can you use 3 phase SWA cable for 230vAC single phase?

[andyr123]

Hi all . Thinking of getting some 13a sockets in the garage/shed and i am going for SWA cable (some cable might have to go underground/under lawn.

so , going for 2.5mm 3 core SWA for the sockets . On the screwfix site though the cores of the cable are coloured Brown, Black, Grey. (I am in rep of Ireland but we have same electrics as UK 230vAC 50hz Brown (Live), Blue (neutral) , Green& Yellow (Earth)

could I use this 3phase 2.5mm swa from screwfix with its wrong colours and wire brown to Live, Black to Neutral and Grey to Earth (put a G&Y sleeve over it or G&Y insulation tape) ? - will it be OK?

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/prysmian-6943x-black-3-core-2-5mm-armoured-cable-25m-coil/38769

for some reason on the irish site they dont even list SWA cable with the Brown,Blue,G&Y cores - but surely 2.5mm is 2.5mm in whatever colours the insulation is shouldnt that be the case?

Thank you.
Andy.

 

[pete01]

Yep just overleeve it.

Usually- brown, live
Grey, neutral
Black, earth

 

[SUNRAY]

Yep just overleeve it.

Usually- brown, live
Grey, neutral
Black, earth

One ofour regular posters says oversleeving is not permitted in ROI

 

[Risteard]

Yep just overleeve it.

Usually- brown, live
Grey, neutral
Black, earth

Oversleeving is prohibited. It must be of the correct colours (as indeed any SWA sold by electrical wholesalers within the 26-Counties will be).

Also Andy from Sligo (originally from England) is probably illegally carrying out Restricted Electrical Works.

 

[JohnW2]

Oversleeving is prohibited. It must be of the correct colours (as indeed any SWA sold by electrical wholesalers within the 26-Counties will be). Also Andy from Sligo (originally from England) is probably illegally carrying out Restricted Electrical Works.

Yes, you often tell us that.

As a matter of interest what combinations of insulation colours are available in that country for 3-core SWA, and also for 3-core + E T+E?

 

[pete01]

One ofour regular posters says oversleeving is not permitted in ROI

Oh didn't know that

 

[pete01]

Oversleeving is prohibited. It must be of the correct colours (as indeed any SWA sold by electrical wholesalers within the 26-Counties will be).

Also Andy from Sligo (originally from England) is probably illegally carrying out Restricted Electrical Works.

Sorry didn't realise

 

[pete01]

Yes, you often tell us that.

As a matter of interest what combinations of insulation colours are available in that country for 3-core SWA, and also for 3-core + E T+E?

Good point, wonder if they do a triple brown and earth.

 

[ebee]

Although actually, Electricity is colour blind, Electrons do not care what colour they are, whatever laws and rules apply, the overriding thought must be that the meanings must be clear to anyone using it.
Our old beloved Red Yellow Blue for phases and Black for N became Brown, Black, Grey for phases and Blue for N.
Those using the old R for phase and Y for E and blue for N often then used Brown for phase, Black for E and Grey for N = in any event they should be oversleeved or identified with suitable labelling to make the meanings clear to all persons.
Of course some countries mav have overriding rules and laws on the subject.

Whether some specifically prohibit doing both methods or not may not always be clear cut I suspect.

A totalling unrelated example but illustrate a point I suppose, someone I know is a cyclist, he rides around with a mast on his cycling helmet that looks almost as tall as Blackpool Tower and with a big camera on top that looks almost as big as a big Widescreen TV set.
One day I noticed his cycle lights and some were of the flashing type.
He pointed to his lights and said "these are illegal" and I replied " well remove them then!" he then replied "I do not need to because I have these others on!" . I took him to mean that his flashing lights were only illegal if they were the sole or primary bicycle lights but because he had the lights required as constant then it did not matter that he had the flashing ones as well.
Sometimes folks make silly statements either correct or not.

What is allowed in the Emerald Isle and what is prohibited as the sole means of ID I have no idea and whether additional means that are prohibited as the sole means but allowed as addition means I have no idea either. One does not always preclude the other.

 

[Risteard]

Yes, you often tell us that.

As a matter of interest what combinations of insulation colours are available in that country for 3-core SWA, and also for 3-core + E T+E?

3-core & Earth cable doesn't exist. When a RECI Inspector came across cable sourced from the North before by some stupid contractor he referred to it as "three-phase cable", which is understandable given the core colours. The contractor was, of course, forced to eradicate all traces of that abomination. 3 core SWA will always be single phase colours plus cpc core (unless special order).

 

[pete01]

3-core & Earth cable doesn't exist. 3 core SWA will always be single phase colours plus cpc core (unless special order).

You don't use it as we do for 2 way lighting

 

[Risteard]

You don't use it as we do for 2 way lighting

No we do not.

 

[JohnW2]

3-core & Earth cable doesn't exist.

Ah, yes, I'd forgotten that. We've discussed it before,and some of us from UK regard that as an 'inconvenience, not to mention a waste of money and resources.

However, you haven't answered my question in relation to 3-core SWA. Is brown/blue/G-Y available, or do they not believe in having an 'earth'/CPC core in SWA?

I have to say that I've personally always thought that all the fuss about 'conductor identification' is probably a bit unnecessary. The colour-coding of conductors is certainly a 'convenience', but a competent electrician ought to be able to do anything/everything, safely, even if all cores had, say, white insulation.

As I see it, the only (tiny) risk associated with with 'over-sleeving at terminations' relates to the situation in which someone 'cuts into a mjid-point of the cable (I would think itself a very rare occurrence) without being competent enough to properly identify the purpose for which each of the conductors was being put. However, that's just my view, and who am I to have one?

 

[trojanhawrs]

However, you haven't answered my question in relation to 3-core SWA. Is brown/blue/G-Y available, or do they not believe in having an 'earth'/CPC core in SWA?

3 core SWA will always be single phase colours plus cpc core (unless special order).

 

[JohnW2]

3 core SWA will always be single phase colours plus cpc core (unless special order).

Sorry, I missed that.

OK, so does that mean that 3-core SWA with 3-phase colours is not generally available? If so, does that mean that reliance on rmour (as CPC) is not allowed?