Sad question, but have been trying to find out why the colours for domestic electric cables are brown (live) and blue (neutral).

Just wondered what the logic was behind the colour choice. Red and black seems eminently more sensible to me.

Anywa searched the web a bit and couldn't find anything so over to the SN NSR team

Any ideas?

 

It was standardised in Europe many moons ago to differentiate between AC and DC supplies. As far as I know, apart from the Dutch railways, nobody uses DC mains anymore, but the standards obviously remain.

 

Maybe I have worded my question badly. I know it has all been standardised etc. What I am really asking is how brown and blue were settled on as the colours - as opposed to red/black or any other colour combination?

 

Its just to be different-or maybe for colour blind electricians.

Les

 

Cable colour changes - The IET

 

I love the new three-phase colours...all the phases can now be brown. What bright spark thought that would be better than the old colours? (pun not intended).

In the near future I can forsee various industrial motors operating in reverse during comissioning

 

Play around with the brown wire and, when you've been revived, ask the staff in casualty about the colour of your underpants!

Then come back and tell us whether you think it's appropriate!

 

That is the most plausible explanation so far

 

Yes but that doesn't say why brown/blue were chosen just that they were.

 

When they standardised, they probably went round Europe, to see who used what.

The French, for eg. used blue for neutral, and BLACK for live.

You can bet that it's summat to do with a majority of countries already using a particular colour.

Strangely, in French house wiring, you can have ANY colour for live, provided it's not blue, green, or green/yellow.

Good idea: two way lighting uses two different colours, live feeds TO switches are red, FROM switch, (ie: switched live) are orange, brown, purple, etc. Makes wiring and rewiring so easy.

Alcazar

 

From Olly's link, you seem to be absolutely right.



Q2. Why are the changes for conductor colour identification necessary?

A2 - The United Kingdom agreed some 28 years ago to adopt the colour blue for neutral conductors, and has since used harmonized (brown/blue/green-and-yellow) colours for the identification of the cores of flexible cables and flexible cords but, at that time, no move was made towards such harmonisation for non-flexible cables used for fixed wiring. Unfortunately, whilst the United Kingdom was contemplating such change, much of the rest of Europe was standardising on blue for neutral, with brown and/or black phases.

When it became evident in 1999 that, within a few years, a new European Standard would require the use of the colour blue (rather than black) for the neutral conductor of fixed wiring throughout Europe, it became necessary for the United Kingdom to address the cable colour issue with some urgency.

The joint BSI/Institution of Engineering and Technology committee now responsible for the technical content of the Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) established a Working Group to consider the position the United Kingdom should take with respect to the harmonisation of the colours of the conductors of non-flexible cables for fixed wiring.

The Working Group concluded that the United Kingdom had no realistic option but to agree to use the colour blue for the neutral, and brown for the phase conductor of single-phase circuits.



So the next question is to work out how or why the rest of Europe settled on those colours. Do you have access to Babelfish?

 

We'll have litres of beer instead of pints next

 

We started down the route a few years back and managed to escape it.

 

I well-remember a Spanish campsite disco-bar in the late 60's and early 70's that served beer in TWO-LITRE glasses to kids of 14 and up.

AND we used to ask for a straw to drink it to get even more p*ssed

So what's wrong with a litre of beer?

Alcazar

 

Bring it on I say, not looking forward to the hang over of 10 litres instead of 10 pints

 

Shark Man boycotts Oktoberfest...

 

First lekky shock for me was when I was 2. Many lekky shocks in my life.

Three phase is interesting, especially when there is no earth on a "Y" configured appliance and you turn it on. But what is more "fun" is to "discover" no earth on a power socket while touching the metal frames on two 240VAC machines. The frame floats up to 110VAC on the un-earthed machine and you act as "earth" between them. The sparky got the sack for that bit of "quality work".