The cable colours are changing - STOCK UP!

[Millennium_Boy]

The cable colours are changing, as from April 2004, maybe it's wise to stock up on
some cable showing the Traditional Colours, (RED/BLACK), if you are anticipating on
doing any work on an existing installation - you are allowed to use Traditional
(RED/BLACK), Cable Colours until March 2006. This will ensure a match with existing.

 

[Extrasolar]

What they changing to? It'll be stupid if they do.

 

[breezer]

just out of interest, Millennium_Boy posted the same thing on the screwfix website, but what Millennium_Boy fails to notice is "who cares" it will still be a twin and earth. And the information is of much use on a diy forum as a bottle of correction fluid is on a computer

my only thought is he sells cable for a living

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What they changing to? It'll be stupid if they do.

They're changing to the same as those used for flex - brown for phase, blue for neutral, and if insulated, green/yellow for protective.

3 phase colours also changing.

It brings us in line with the rest of Europe, and IMHO is long overdue.

It means that the cables in our houses will have the same colours as the flexes on our appliances.

Why do you say it's a stupid idea?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

just out of interest, Millennium_Boy posted the same thing on the screwfix website, but what Millennium_Boy fails to notice is "who cares" it will still be a twin and earth. And the information is of much use on a diy forum as a bottle of correction fluid is on a computer

my only thought is he sells cable for a living

Well - DIY-ers might like to lay in some "old" cable, so that any work they do post-Part P could be plausibly dated as pre-Part P. New cable colours might be a giveaway.

Not that I'm suggesting anyone should ignore the law, of course.

 

[Extrasolar]

What they changing to? It'll be stupid if they do.

They're changing to the same as those used for flex - brown for phase, blue for neutral, and if insulated, green/yellow for protective.

3 phase colours also changing.

It brings us in line with the rest of Europe, and IMHO is long overdue.

It means that the cables in our houses will have the same colours as the flexes on our appliances.

Why do you say it's a stupid idea?

I'm not a qualified electrician so I can't really say what is stupid and what is not so I apologize about that. What I mean is that to me red and black make the most sense. I think that it's the flex that should change to red and black and not cable to blue and brown. But that's just my opinion.

 

[breezer]

to you red and black make most sence because that is what you are used to, flex used to be red and black(and green), they changed it so that all countries in the EU will have the same colour flex, now its the same for cable, it also means that you could buy "cheaper cable" from within the EU, as it will be a standard colour (hopefully size too) you cant do it now, becuse it would appear that it is only made in the UK for th uk market (could be wrong, apologies if i am)

only thing is, what colours will 3 core and earth be? purple white and orange?

still look on the bright side, it could be worse we could have Ameican colours, black and white, black being live

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Well, that's the flex we used to have - red, black and solid green for earth.

The big problem with that is that red/green is the most common form of colour-blindness, so the mixing up of live and earth was not unknown.

This was a Bad Thing.

So there was both a safety reason to change, as well as the perfectly reasonable desire to have the same colours as the rest of Europe, which made life much simpler for appliance manufacturers, and therefore cheaper for consumers.

Now - I've no idea why the European standard for neutral is blue, or brown for phase, (but I do remember the mnemonic from when the new colours were introduced - blue neutral).

Going back to our old UK-only flex colours is not a good idea - going forward to consistent cable colours is.

IMHO.

 

[supersparks]

the colours are:
phase= brown
neutral=blue
earth=G/Y

two way lighting:
Brown
Grey
black

and three phase will have the above plus blue as neutral
seems silly that currently black is neutral and will be a phase conductor.......

AR

 

[ban-all-sheds]

...seems silly that currently black is neutral and will be a phase conductor.......

I don't think "Oh dear, that was silly of me" will be the words that come from the mouth of a sparky working on 3-phase when he mixes up neutral and one of the phases....

 

[il78]

and three phase will have the above plus blue as neutral
seems silly that currently black is neutral and will be a phase conductor.......

AR

Blue has always been known as a neutral colour, but it still got used in 3 phase installations.....you will just have to adapt and remember what your connecting up....or some-one will be getting BLUE up (sorry)