cable markings for our own use

[vjsmarwick]

When I was serving my time the firm I was with marked the cables cut with a point for a main an angle for a switch wire and straight for a light. What markings do you use if any ? It was and is great and I still use them every day and have added marking a star for a stat and for underfloor a cut 1 2 3 and a star so I can tell which room is which.

 

[kingeri]

A lot of folk seem to think that if you switch the cables round in a switch then it will operate 'upside down'. It's just not true! A customer I saw the other week had tried to change a switch for a shiny new chrome one, 2G 2W switch, one operating one way, the other two way. He broke one of the L terminal heads clean off by over tightening it and so decided to use the other as the two-way. He ended up turning the switch upside down, changing the wires round etc., he was adamant that the switch operation should reverse if the wires were switched!

 

[telectrix]

makes no odds whichever with a dimmer. however you wire it, it's guaranteed to fail. :001_9898:

 

[vjsmarwick]

Only time it will be upside down is if you mont it the wrong way or use a two way as a single and use the wrong l1or L2

 

[Guest111]

A lot of folk seem to think that if you switch the cables round in a switch then it will operate 'upside down'. It's just not true! A customer I saw the other week had tried to change a switch for a shiny new chrome one, 2G 2W switch, one operating one way, the other two way. He broke one of the L terminal heads clean off by over tightening it and so decided to use the other as the two-way. He ended up turning the switch upside down, changing the wires round etc., he was adamant that the switch operation should reverse if the wires were switched!

Yep thats like the electric getting dizzy if you leave loops in your cable lol:joker:

 

[Robotstar5]

Back in the dim & distant past when I was allowed to wire domestic :wink5: it was nick for switch and stripped for strappers. Most of my jobs from friends & family usually started with a phone call "I've fitted a dimmer switch now one light doesn't work and another is permanently on"

 

[johnboy6083]

I nick switch lines, tape strappers togther (singles) and use an x on twin for strappers.
Multiple nicks can be used on multiple gang switches. On larger jobs I cable tie each phase together and then it's nicks as normal ect. Works for me

 

[RyanCheetham]

I mark every cable with a biro far enough up the cable so its still visible after second fix just to make it all easy for next guy

 

[Sausage]

worth marking cables high up where they enter the box so when the plasterer comes along and cuts them off, they're still marked!

 

[Adam W]

I was discouraged from using a system of nicks for the very reason that everyone has a different system. Fine if you're working alone, but in most situations involving singles you would be working with several other sparks.
T&E gets written on with a marker or biro, singles get a flag made from yellow PVC tape (which is then written on).