Electrical Wiring - Cable Colours

[apex2000]

I would like to know which is correct in Thailand - should the positive single-phase cable be the grey cable or the black cable?

I have checked electrical outlets in several different homes and it seems that sometimes grey is positive and sometimes black! Is this Thai electrical standards?

Thanks.

[CDNinKS]

Thai electrical standards?

[kevjohn]

check this link out

[Crossy]

To avoid confusion (and reading a long thread):-

Black - Live, Line or Hot

White / Grey - Neutral

Green - Ground or Earth.

There is no Positive or Negative as this is an AC supply.

This page is well worth a read http://www.crossy.co.uk/wiring/

[apex2000]

check this link out

http://www.thaivisa....wiring-colours/

Thanks kevjohn. Just as I thought - the Thai standard is do whatever you like.

As an example, my friend's house was wired with all switches switching the grey cable which was neutral (the black cable was live). Therefore the light fittings had live wires running to them at all times!

My rented house has the live feed through the grey cable and neutral is black - the opposite to my friend's house.

How is it that there are not more people dying through electric shocks or whatever?

Having read the link you kindly gave, it seems that there is a standard but that no one follows it. In the link, those quoting IEC standards are wasting their time as there is no earth connection in a 'normal' Thai house and the colours are different here anyway.

[apex2000]

To avoid confusion (and reading a long thread):-

Black - Live, Line or Hot

White / Grey - Neutral

Green - Ground or Earth.

There is no Positive or Negative as this is an AC supply.

This page is well worth a read http://www.crossy.co.uk/wiring/

Thanks. Your reply certainly has relieved the confusion of kevjohn's link! I have bookmarked your link for future reference.

[lopburi3]

But; as has been said so many times, don't trust your life on it. Buy and use a neon indicator screwdriver and check each and every time at each and every connection that you work on. Not only are mistakes made (often) there are also a rainbow of colors in use here.

[eraymos]

When I went with my electrican to buy wires, they came out with just about every color in the rainbow except black wire.

I couldn't understand what the reason was for all the colors.

In the end the house was wired with:

Red - Live

White - Neutral

Green - Ground

The lights are on 3 (10 amp) breakers. The electriciian said that live to load must be wired with 2.5mm wire the rest 1.5mm.

The hob,oven, AC and hot water heater are wired with 3 wires 4.0mm

Everything else is wired with 3 wires 2.5mm

All inside ground wires are 1.5mm green. The main ground wire from CU to grounding rod is 16mm wire.

He wired the CU with a MEN connection. I had not talked to him about a MEN. When I had my wife talk to him about this, he siad "must have"

His English was not that good except when it came to electrical terms.

[electau]

In Thailand the standard colour of the neutral is White or Grey.

The Neutral conductor should be clearly identified. The neutral conductor must never be a switched conductor unless the line and neutral are switched together , ie in a multi pole device.

Green or Green /Yellow must never be used as a line or neutral conductor.

Red, Black, and Brown can be used as line (active)conductors.

Before carrying out any electrical work the correct identification of the neutral conductor is paramount, especially in Thailand.

Japan and the US use Black as a line conductor and White as a neutral.

Australia the neutral is black ( or light blue in electrical equipment) with Red, White and Dark blue as line (active) conductors. Brown is also a line(active) conductor.

With imported electrical equipment the neutral conductor should always be identified.

[thaipod]

Any wire they like don't rely on colors . Thai electricians seem to have no rules .The only way is to test them with a tester , live in my house I've found two colors white and black

[electau]

Any wire they like don't rely on colors . Thai electricians seem to have no rules .The only way is to test them with a tester , live in my house I've found two colors white and black

White should be the neutral and Black the line or active conductor, for multi phase circuits the line conductors are all black.

[usacb500biker]

Testing a BALLASTER

Testing a baluster how do you test it small on in Thailand 220 volts bathroom light small

[sometimewoodworker]

10 hours ago, usacb500biker said:

Testing a BALLASTER

Testing a baluster how do you test it small on in Thailand 220 volts bathroom light small

All my balusters and possibly BALLASTERS  are not electrical and are on the stairs ???? 

 

however do you mean a ballast used with a fluorescent tube? 

[bankruatsteve]

30 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

All my balusters and possibly BALLASTERS  are not electrical and are on the stairs ???? 

 

however do you mean a ballast used with a fluorescent tube? 

Ballaster is something/one that provides ballast.

 

But the small CFL type (like a pigtail) don't use an external ballast.

Edited November 25, 2019 by bankruatsteve

[BlackJack]

my house is 2 core - positive and negative only

a few areas have a copper pole as earth but not whole house

 

I bought 2 sub woofers - plug in and stand alone - there are 2 RCA inputs on the back to connect the main amp

 

I was getting a shock when i connected the system and used the micro phone

 

I disconnected everything and just the subs plugged in to the 220v AC

the RCA inputs are live - 112 volts AC 

 

Called the Pattaya shop and they are sales men only and as 2 subs are doing the same thing - i can assume its by design

 

any ideas besides lugging them back to the shop?

 

[johng]

42 minutes ago, BlackJack said:

i can assume its by design

 

any ideas besides lugging them back to the shop?

It shouldn't be by design at all !!!  

yes take them back to the shop and get a different brand.

 

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, BlackJack said:

the RCA inputs are live - 112 volts AC 

 

That seems odd to me as these are usually only to carry audio or video signals.......not voltage of that magnitude.

[BlackJack]

31 minutes ago, johng said:

It shouldn't be by design at all !!!  

yes take them back to the shop and get a different brand.

 

Polk. Thoroughly researched as one of the best on the market. the 5 year warranty is unbeatable.  the klipsch was an alternative however the onboard amps die quickly. sounds awesome. but kids are getting zapped using the mic for karaoke 

[moontang]

12 minutes ago, BlackJack said:

Polk. Thoroughly researched as one of the best on the market. the 5 year warranty is unbeatable.  the klipsch was an alternative however the onboard amps die quickly. sounds awesome. but kids are getting zapped using the mic for karaoke 

is it grounded?  Sounds similar to problems encountered when using ungrounded desktop computer..

[johng]

40 minutes ago, moontang said:

is it grounded?  Sounds similar to problems encountered when using ungrounded desktop computer..

Yes good point  if they have a 3pin plug on them then it should be  plugged into an earthed/grounded wall socket.

[Crossy]

@BlackJack do your subs have 3-pin plugs or a grounding screw?

 

When you measured 112V AC what did you use as your reference point?

 

[BlackJack]

2 pin. no ground. multi meter at Ac

[BlackJack]

no ground. thus us next step. reverse live and common wires to 220 volts ac. then add earth 

[Crossy]

12 minutes ago, BlackJack said:

2 pin. no ground. multi meter at Ac

 

One end of the meter where? Other end of the meter where?

 

But you certainly need to have a ground somewhere on the audio system.

[moontang]

My Creative speakers did not survive my ungrounded condo...put them in the rubbish, when I sold.  Lots of buzzing, etc..  OTOH, I gave my brother an old pair of Creative that were ten years old in the US, and he is still using them.  

[phetphet]

On 6/8/2011 at 9:58 AM, Crossy said:

To avoid confusion (and reading a long thread):-

Black - Live, Line or Hot

White / Grey - Neutral

Green - Ground or Earth.

There is no Positive or Negative as this is an AC supply.

This page is well worth a read http://www.crossy.co.uk/wiring/

Crossy. Thanks for posting that link and information. My kettle and toaster both have those Shuko plugs. Time to buy new ones I think.

[BlackJack]

do not rely on colors in Thailand.  get a meter and check. often here they mix up the colors as they run out of cable. thus is not the UK 

[moontang]

2 hours ago, BlackJack said:

do not rely on colors in Thailand.  get a meter and check. often here they mix up the colors as they run out of cable. thus is not the UK 

The Thai man about my 30 year old condo from is bsee from KMIT... Aircon had wires reversed and no ground... was working good, when I replaced it.  OTOH, my brother in law is a bsee at 3M and he would not sleep in a house with reversed, ungrounded wires. 

 

[BlackJack]

seems a power line conditioner is needed

audiophiles have them on their systems = takes all the bug out of the dirty AC - so i will try this = also can use a UPS with a true sine wave output

also the earth = i bought cable and difficult to find somewhere to drive the copper rod into the earth as all concrete and tiles around - so trying the UPS first

 

i shall investigate and report

 

[moontang]

36 minutes ago, BlackJack said:

seems a power line conditioner is needed

audiophiles have them on their systems = takes all the bug out of the dirty AC - so i will try this = also can use a UPS with a true sine wave output

also the earth = i bought cable and difficult to find somewhere to drive the copper rod into the earth as all concrete and tiles around - so trying the UPS first

 

i shall investigate and report

 

I believe your ups needs to be grounded, too.