When should I use the halogen-free, cheaper version for home and when not? Does it depend on the length? Or on the damage caused/release of gas in case of fire?
The halogens bromine, chlorine and fluorine are also used as additives in other plastics, in paints and in varnishes, as in PVC. The 'halogen-free' variant is not the 'cheaper' one, rather the 'more expensive' one. It is the less polluted 'more environmentally conscious' variant, less dangerous in case of fire. Clearly preferable in the home.
Always use halogen-free cables. There is no reason to use carcinogenic and toxic waste such as PVC for the sheathing of cables in the electrical sector nowadays, unless you want to save money in the wrong place. Halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine) are used in the production of PVC as flame retardants, plasticisers and stabilisers. The proportion of such additives, some of which are also toxic, in the finished product can be up to half. In case of fire, highly toxic heavy smoke mixed with highly corrosive hydrochloric acid and highly toxic dioxins is produced. Halogen-free plastics are e.g. polyethylene and polypropylene.
If normal PVC cables burn, hydrochloric acid is produced (steel in the vicinity rusts strongly, in extreme cases it can dissolve completely. If you repair burnt cables, the next day the tools are red đ). I can't say anything exactly about the gases either (goto Wikipedia). Halogen-free cables usually have a softer, more sensitive sheath and are less resistant to oil and grease (become brittle more quickly).
A single cable has hardly any influence in the event of a fire; the question of halogen-free cables is usually a matter of fundamental decisions in companies.
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