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

Sorry,
My original statement that the White Colour came about because of International Standards was wrong.
This came about because we changed to AS/NZS 3000 and this Standard alone (from the NZ end) called for the change in colours.
If anyone can actually explain why we changed to this colour, please go ahead!.
I've been through all sorts of Standards and I have square eyes.
But bugger me I can't find a single reference to the change.
Any of our Aussie members like to comment?.

According to AS3000 you can still use yellow as one of the phases (only in NZ) until the next addition of the wiring rules comes out. You will then not be able to use either a yellow or green conductor excepting a green yellow for earth only as is the case for Australia at present.I am thinking they are allowing NZ to use up all the old yellow cable they have in stock.I have only seen yellow used as an active in old installs here. All is explained in AS/NZ 3000 2000 edition. section 3.8 I am assuming this is so you cant get an earth mixed up with an active as some earths have only 30% green tracing on yellow and when older can fade.

The minimum of 70/30 proportions of green/yellow for earths is supposed to apply here as well, but I've a number in recent years which are really nothing more than yellow with a thin green stripe, much less than 30%. If the sleeving or conductor is turned with the stripe away from you, it can look just like a phase-B conductor at first glance.

Same here, though usually there are several thin green stripes. I've also seen 50/50 wires that are half yellow and half green... and prior to standardization yellow was quite commonly used as a phase here (one old color code was yellow-green-purple for phases with grey neutral and red ground)...

Just wanted to say to Mash,
Welcome to the Mad-house, mate!.
Great to have you along.

Madhouse? You speak for yourself Mike.....

In The Netherlands was pre 1977 ? The following colours applied

Green phase
Red neutral
Grey earth
Black phase switched to a light

then the new standard colours were applied

Brown phase
L. blue neutral
Grn/Yel earth
Black phase switched to a light

The system is non MEN with a separate earth which is used in quite a few countries in Europe. Also the non polarised plugs are used and the neutral is switched as well.

Ireland:

Old system:
PE: Yellow/Green N: Blue, L1 Brown ( L2 Red, L3 Yellow )

Implementation of new codes:

The new European harmonised core colour code for multi-core cables will be mandatory in new electrical installations certified on and from 1st April 2006.
Before that date, wiring in new installations, including extensions, may use either the existing colour code or the new harmonised colour code.
The new three- phase core colours are brown, black and grey, with blue for neutral and green/yellow for the earth/protective conductor.

The following limitations apply:

Green/yellow cores shall be used only as protective conductors and shall not be converted e.g. by sleeving for use as neutral or line/phase conductors.
Blue cores shall be used only as neutral conductors and shall not be converted e.g. by sleeving for use as protective conductors or line/phase conductors.
Brown, black or grey cores shall be used only as line/ phase conductors, and shall not be converted e.g. by sleeving for use either as protective conductors or as neutral conductors.
Where more than one conductor in a multi-core cable is fed from the same phase, both shall be identified by the relevant phase colour, using sleeving as needed.
For single-core cables used for three-phase circuits, the core colours shall be the same as for multi-core cables.
Where single-core cables are used to supply single-phase circuits fed from a three-phase distribution board, the respective line/phase conductor colour may be extended to the single-phase circuits fed from that phase.
Sleeving or tape used for identification purposes shall be permanent, heat resistant, colour-fast, non-conductive, and shall comply with EN 60454 or other appropriate standard.
Four-core cable without a blue core e.g. NYM-J shall be used only for circuits with balanced three-phase loads e.g. three-phase motors.

[This message has been edited by djk (edited 12-12-2005).]

Dave,
The part about leaving the Earth wire as an Earth wire I can understand.
However, what's wrong with re-identifying a Neutral as an Earth wire?.
Hypothetical example:
If you have a flex that feeds a 3-phase Delta wired motor and it has 4 cores in the flex, I really don't see why it couldn't be re-sleeved.

So basically under the current Irish rules the only re-identification of cores allowed is to change one phase color to another phase color then?


Isn't there any exception to that for switch loops, or are you going to have to carry stocks of 2xBrown for switch wiring?


By the way. newcomers to ECN might not have found this old thread yet in which we had a long discussion about various national color codes:

International Wire Colour Codes


A summary of the main points can be found here:

International Color Codes - 1st draft



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 12-13-2005).]