Using old colour cable - part P

[diy_dude]

I am in the process of re-fitting my kitchen. Part P notified to the LABC - I am replacing all wiring.
I have some unused 10mm2 cable I want to use for the cooker circuit, however it is black/red not new colours. Am I OK to use this or will the LABC guy object?

 

[securespark]

Ask him if it is acceptable if you sleeve the cores in the new colours.

 

[diy_dude]

I had not considered sleeving, thanks for that.

 

[oharaf]

This question was asked at the 17th Ed. course I'm on, the simple answer is NO, whether it is sleeved or not!!

Sorry!!!!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

1) Does the 17th explicitly forbid the use of sleeving?

2) What is to stop anyone from documenting the use of pre-harmonised cable as a departure from BS 7671 on the EIC?

3) Regarding the OP and his kitchen, there is **** all that LABC can do about it, sleeved or not, as there is no compulsion to comply with any version of BS 7671, so to reject it LABC would have to show that it was not reasonably safe to use the same colours as what is already there, and somehow I think they would struggle to do that....

 

[dannyboi2003]

Given the choice of using up some spare cable and sleeving it the appropriate colour, or wasting my moeny and buying new cable, I know what i would do!

 

[industryspark]

of course its ok to use it...... just sleeve it in the correct colour with a bit of heat shrink so it tightens up over the conductor.

if sleeving isnt acceptable then does this mean switch lives at lighting pendants isnt? or when you sleeve a 3 core swa (brown, black, grey) to fit a single phase installation?

the LABC guy has no ground on which to object.

i used some 25mm swa cable the other day that had been on a reel in our stores for ages. wasnt about to go buy 30 metres of it just so the colour was correct. i just sleeved the conductors in heatshrink to suit todays colours. no need to fill it in as a departure imo although no harm in doing so.

identify it correctly at enclosures and terminations and youve done what is required.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

no need to fill it in as a departure imo although no harm in doing so.

I was thinking of the situation where you don't sleeve it.

It's then a departure from the regulations, but I firmly believe that in a domestic installation it is safer to just stick to the existing colour coding than to start mixing it.

 

[industryspark]

I wouldnt disagree with you ban, can certainly see the argument of sticking to the old colours rather than mix......i misunderstood your meaning on the departures bit however, would agree with noting if leaving out the sleeving.

 

[WDIK]

heres a good one...

today I installed a 3ph supply in trunking galve conduit and flex conduit.

got it all in but it wasnt going to get connected at the isolator today, due to a course on monday someone else was going to drop it in the isolator.

I'd used three grey 4mm singles

so, happy with what i'd done and ready to go home, thinks I must terminate those into the burner.

so there I sat and stripped the first cable...

Imagine my face as the sheath came away to reveal screened twisted pair

Im not a happy bunny

 

[Click-Sure]

If the house in question allready has the old colours around the place what could possibly be the problem of using old colours on a new circuit, I've done it myself in older properties, one of which an assesment specimen! As long as the mixed colours notice (which i would affix to the CU anyway) what is the problem?

Wouldn't do it on a new build or a complete rewire though.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If the house in question allready has the old colours around the place what could possibly be the problem of using old colours on a new circuit, I've done it myself in older properties, one of which an assesment specimen! As long as the mixed colours notice (which i would affix to the CU anyway) what is the problem?

Something doesn't add up there...

 

[Spark123]

I'd used three grey 4mm singles

Seems like an odd colour combination to me? Why not 3 labelled browns or brown + black + grey? I suppose it may be OK if the ends are labelled correctly.

 

[Wontdothatagain]

Check out,
www.iee.org.uk/cablecolours
The simple answer is YES you can use preharmonized cable as long as it it sleeved correctly.

 

[Click-Sure]

Probably better off flogging pre-harmonised cable on fleabay and use the proceeds to purchase twice the amount of harmonised cable

I think regs state that the correct colours should idealy be used throughout the cable but if not, they should be identified at each termination.

Thats why I don't have to carry twin-brown for switch drops