Hosehold appliance wiring colours?

[Fordulike]

Do any of you bright sparks out there know the reason why household appliance wires are brown and blue?

Why not red and black, is it something to do with the fact it's AC and not DC?


This forum really does need to have the option to edit thread titles

 

[trex]

it wasn't always brown/blue/yellow green but UK domestic wiring must be harmonised with other EU members. We have adopted brown/blue/yellow green scheme since joining the EU.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Blue and red plus yellow/green earth here in France. I have seen brown and black used in 380 V industrial appliance wiring. Also seen a bit of red and black.

So there goes your EU conspiracy theory out the window

 

[trex]

according to the IET, our wiring colours must be harmonised with the EU from March 2004. Basically, we follow the Germans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BS_7671

 

[bigearsbilly]

Is it something to do with red and black not easy to discern if you are colour blind?

 

[trex]

I think only blue and yellow/green are compulsory, the brown can be replaced with red or violet or white.

 

[flecc]

And in Chinese electronics production all colour choices seem to be optional. It seems at times that they think the colours are purely for decoration.
.

 

[Fordulike]

And in Chinese electronics production all colour choices seem to be optional. It seems at times that they think the colours are purely for decoration.
.

Hee hee, yes, If I had a penny for every thread I've read where someone has asked about controller wiring colours....

 

[flecc]

Hee hee, yes, If I had a penny for every thread I've read where someone has asked about controller wiring colours....

And even motor and controller wires on large scale production e-bikes. Here's one example that crops up from time to time:

Controller Yellow connect to Motor harness Green.

Controller Green connect to Motor harness Blue.

Controller Blue connect to Motor harness Yellow.

They couldn't even get one pair right!
.

 

[the_killjoy]

Even after all these years when I wire anything I have to mentally convert from red and black to brown and blue. I just think of something being beaten black and blue.

Why can't I just remember it ?

 

[mike killay]

Damn the EU

 

[tillson]

Don't know if the EU is responsible, but one of the most ridiculous colour coding changes relates to fire extinguishers. Pre change, the entire body of the device was painted in the relevant colour, water-red, co2-black, powder-blue etc. Dead easy to identify in a panic.

Someone then came up with the idea of painting them all red, regardless of type, and putting a small band of colour on the cylinder to identify the type. How can this be an improvement? It has to be EU meddling.

 

[Benjahmin]

Brown and blue is just the start. The 3 phase colours used to be red, yellow blue with black as the neutral. Nice bright colours to see the difference, kinda cheerful too. Now, in the interests of harmonisation we are told, they are a dull brown,grey,black with blue as the neutral. Absolutely no potential for catastrophic cockups there then is there? Also, working in some dim and poorly lit cupboard trying to see the difference between brown, black and grey is nigh on impossible. Now, as a 60 year old with the greater light requirments that go with that age, I find it tricky to tell the difference. I'm told that they also changed because people who are red/green colour blind can now become electricians ! When I was an apprentice, you took a colour blind test and if you couldn't tell you looked for a different career.
mumble mumble moan complain !!

 

[anotherkiwi]

Absolutely no potential for catastrophic cockups there then is there?

Which is why France's NF kept its colour code which was last changed in 1970 when coton insulation was banned (I have now lived in three houses with cotton insulated wires - the wiring in the corridor here was redone two years ago!). The theory is if you keep the colour code electricians are used to they can't cock up the wiring.

You may be following the Germans but Germany is not the EU...

 

[Alan Quay]

Part of a long email chain discussing specifications for an effluent treatment plant. It made me chuckle:

"....Correct me if I’m wrong but Black is now used for the following voltages!!

Phase L2 (240vac) – Black
Control 110vac (L) – Black
Control 110vac (N) - Black
Control 0vdc – Black

This appears to be very incorrect.
Comments please......"

 

[flecc]

Don't know if the EU is responsible, but one of the most ridiculous colour coding changes relates to fire extinguishers. Pre change, the entire body of the device was painted in the relevant colour, water-red, co2-black, powder-blue etc. Dead easy to identify in a panic.

Someone then came up with the idea of painting them all red, regardless of type, and putting a small band of colour on the cylinder to identify the type. How can this be an improvement? It has to be EU meddling.

There is an EU standard that the UK now follows, but it's in a British Standard, BS EN3 of 1997. The colour coded body system was unique to the UK, no other country followed it so it could cause confusion. In addition, it wasn't adhered to anyway as pre that standard they often varied. I have an earlier British dry powder extinguisher that's all red for example.

The colour bands on red that you refer to are unique to Britain, no-one else does it. The correct EU identifier is a pictogram which you can see in this document's second column.
.

 

[tillson]

I have an old red dry powder extinguisher too, and the regulations probably did need a review and enforcing with a bit more vigour. But I can't begin to imagine what went on in the meeting where it was decided to camouflage the various types by painting them all the same colour, red, and to then put a relatively small colour band on each one to distinguish it. Why not just paint the whole lot the relavent colour? The operator still needs to know the colour codes, but it's more difficult now, especially in reduced visibility, light and when the adrenalin is flowing.

It's just bonkers.

 

[flecc]

I have an old red dry powder extinguisher too, and the regulations probably did need a review and enforcing with a bit more vigour. But I can't begin to imagine what went on in the meeting where it was decided to camouflage the various types by painting them all the same colour, red, and to then put a relatively small colour band on each one to distinguish it. Why not just paint the whole lot the relavent colour? The operator still needs to know the colour codes, but it's more difficult now, especially in reduced visibility, light and when the adrenalin is flowing.

It's just bonkers.

I understand what you mean, but that EU meeting didn't decide on the red colour. It was already a fait accompli throughout mainland Europe so that was just retained but with pictograms added.

So for them that was a clarification, but for the UK in complying there was potentially a loss of information. However, I say potentially since in practice the public at large didn't have a clue about the UK extinguisher colours. I can say that since for some three years at one army unit I was a member of their part time fire brigade serving four army camps at the location. That duty included fire extinguisher servicing and recruit education on the subject. No recruit ever appeared to know the fire extinguisher colour code, they knew they were different colours but what they meant was always news to them.
.

 

[the_killjoy]

Somewhat off target but still on the subject of domestic wiring.

I am after a one shot switch for my immersion heater so that once switched on it will run for an hour and then switch off to prevent 'others' in the house leaving it on indefinitely.

The best plug in adaptor I have found so far is this :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energy-countdown-rundown-conserve-electricity/dp/B00U0AAM7Q/ref=pd_sim_229_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=31iS9M0JyTL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1P9PPM0ZPKTWV4WWDXSQ

But I would prefer to replace the current socket with a built in timer rather than use an adaptor ~ any suggestions?