protection against water where declared, earthing of accessible metal parts.
• Electrical: electric strength at 1250 V to 3000 V depending on the insulation, insulation resistance, leakage current (below 0.25 mA for Class II).
• Heating: continuous operation in normal use, with temperature rises measured on the motor winding, the body and the parts the user can touch.
• Mechanical: drop test, flexing of hose and cord, impact on the enclosure (see EN 62262 IK code).
• Abnormal operation: blocked hose, empty and overfilled bag, locked motor.
• Endurance: intermittent long-term running and 6,000 cycles on the cord reel.

Other legislation that applies

• EMC 2014/30/EU: EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2
• RoHS 2011/65/EU, REACH and WEEE
• Robot and connected models: Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU for the radio module and EN 62133-2 for the lithium battery. EN 60335-2-2 alone is not enough for these products.
• Ecodesign and energy labelling where they apply to the product

Frequently asked questions

From testing to CE marking

1. Scope analysis. Confirm that EN 60335-2-2 is the right Part 2 for the product and list the other legislation that applies.
2. Document review. Circuit diagrams, parts list, certificates of critical components and user instructions are checked before the sample goes to the laboratory.
3. Testing. EN 60335-1 and EN 60335-2-2 together, plus EMC tests to EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2, and EN 62133-2 for battery models.
4. Technical file and declaration. The technical file includes the risk analysis and the test reports; the EU Declaration of Conformity lists every directive and standard applied.
5. CE marking. The mark is at least 5 mm high. The technical file is kept for 10 years.

A report from an accredited laboratory is what market surveillance authorities and distributors usually ask to see. Turkey applies the same rules through its own regulation aligned with 2014/35/EU, and the documents of imported products are checked through TAREKS. Send every variant (voltage, colour, options) to the laboratory together, because models added later need extra testing.