Three Phase Labelling

[333rocky333]

You have a point, westie.
In commercial premises the socket is labelled say DB1 and the board most likely also labelled DB1, the schematic in the switchroom shows there is a DB1, the sub main switch labelled DB1, problem is no one knows where the poxy DB1 is located .
I reckon in the future you should be able to type in the location of a socket or light into a computer and all info and where its supply is from, is shown.

 

[westie101]

I reckon in the future you should be able to type in the location of a socket or light into a computer and all info and where its supply is from, is shown

So there's a guy at risk of contact with a live cable, and the first thing that needs done is to find the computer to read the location to isolate the supply.

One dead person I think.

DNO system, be given the name of a substation in a town (or a pole mounted site, or a piece of cable, or a pole) we'll generally find them from that!

(though if we're involved disconnecting an individual factory, street, or larger area is easily done)

 

[SimonH2]

Codes like this are never used on most DLOs, each substation has a name, often of the road the site is on ...

Funnily enough, I was discussion something with one of your colleagues not too long ago - and commented that neither the 132/33 nor 33/11 substations feeding the office are anywhere near the streets they share a name with !

In commercial premises the socket is labelled say DB1 and the board most likely also labelled DB1, the schematic in the switchroom shows there is a DB1, the sub main switch labelled DB1, problem is no one knows where the poxy DB1 is located .

The other variation is that you are stood at a DB, the breakers are all labelled, but ... Since the labels were done, the building has been re-arranged, walls added or removed, rooms renamed, and no-one can tell you what any of the names on the labels actually mean !
At my last job, I wanted to do a plan of the buildings with a grid overlaid so I could refer to my data outlets (around 800 !) by grid location (as well as put other services on it). But the people with the plans didn't have time to create the overlays.

 

[westie101]

Funnily enough, I was discussion something with one of your colleagues not too long ago - and commented that neither the 132/33 nor 33/11 substations feeding the office are anywhere near the streets they share a name with !

Yep quite common when kit has been there for many years, so a good knowledge of history does help
Face it nothing is perfect.

We've got one in Workington called "Cokeovens" and that's where they were until most of (eventually all) the steel works were demolished.

 

[Lectrician]

In the main switch room there will still be discriptive labelling, as with DB's.

For example, in the main panelboard you would likely still have a circuit schedule reading:

1TP - Lift
2TP - DB2 - Comms Room
3TP - DB4 - Engineering Block
4L1 - Fire Alarm
4L2 - Carpark Lighting
4L3 - DB5 - Flat

 

[RF Lighting]

I don't think it would look too good if every switch and socket in an office had a label on it saying "this socket is fed from the left hand distribution board in the service riser in the corridor at the left of this office with your back towards reception. Fourteenth circuit breaker down on the right hand column of breakers"

A small label reading "DB4 7L2" stating which distribution board, circuit and phase it's fed from is fine. The label is only going to be used for maintenance and servicing purposes. In an emergency such as someone receiving a shock or an electrical fire it's not unreasonable to throw the main switch and kill the whole installation.

 

[SimonH2]

A small label reading "DB4 7L2" ...

What's wrong with "DB4 7Y" ?

 

[JohnW2]

A small label reading "DB4 7L2" ...

What's wrong with "DB4 7Y" ?

Well, for a start it needs harmonising - and the problem with harmonised colours is that it would give you B, B & G !

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

It's much easier to refer to phases as L1 L2 L3 regardless of what colours they are wired in. It removes a lot of confusion.

 

[JohnW2]

It's much easier to refer to phases as L1 L2 L3 regardless of what colours they are wired in. It removes a lot of confusion.

Indeed - that makes sense.

FWIW, in their infinite wisdom the DNO (or maybe meter operator) has labelled the phases in my installation as A, B & C (and has identified the DNO's fuses with red, green and blue markers!) so, again to avoid any confusion, I have stuck with those letters for my circuit identification. However, since all my CUs/DBs are single phase ones (hence no need to identify different phases originating from any DB/CU), I have adopted (essentially for my own purposes) a ('logical') hierarchical system, hence with the phase identifier coming first - e.g. B.2.5 would be the fifth circuit originating from the second CU (identified as B.2) on phase B.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

 

[JohnW2]

Obviously designed for my three phases (although the green is perhaps a little different from the DNO's {EMEB at the time} green one)

Untitled

• JohnW2
• 5 Apr 2012
• 3

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They do light switches too.

Put them everywhere, tell Mrs W2 it's a requirement of the Wiring Regulations and then go and live in the shed.

 

[JohnW2]

They do light switches too.

They are not (at least were not) all that easy to find. When I wanted some coloured sockets to use for a "generator-only" circuit, I had a devil of a job finding what I wanted (at a sensible price).

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I take it you didn't want red, then.