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The circuits for the apartments are wired in various colors, but always the same for all 4 wires, that means one apartment has purple phases and neutral, one has blue, one white...
Hmmm..... Why would somebody have done it that way, I wonder? [Linked Image] If there is a need to identify circuits belonging to each apartment (maybe in a floor/celing void where there are conduits for the apartments both above and below), then I would mark the actual conduits at strategic points with tape or paint.

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they're _still_ undersizing the earth wire, pity, they had to retool to do the new colours, they could have put in a 2.5mm earth. I believe the earth to be 1.5mm.
Yes, on 2.5 cable the earth is 1.5mm. Believe it or not, I still haven't actually seen any of this yet! (The local warehouse is stocking it, but they still seem to have miles of red/black.) I've installed some SWA with harmonized colours, and single brown/blue meter tails, but not the new T&E yet.

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here is the 2.5mm2 we use here in New Zealand:
I remember us discussing this before. The main differences between this and UK cable seem to be:

1. You have the phase conductor in the middle.

2. Your 2.5 is stranded, ours is solid.

3. You have a sleeved earth. (Is that plain green, or is there a yellow stripe we can't see?)

4. You have a full-sized earth.

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OK Paul,
Regulation 44 [Linked Image]Of 1935)

I love reading old Regulations.

O.K. then. [Linked Image] I can't go back that far on the British Regs., but here's the appropriate section from 1955 on identification of conductors:

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206 (A) Every single-core cable and every core of twin or multicore cable, including a flexible cable other than a flexible cord, shall be identified at its terminations and preferably throughout its length. The following means of identification are recognized:

(i) The cores of rubber-, p.v.c.- or polythene-insulated cables shall normally be identified by colour in accordance with Table 7. Alternatively, terminations shall be identified by the application of sleeves or discs of the appropriate colours prescribed in the table.
Table 7 specifies:

Earths = Green
Neutral = Black
Live of 2w cct = Red
Phases on 3-ph cct = Red, white, blue

And for DC:
2w positive = Red
2w negative = Black

3w positive = Red
3w neutral = Black
3w negative = White

It also specifies that the outer -- either positive or negative of 2w DC cct. derived from a 3w cct shall be red. That's a little offputting when red can be negative, but consistent with red being the live on a single-phase AC circuit no matter which phase it's derived from.

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(ii) Insulated cores of paper- or varnished-cambric-insulated cables shall be identified by means of numbers in accordance with B.S. 480 or B.S. 608 respectively.
The standards referred to specify 1, 2, and 3 for phases with 0 for neutral.

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(iii) Conductors of mineral-insulated cables shall be identified where necessary by the application of sleeves or discs of the appropriate colours prescribed in Table 7.

(B) Bare conductors, other than earth-continuity conductors and earthing leads, shall be identified where necessary by the application of sleeves of discs of the appropriate colours specified in Table 7, or by painting.

(C) The cores of flexible cables shall be coloured throughout as applicable:
Red for phase or outgoing conductor.
Black for neutral or return conductor
Green for earthed conductor.

(D) Where a scheme of colouring is used in a consumer's installation to identify switchboard busbars and/or connections to individual phases or poles, such scheme of colouring shall either conform to the requirements of Table 7 or, if the scheme of colouring complies with B.S.158, any common terminals (after connection) shall be coloured in accordance with Table 7.
I'm not sure of the contents of B.S.158.


{ Edited for typo! [Linked Image] }


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 06-29-2005).]