ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Yellow cord = 110 volts ?

I've got a pop-art hair dryer with a pink cord. Cost me €1 at the flea amrket, just bought it for the fun of it. One company used to have sky blue cords for their daylight projectors. Curly Schuko extension cords are available in white, yellow, orange, red, dark blue, dark green, brown, black and translucent.
The scariest lookin thing I've ever seen: US translucent SPT1 zip cord... does make you a little careful touching the cord...

There was a similarly scary-looking cord used here in the past too. "Twisted twin" was common on radios, table lamps, and similar low-power devices:



The one above is plain white, but it was also available with a semi-translucent light brown insulation so you could see the inner conductors to a limited degree, and in a version with completely clear insulation so at a quick glance it looked like a pair of bare stranded conductors twisted together!



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 06-26-2005).]

in general cord colour's only for decorative purposes. With outdoor hook-ups the only colour that has to be consistant is the CEE plug. I wouldn't worry too much about the colour of the cord as long as it's appropriatly rated for the load that it's supplying.

The only rules I'm aware of on cord colours are for garden equipment. i.e. the use of bright orange cords to ensure that you can see them against vegetation.

Wasn't unusual in the old days to have lawnmowers with home-made hookups with white or even BROWN cord that was semi-invisible on the grass.


Those yellow cords you're mentioning are at least high-visibility.

Yeah the yellow ones are good for high vis. have you seen the florescent green, pink and blue ones. Loud, at least they're easy to see.

Pauluk,
as you are aware, i work within the liesure industy, mostly, and we are currently re modeling a nightclub,
as normal, (on every site i have ever worked on), the only power on site is 110v ac.

all socket outlets/leads/plugs (16amp and 32amp CEEtype are all yellow.

no 230v ac is allowed on site even if it is fitted with an RCD and wired in blue arctic with CEEtype socket outlets.

under the current HSE regs, (as far as i am aware), 230v ac is only allowed within `safe areas` Ie our tea room/site office etc.

we have 2 x 10kw 110v ac transformers on each floor fed via a 3 phase mains panel fitted to the top floor of the building, all feeders to the transformers are SWA 10mm three core (new harmonised cable colours, now thats another subject) tied off to various old ceiling hangers, to ensure least amount of damage by person (s) on site.

the sites a clean and clear site (it should be we have five Polish labourers on site permanantly).

will get some more photos for you so as you can see the progress. its great all cable tray and tubing!!!

Britspark.

Hmmm.... You know I've only just stopped to think about the colors available for Arctic flex. I've only ever seen it in the yellow and blue versions.

Is it usual for 240V extensions on building sites to use the blue, matching the connectors? (The worksites I'm on are usually private or small-contractor sites where -- how shall we put this -- conditions are not always what might be considered as the norm for a full-fledged construction outfit ).

Come to think of it, is there an Arctic flex available with 5-cores and red sheath for 415V applications?

On the campsite application it just seems to me that visibility is the prime concern.

All construction grade 3ph extension cords I've ever seen were H07RN-F 5G2,5 or 5G4 and came in yellow or black, sometimes white (probably not-so construction grade cords made up with H05VV-F 5G2,5).