Oh dear... time for school!

[securespark]

This from Wikipedia:

There is a long history of colour changes, older systems (until the 1960s)in the UK often had white instead of yellow as second phase, and before WW2, a black earth and a green third phase in place of green earth and blue phase was permitted. The regulations actually permitted (and still do) the use of any wire colour that is not an earth colour, providing it is unambiguously identified at all connections by clear labelling or by correctly coloured over-sleeving. This clause allows old systems to be kept operational safely and compliant with minimum additional effort.

 

[JohnW2]

"There is a long history of colour changes, older systems (until the 1960s)in the UK often had white instead of yellow as second phase, and before WW2, a black earth and a green third phase in place of green earth and blue phase was permitted."

Interesting. As I have commented before the incoming phases in my installation are identified by red, blue and green coloured disks (on an old EMEB board) (now also labelled 'A', 'C' & 'B' respectively!) - so I'm not sure, on the basis of the above, what that means in terms of their vintage!

Untitled

• JohnW2
• 5 Apr 2012
• 3

Kind Regards, John

 

[AdrianUK]

I attended this site today at the request of our Installation Engineer.

Fitted to the wall in the lab was a standard 5 pin red ceeform interlocked switched 32A socket, supplied via a piece of 6mm2 SWA from a D32A TP MCB. A nice tidy install by all accounts.

It would seem that, in the interim period, the head of department had requested the opinion of an 'external' electrician who had agreed with ourselves that supplying a 28A single phase load from this socket was reasonable and safe.

The institutions' electrician didn't put in an appearance. Strange that.