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

The phase sequence depends on what you wire: A cooker socket gets three black wires in random order, while a industrial 3-ph socket is should be wired with the correct sequence. You can buy plugs with phase changers, that allows you to change the sequence when your motor runs backwards...

Electric heating is the norm here and even more so in neighbouring Norway. Direct or via water and in some cases via a heat pump.

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 07-20-2003).]

over here you'd still have coloured phases even going to a cooker, not just 3 browns. You could randomly assign them to the phase connectors on the cooker itself but I don't think you can even buy cable with 1Blue+3 Browns+earth.

They can be quite fussy about stuff like that and refuse to approve an installation etc.

BTW:
Domestic cookers are almost always single phase here. We just use very heavy cabling. They are always hardwired, there's no such thing as a cooker socket over here.

The usual way it's been done here for years is pretty simple. Dedicated cooker circuit, pretty heavy ampage (depending on the size of the cooker), runs from an MCB to a cooker control switch rated to deal with large currents and a heavy cable runs from there to the cooker.

3-phase cookers often only distribute the elements randomly over the phases (operating at 220V between any given phase and neutral) so when used in Ireland they usually simply all operate from the same phase. The 3 phase cables are simply connected together and connected to the high power 220V cooker circuit.

On the other hand, in commercial kitchens 3-phase would use full scale industrial plugs and sockets or else fully hardwired. There are no other types of connector for 3-phase in use here.




[This message has been edited by djk (edited 07-20-2003).]

Cooker wiring is pretty simple here. Dedicated 5x2.5mm2 circuit fused with 16A (sometimes also 5x1.5mm2 with 10 or 13A fuse/breaker) goes from the panel to a box behind the cooker. In the box you've got a cooker connector (basically a metal strap with claws on both ends and a strip connector and strain relief screwed to it, with a blank face plate. From there, a 5x1.5mm2 flex goes to the cooker. I've never seen 1ph cooker supplies here.
I've seen the phase inverter plugs here too. You need them in case some bloody idiot has wired your circular saw to run backwards...

Here it would be a 35 - 45 Amp MCB supplying the cooker.

Here it would be- In monophase: Minimum of 6mm2, MCB Maximum 40A,
3 phase 230V or 400V: Minimum of 4mm2, MCB Maximum 25A.

With many models of ranges now sold Europe-wide, we're seeing more units designed for 3-phase operation on the market here.

The British version is generally shipped with a bridging link between the three phase terminals to allow operation on a single-phase supply. Protection is most often a 30A fuse or 32A MCB, although some of the really huge ranges available now need higher.

In commercial situations with 3-ph, the phases would always be identified here right up to the final outlet using our standard red/yellow/blue phase colors (red/white/blue prior to 1965). With the mix of original British codes for fixed cables and European standards for flexible cords, the latter can have three brown phases with markers applied at the ends to provide phase identification.

I got this from the Swiss standards organisation:

Swiss electrical standards are EN standards or harmonised dokuments (HD). Products having the Swiss mark are identical to CENELEC standards and proved by a declaration of conformity or an accredited body.

Over here the method of connecting ranges is pretty much the same as the UK, except that we are required to install a 4-pin socket-outlet and plug connector system to all new range installations.
The circuit is fed by a 6mm 2C+E cable(protected by 32A MCB) in most installations, however a few places out in the sticks use 2-phase 230V, fed by a 2.5mm 3C+E cable, protected by a 2 pole 20A MCB.