Colour Coding of Meter to Consumer Unit Tails

Mr Fixit · 6 Oct 2005

A 3 phase supply comes into our community hall - previously used for storage heaters. Electricity board supply head is colour-coded R, Y, B. The red and yellow phases are no longer connected to anything. The blue phase has a service fuse from which a blue tail goes to the meter and thence the consumer unit, all tails in blue for live and black for neutral.

Consumer unit has blue incoming live but all outgoing live is red.

Periodic Inspection Report says the "identification" is incorrect.

Any suggestions as to what is the technically correct remedy would be gratefully received. Can I get away with a warning notice only?

Mr Fixit

andy · 6 Oct 2005

Mr Fixit said:
A 3 phase supply comes into our community hall - previously used for storage heaters. Electricity board supply head is colour-coded R, Y, B. The red and yellow phases are no longer connected to anything. The blue phase has a service fuse from which a blue tail goes to the meter and thence the consumer unit, all tails in blue for live and black for neutral.

Consumer unit has blue incoming live but all outgoing live is red.

Periodic Inspection Report says the "identification" is incorrect.

Any suggestions as to what is the technically correct remedy would be gratefully received. Can I get away with a warning notice only?

Mr Fixit

i think it should be a red meter tail, since its only operating on single phase.

Steve · 6 Oct 2005

why couldnt they just use the red phase when they converted it? Been much better and clearer . . .

andy · 6 Oct 2005

crafty1289 said:
why couldnt they just use the red phase when they converted it? Been much better and clearer . . .

because they need to balance the phases. cant just shove everything on L1

Steve · 6 Oct 2005

andy said:
crafty1289 said:

why couldnt they just use the red phase when they converted it? Been much better and clearer . . .

Click to expand...

because they need to balance the phases. cant just shove everything on L1

theres only one phase being used . . . does it matter which one? if all the supplies were picked at random, they would be balanced, surely? Or do they actually work it out, how many are on each phase from each transformer?

thought the random selected was more likely . . .

andy · 6 Oct 2005

crafty1289 said:
andy said:

crafty1289 said:

why couldnt they just use the red phase when they converted it? Been much better and clearer . . .

Click to expand...

because they need to balance the phases. cant just shove everything on L1

Click to expand...

theres only one phase being used . . . does it matter which one? if all the supplies were picked at random, they would be balanced, surely? Or do they actually work it out, how many are on each phase from each transformer? thought the random selected was more likely . . .

probably random

but you said why couldnt they use the red phase

Mr Fixit · 6 Oct 2005

Thanks for the advice. With blue being the new neutral colour I can see the need to stop using it for live. Glad that you are not saying it has to be brown tails. Yet !

You seems to be saying that it will be OK to connect red tails onto the service head fuse (which has a blue spot on it). Seems common sense as the electricity board will realise it's single phase. I just hope common sense in this situation.

I read that black is one of the new colours for live in 3 phase (brown, grey and black). Is that common sense or is it Crazy !!

Thanks

Mr Fixit

Steve · 6 Oct 2005

If you can still get red tails, yes. Are you qualified to do this work?

It is crazy, but as long as warning notices are sited, any accidents can be put down to the next spark's lack of attention to this notice.

Lectrician · 7 Oct 2005

Red sleeve the blue - job done.

Spark123 · 7 Oct 2005

Mr Fixit said:
The blue phase has a service fuse from which a blue tail goes to the meter and thence the consumer unit, all tails in blue for live and black for neutral.

I think this could quite easily be DNO territory, please contact them before you do anything.

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Colour Coding of Meter to Consumer Unit Tails

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