It's Offical, Cable Colours to Change

[paulh53]

Tell ya' what, Screwfix aint that bad......started using them for screws, drill bits etc next day delivery...sorted. Had loads of problems with previous suppliers.....

Screwfix Are Very Good On Prices, And Delivery,
I Use Them Myself, All The Time,
But Still No New Colour Codes

 

[ban-all-sheds]

...Do You State To The Customer That She/He Will Require The Whole Installation To Be Rewired To The New Wiring Colour Codes???

wELL, iF wHAT pwl sAID iS tRUE (wHICH sEEMS rEASONABLE):

"There will also be a new Appendix to BS7671:2002 which will explain how to undertake new work in an installation populated by the existing woiring methodology, it is likely that in order for the older wiring to be compliant, all cores will be required to be sleeved in the new colours."

then ALL you HAVE to DO is PUT sleeving OVER the EXISTING cores.

BUT presumably EVEN that WOULD mean A lot OF work, AS taken LITERALLY the NO mixing RULE would MEAN that ONE spur OR one CONVERSION to TWO way SWITCHING etc WOULD mean HAVING to REMOVE every ACCESSORY and SLEEVE the CORES.

 

[Big_Spark]

Hey Ban, has your typing fingers caught some kind of virus?

 

[Big_Spark]

I Always Use "Pirelli." Cable, (Where Possible), Even From Erm?"Screwfix"
But Still Suppliers Don't List New Colour Coded Cable Etc, Even Though They Know About The New Colour Codes,

And What Happens After 2006, When You Come To Install An Extra Circuit Comprising The "New Codes", In An Installation With "Old Wiring Codes",
"After 2006 You Cannot Mix The Two Colour Codes"
Do You State To The Customer That She/He Will Require The Whole Installation To Be Rewired To The New Wiring Colour Codes???

Paul, Screw fix are EXPENSIVE, try going to an electrical wholesaler, you will save a bl**dy fortune.

Anyway, back on topic. As Ban has posted above, the new Appendix to BS7671 will detail how to cross that bridge in future, so there is little point us debating it here.

 

[paulh53]

...Do You State To The Customer That She/He Will Require The Whole Installation To Be Rewired To The New Wiring Colour Codes???

wELL, iF wHAT pwl sAID iS tRUE (wHICH sEEMS rEASONABLE):

"There will also be a new Appendix to BS7671:2002 which will explain how to undertake new work in an installation populated by the existing woiring methodology, it is likely that in order for the older wiring to be compliant, all cores will be required to be sleeved in the new colours."

then ALL you HAVE to DO is PUT sleeving OVER the EXISTING cores.

BUT presumably EVEN that WOULD mean A lot OF work, AS taken LITERALLY the NO mixing RULE would MEAN that ONE spur OR one CONVERSION to TWO way SWITCHING etc WOULD mean HAVING to REMOVE every ACCESSORY and SLEEVE the CORES.

I Already Knew This "Ban", Just Like I Already Knew How You Would Reply,
But You Missed The Main Point In Your Eagerness To Make Yourself Look Even More Stupid
Keep To The Subject, And Not To The Individual Letters,

 

[ban-all-sheds]

..
But You Missed The Main Point In Your Eagerness To Make Yourself Look Even More Stupid

'tis a thin line between taking the p*ss out of someone and taking the caricature to absurdity, I will agree.

I can't be bothered to do it all the time though, unlike your good self...

PS - what was your main point?

 

[AdamW]

Just looked at these new colour codes: Not a great deal on 2 and 3 core as these are the colours used on flex already. Most people who never go further than wiring a plug associate brown with live and blue with neutral so perhaps this will help avoid DIY-twin-and-earth-related incidents?

I am puzzled by the second choice for the 3 core mind: how can introducing a new standard and allowing two completely different colours for earth be a good idea?! I understand that grey is earth in Germany, this must have been agreed to suit. Lucky Germany.

And the 4-core: what is that about? As far as I am aware, black grey and brown are internationally recognised phase colours. So does this make this a non-earthed 3-phase wire?

Please can someone tell me that I am wrong here. I don't think I want to live in a world where earth can be the same colour as live.

Interesting fact: Germany used RED to denote earth until the 70s...

 

[il78]

Electrical wholesellers let me down big time, and are not cheaper than screwfix, but maybe you is getting a better discounts?

 

[Big_Spark]

Adam, if you use armoured cable you have two choices generally, use the armoured sheath as the earth conductor, or use a seperate core that you pull in to do this.

 

[AdamW]

Oooh, that should make for some better EM shielding too.

Bearing in mind that I have never and almost certainly will never have to deal with 3-phase mains electricity at home (although I do get to use 400Hz 3-phase equipment at work, yay) is all 3-phase mains cable armoured? I had a look on screwfix and they only seem to sell 4 conductor armoured cable for three phase (although it doesn't specify this as its use).

 

[Big_Spark]

Oooh, that should make for some better EM shielding too.

Bearing in mind that I have never and almost certainly will never have to deal with 3-phase mains electricity at home (although I do get to use 400Hz 3-phase equipment at work, yay) is all 3-phase mains cable armoured? I had a look on screwfix and they only seem to sell 4 conductor armoured cable for three phase (although it doesn't specify this as its use).

3 phase supplies can be in other cable types and need not be armoured, it all depends on the situation and installation method used, but 3 phase supplies certainly require a level of mechanical protection not normally afforded to other Low Voltage circuits

 

[securespark]

il

I find WF very good for discounts.

I used to go to Denmans in Eccles who had the best prices I could find, but WF is a lot nearer to me (Stockport) and the more you use them, the bigger the discount, up to a point. If you get well known, the discount is bigger than if you only go once or twice.

Anyhow, they beat Denmans hands down!

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Do the powers that be give any reason for the colour change?

Don't tell me, for safety reasons - to harmonise with the rest of Europe!

Do the words BRITISH EMPIRE mean anything anymore!


Wot next - braille cable for the visually impaired

 

[Big_Spark]

It is part of the European wide Electrical Harmonisation process started many years ago by CENELEC.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Do the powers that be give any reason for the colour change?

Don't tell me, for safety reasons - to harmonise with the rest of Europe!

Yes.

Do the words BRITISH EMPIRE mean anything anymore!

No.

If a man is alone in the woods and no woman is there to here him, is he still wrong?

Oh come on, you KNOW the answer to that one, don't you...