Engineering articles

Practical notes from design reviews, site inspections and testing on projects in the UAE, New Zealand and Australia. Each article explains one problem, why it happens and how to check it, and links to the lab where you can try it.

New articles are added every week. Follow along with the RSS feed, or on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Topics so far: Testing & commissioning, UAE vs New Zealand, Authority & submittals, Codes & standards, Design mistakes.

• LV switchgear FAT: what to check before the panel leaves the factoryTesting & commissioning · 11 November 2026 · 4 min read

  A practical factory acceptance test checklist for LV switchboards and MDBs: documents, routine verification to IEC 61439, settings, interlocks and the defects that are cheap to fix in the factory.

• Electrical practice in the UAE vs New Zealand and Australia: what changes when you moveUAE vs New Zealand · 9 November 2026 · 5 min read

  Earthing systems, RCDs, approvals, certification and roles compared for engineers moving between the UAE and New Zealand or Australia, with the standards behind each.

• The authority comments that keep coming back on UAE electrical submittalsAuthority & submittals · 7 November 2026 · 4 min read

  Why electrical drawings and load submissions to DEWA, ADDC, SEWA and EtihadWE get returned, and how to close the most common comments before you submit.

• Why electrical witness tests fail, and how to pass the first timeTesting & commissioning · 6 November 2026 · 4 min read

  The usual reasons a consultant or authority witness test is stopped: no pre-commissioning, expired calibration, missing ITPs, wrong test method. A practical checklist for contractors and reviewers.

• IEC 61439 vs IEC 60439: what changed for LV switchboardsCodes & standards · 5 November 2026 · 6 min read

  TTA and PTTA are gone. What IEC 61439 changed for LV switchboards: design and routine verification, who is responsible, rated diversity factor and what to ask for in a submittal.

• Cable sizing in 50 °C ambient: the derating mistakes that cost a cable sizeDesign mistakes · 5 November 2026 · 5 min read

  Why cables sized from 30 °C tables fail in Gulf plant rooms and roofs. Ambient, grouping, ground and sun derating explained with a worked example and a checklist.

Written by an engineer, for engineers

Electrical, ELV and life safety articles are written by Eng. Mannan Maqsood, an electrical engineer with experience in design management, QA/QC and testing and commissioning in Dubai and New Zealand. HVAC, plumbing, drainage and fire protection articles are written by Eng. A.A.Q, Senior Mechanical Engineer, and edited by Eng. Mannan Maqsood. Read the editorial approach for how content is prepared and corrected.