Permanent/Unswitched live colour

[Toneyz]

never had this problem before stupid colors. ....red perm L. yellow sw. L, blueN.

100% Tel and you could see which colour was what in a darkened room.

 

[Toneyz]

never had this problem before stupid colors. ....red perm L. yellow sw. L, blueN.

100% Tel and you could see which colour was what in a darkened room.

 

[davesparks]

Brown for permanent live.
Brown for switched live.
Black for key-switched live.

If you use black for the normal switched live then you end up swapping black to brown when you wire the normal lights with a 2 core and earth after the emergency fittings.

 

[telectrix]

Brown for permanent live.
Brown for switched live.
Black for key-switched live.

If you use black for the normal switched live then you end up swapping black to brown when you wire the normal lights with a 2 core and earth after the emergency fittings.

that'sthe reason i started using black for perm.L.

 

[davesparks]

Another way to look at it, the emergency feed is an auxiliary supply to the fitting for battery charging. So you have the main circuit in brown and the auxiliary supply in the extra core.

 

[BeardyJaws]

I personally favour Brown for perm and sleeve the black. Makes more sense to me to sleeve the black as it’s a switch wire. I know others I work with prefer black. End of the day if there’s an existing circuit you use the same system to save confusion.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Due to there being so many different wiring systems, there is no standard method.
Some systems use a perm and a switched feed, some just use a perm feed and switching is controlled by a Dali type ELV circuit.

 

[dinger809]

I’ve always done black as permanent live as that’s what I was shown. Plus, as said previously, Klik roses are black as permanent, brown as switched, so it seems logical to be the same. Can’t bring this up too much though, or there will be a reg about it soon!

 

[cliffed]

I love it..Black always,like you say the klick shows the way.
Then take a 3 core t&e to the switch,for switching emg & light,give that to a apprentice,bang bang..

 

[Red Tony]

Red......yellow.....blue..

Brown.....black.....grey.

Brown/red - perm live.

Black/yellow - switched/em live (tagged near connections with brown tape or sleeving)!

Grey/blue - earth.................



Joking pete999.....

Blue/grey - neutral.



That's how I do it and it seems logical to me.

 

[davesparks]

Red......yellow.....blue..

Brown.....black.....grey.

Brown/red - perm live.

Black/yellow - switched/em live (tagged near connections with brown tape or sleeving)!

Grey/blue - earth.................



Joking pete999.....

Blue/grey - neutral.



That's how I do it and it seems logical to me.

Then you end up with the lights wired in 3 core with yellow switched lives and the lights wired in 2 core having red switched lives. Overall it is easier to follow if all lights have a red switched live and just the few emergency fittings have the yellow auxiliary live.

 

[Red Tony]

Most important thing is to sleeve or tag connections. Worrying seeing so many not so at emergency fittings.

 

[davesparks]

Most important thing is to sleeve or tag connections. Worrying seeing so many not so at emergency fittings.

Why do you think that is the most important thing?

 

[Red Tony]

Coz I've seen them untagged with connections that include both colours old and young and you still get 'diy'ers or 'handymen' trying to replace bulkheads you know. So just like a switched live a black core used as an emergency live should be marked with sleeving to identify a live rather than neutral cable.
Didn't think I'd have to explain that though.

 

[bonjovi]

ive always used black as perm live on em circuits as at the db when I have 200 circuits ready for a big day of terminating the set thats black I instantly know theyre going in the relays and can easily part the bunches so as not to get them mixed up