conductor colours

[kingsleyclay]

Hi I was talking to another Sparkie the other day and was talking about conductor colours and when they will change again. How long did the red n black colours be around for? And realy was there a need to change? Thanks ppl

 

[kme]

Red & black wiring was around for about 50 yrs, in one form or another.

Was there a need to change it? Depends on who you ask.

Did they change it to the right "new" colours? That seems to have a resounding "NO" - more so for 3ph than single, tbh

When would it change again? Unknown.

 

[Evans Electric]

This is an old chestnut , they were changed to harmonise with Europe , which was a stupid idea. The old colours will be around for , let me take a guess, 100 years , causing confusion. But thats Britain today , we tug our forelock to our Euro-masters and do as we are told.

It made sense to harmonise the colours for appliance flexes to avoid confusion when exported but there was no good reason to alter our hard wiring.

 

[kingsleyclay]

Do you remember the uk colours because iv seen them on only a couple of jobs and if so were they out when the red blue yellow colours were out?

 

[Andy™]

used to be red white blue many years ago.

they should have stuck with red yellow blue

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

From some info I have a rough timeline is something like this....

1916 {7th ed}

L1=RED

L2=YELLOW (or WHITE)

L3=BLUE

N=GREEN

CPC=BLACK

1924 {8th ed}

L1=RED

L2=WHITE (or YELLOW)

L3=GREEN

N=BLACK (or BLUE)

CPC=BLACK

1934 {10th ed}

L1=RED

L2=WHITE

L3=GREEN

N=BLACK

CPC=BLACK (or BROWN)

1939 {11th ed}

L1=RED

L2=WHITE

L3=GREEN

N=BLACK

CPC=BLACK

1950 {12th ed}

L1=RED

L2=WHITE

L3=BLUE

N=BLACK

CPC=BLACK

1955 {13th ed}

L1=RED

L2=WHITE (later YELLOW)

L3=BLUE

N=BLACK

CPC=BLACK

1966 {14th ed}

L1=RED [bROWN used on flexible cords]

L2=YELLOW

L3=BLUE

N=BLACK [bLUE used on flexible cords]

CPC=GREEN (then GREEN/YELLOW)

2004 {16th ed}

L1=BROWN

L2=BLACK

L3=GREY

N=BLUE

CPC=GREEN/YELLOW

Think thats about it?

:C opcorn

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 14:52 ---------- Previous post was made at 14:49 ----------

Deke's still only just got used to Red/White/Green/Black/Black !!

opcorn

:Blushing

 

[a1]

Deke was sparking when the 7th edition came out.

 

[sellers]

could be one of those electrician myths?

 

[Evans Electric]

You mean Black is not Earth anymore?

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 17:40 ---------- Previous post was made at 17:39 ----------

Deke was sparking when the 7th edition came out.

Yeah !!...Putting all Stepper's jobs right .

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 17:51 ---------- Previous post was made at 17:40 ----------

Do you remember the uk colours because iv seen them on only a couple of jobs and if so were they out when the red blue yellow colours were out?

Most of us have spent our working lives using Red, Yellow, Blue ,Black for TPN and Red & Black for SP so had to adapt .

I had a couple of senior moments with Blue and Black as the neutral at the begining , I have to admit.

 

[Manator]

No earth has been changed from black so stop using it or else the electric police will be after you again.

 

[Andy™]

No earth has been changed from black so stop using it or else the electric police will be after you again.

well that clears that one up.

best use black as nautral & grey as earth...

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

The odd occasions electrikery comes into a conversation with my sister she still says "earth should be brown, because thats what colour earth is" and she's 54 by the way.

 

[kerching]

To me anyway, at first glance a new coloured board looks like it is wired in flex!........ :coat

 

[steptoe]

erm, 16th edition colours arent quite right methinks.......

red,yellow,blue was still being used then, it was only a small minority of cable was brown,black,grey or brown blue, although I did use a load of 16mm T&E in about 2002 that was all brown/blue. :|

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

erm, 16th edition colours arent quite right methinks.......red,yellow,blue was still being used then, it was only a small minority of cable was brown,black,grey or brown blue, although I did use a load of 16mm T&E in about 2002 that was all brown/blue. :|

Your are right and wrong....

ie you are reading the post wrong...

The info was giving the dates that the colours changed..

not when the editions changed..

e.g.

As you say 16th edition was first issued 1991 red book... cable colours still RYB..

But amendment 2 of 16th ed brown book 2004 incorporated the new harmonized colours BrnBlkGry

The dates are Colour change dates, and what edition was applicable at that colour change..

NOT edition change dates..

Guinness

well thats my story and I am sticking to it!!