wiring single phase circuits from 3 phase boards using brown L2 or L3

[Jason Ryan]

Hello, I am wiring single phase circuits from a new 3 phase board but another electrician on site said i cant wire the circuits in brown (for live) blue (for neutral) green+yellow (for earth) on L2 or L3 as it isnt the correct phase colour.
I debated that brown is a phase colour. whats the answer guys?

 

[Marvo]

Are you an apprentice or trainee? If so we have a trainee section you can apply for access if you like. Please see here for details.

 

[Farmelectrics]

cant see what reqs it breaks but if you wanted sleeve it brown at fittings to indicate its a live conductor and sleeve it grey or black at 3 phase board or leave it as brown as put cable markers on indicating l2 or l3

 

[Silly Sausage]

Hello, I am wiring single phase circuits from a new 3 phase board but another electrician on site said i cant wire the circuits in brown (for live) blue (for neutral) green+yellow (for earth) on L2 or L3 as it isnt the correct phase colour.
I debated that brown is a phase colour. whats the answer guys?

The guy knows NOWT!!!

Get him to show you which regulation(s) back up his claim.
He won't be able, so show him Table 51, page 116 in the BGB.
Then bask in the glory!

 

[Marvo]

The guy knows NOWT!!!

Yeah, I was going to suggest you point him in the direction of the trainee forum as well

 

[Robotstar5]

Brown is fine, I always mark it at the appliance, equipment etc. end as 1L2, 1L3 etc. to avoid any confusion.

 

[davesparks]

Funnily enough you are not allowed to use black or grey as lives in a single phase circuit without brown sleeving/tape at the terminations.
Black and grey are only allowed as live in a 3 phase circuit.

See table 51, identification of conductors
Line of single phase circuit - brown.

 

[Guest111]

What a load of garbage,either this guy's pulling your plonker or he's a know nothing.Before the new colours came out virtually all single phase wiring coming of a 3 phase board was wired in red,so I don't see how it's all changed just because the new colours came in.Anyway by the same token you'd have to apply the same rule for a T&E coming from a 3 phase DB,anyone know of any suppliers of black and blue 2.5 T&E? lol

 

[Flanders]

You are actually not complying to the regulation by using any other colour than brown as stated by Archy and Dave table 51 clearly points out that the line conductor for a single phase circuit in brown or L. only 3 phase circuit use the colours brown ,black, grey or L1 L2 L3

 

[Gazthesparky]

He's perhaps getting confused by the old days. Years gone by they use to wire the phase of a single phase circuit in the colour of the phase that it was going to be connected too.

So you would find single phase circuits in a 3phase board wired with

Red and black
Yellow and black
Blue and black

I think this just applied to singles in conduit or trunking as I don't think you could ever get T&E in any other colours than the usual red and black.

That doesn't apply these days. As stated it's all brown now I'm sure someone can tell us what edition it was in of the regulations

 

[telectrix]

Use whatever colour relates to the phase ( brown/black/grey ) but sleeve with brown.