Can we also go back to red & black wires please...

[Dustydazzler]

Brexit: Government to launch study on economic benefits of reintroducing imperial units

<strong>Exclusive: </strong>Business minister mocked for ‘ludicrous’ attempt to quantify ‘Brexit benefit’

uk.yahoo.com

 

[Julie.]

Colours were still red and black when I was in college, it changed the year I left and part p was brought in.

Flex has been brown and blue for as long as I remember so why do we need the label on the distribution board?

To be fair, the colours were RYB Black & Green (or Green/yellow) when I started, (new colours for flex), but virtually all the older properties were in previous colours RWB Black, and either bare or Black for earth. No label on cu then!

Also, some were still RWB and Green (neutral), bare earth.

Again didn't need a label on the cu or dist board

 

[littlespark]

You had an earthwire?

We’re going to end up with cyan, magenta and yellow…. Oh… no. that’s taken

 

[Aaron b]

To be fair, the colours were RYB Black & Green (or Green/yellow) when I started, (new colours for flex), but virtually all the older properties were in previous colours RWB Black, and either bare or Black for earth. No label on cu then!

Also, some were still RWB and Green (neutral), bare earth.

Again didn't need a label on the cu or dist board

I wasn't aware of the green neutral, perhaps I just haven't paid enough when stripping things out. Was that at the same time as the lead sheathed flat cable? Or the vrf stuff?

 

[pirate]

Every cloud, as they say...
If we went back to red and black, all those drums of cable in my garage will suddenly be reprieved!
Along with the drum of twin red...yay!

 

[littlespark]

I wasn't aware of the green neutral, perhaps I just haven't paid enough when stripping things out. Was that at the same time as the lead sheathed flat cable? Or the vrf stuff?

The plain green sleeving is from very old installations… 60’s and 70’s. Not quite as old as lead.
Lighting circuits were lucky if they even had a cpc!

It was around the same time frame as the insulation that breaks down over time and becomes “green goo” which ends up dripping out of sockets.

 

[timhoward]

Funnily enough at one point the phases were called
Phase ------------ cable colour
Red (R) ---------- red
Yellow (Y) ------ white
Blue (B) ---------- blue


I kid you not!

Here you are Julie - here's some Red White and Blue for you, even triangular conductors!

 

[Aaron b]

The plain green sleeving is from very old installations… 60’s and 70’s. Not quite as old as lead.
Lighting circuits were lucky if they even had a cpc!

It was around the same time frame as the insulation that breaks down over time and becomes “green goo” which ends up dripping out of sockets.

I have a list of dates to help me date cables:

Red and black '50 - '04
No earthing - pre '66
Polyethylene - '50 - '60
PVC - post '60
Tinned copper - '60 - '70
Green earth - '66 - '77
Green goo '68 - 75
Imperial - pre '72
Aluminum - '72 - '76
2.5 t&e with 1mm earth - '69 - '81

Please enlighten me if I'm wrong with any or if there's anything else that could help.

 

[Julie.]

I wasn't aware of the green neutral, perhaps I just haven't paid enough when stripping things out. Was that at the same time as the lead sheathed flat cable? Or the vrf stuff?

Green neutral is really old, pre war really (it changed mid ww2), but when I started, it was only ~35 years old at that point.

It was common to find installations still in service after 40 - 45 years, I think less so today as the regs change so frequently now - 18th had ammendment 1 in less than 2 years , the 14th edition basically lasted ~24 years, the only change was the move to metric sizes!

 

[loz2754]

I vote to go back to the proper colours!

Red, white, blue for L1, L2, & L3
Green for neutral
Black for earth.

Yes, EARTH, none of this fancy "CPC" stuff!

Proper colours I say!

We can then have a proper notice to 514.14

"...This installation has colours to "s*** loads of versions of bs 7671..."

And we should go back to IEE, none of this IET lark...

And don't get me started on the size of "wagon wheels" today, when I were a kid, they were big enough to replace a three course meal...

Indeed I recall when wagon wheels were so big you had to actually wheel them home!

 

[telectrix]

Indeed I recall when wagon wheels were so big you had to actually wheel them home!

 

[Lucien Nunes]

here's some Red White and Blue for you

If you strip any of that out I need it for the museum!

 

[Julie.]

If you strip any of that out I need it for the museum!

It looks like it might be quadrant (4c) rather than 3c , but can't really see on my phone

 

[timhoward]

If you strip any of that out I need it for the museum!

Noted! (Yes 4 core)

 

[ipf]

Just imagine them singing 'I can see for kilometres and kilometres'.
It would be a disgrace.
That's why we still use miles...... not many know about 1760 yards, though.

 

[MJPD29]

Colours were still red and black when I was in college, it changed the year I left and part p was brought in.

Flex has been brown and blue for as long as I remember so why do we need the label on the distribution board?

It is there for idiots. Had a 4th year apprentice working with me recently and he was baffled by 3 phase. Had absolutley no idea why it was RYB and claimed never to have seen it before. Needless to say after seeing his work I'd be scared to think next year he'll probably be out working on his own for a company no doubt.