Highly Rated Consumer Product Colour Coding

[bdenner]

I'm in the process of installing ALL the plumbing and power in TW's sisters new home, can't trust the Isaan "house bashers" to even attempt to do it correctly.

I bought an 8 station Safety Cut switch board and whilst installing it today noticed a remarkable anomaly, They have used BLACK on the neutral link and OFF WHITE on the active buss bar.

IMO this could throw a spanner in the works for the weekend installers confused about local colour coding rules.

BTW I'm all for the use of RCDs BUT NOT on all circuits. I do not believe items like dry area lighting should be on that circuit (hence the direct link in the photo) and items like independent refigeration circuits. --- Your thoughts??

[Crossy]

Bloody typical isn't it

Agree with your thoughts on RCD's although I know others won't.

We are having the freezer on it's own RCBO to minimise nuisance trips, but since it's downstairs where flooding may occur it does need some form of earth leakage protection. Other circuits are split between two RCDs so we don't lose all the lights if one drops out.

[bankruatsteve]

Well, I'm the dangerous guy in this forum - but my thoughts for RCD protection are: wet areas for sure. outside OK. anything else - aagh. Why light circuits would need RCD is beyond me. OK - there was that 8 ft aborigini that somehow got his hair caught in the exposed F-light, but besides that... what??

[Crossy]

I know you're the bad boy Steve, but I too see no reason to RCD lighting circuits, the IEE who produce the UK wiring regs see it differently mind The latest regs require pretty well all domestic circuits to be RCD'd, overkill IMHO.

That said, since a single RCD can protect a whole home it actually costs no more to RCD everything than it would cost to RCD a single circuit.

With the Thai propensity for 2 pin outlets and un-grounded Class-1 appliances an RCD on at least the outlets is a smart move.

[haveaniceday]

CKY - (A Thai manufacturer of CB's and distribution boxes, with a large presence in Global) also uses the same colour wiring.

It is also used in the pics in it's glossy manual.

Black off the N bar.

The "sparky" also ran all the black wires to the N bar and the off white ones as live to the breakers.

This confused the hell out of me, as I was under the belief that:

Black - Live, Line or Hot

White / Grey - Neutral

Green - Ground or Earth

This just set the wanke_r "sparky" into farlang ding dong mode again.

​Of course, I don't really know what he has joined together in the ceiling.

So all the black wires go to the N bar, so I presume the white/grey (will call it white) are presumed to be L.

But, after pulling the covers off many outlets, I see it is about a 50/50 split, if the white or black one goes to L or N in the outlet.

​I do have a question though. some decives like a UPS and surge protectors I believe it is important to actually Live connected to the Live and the N connected to the N.

Can this be confirmed it will be a real pain in the but to change them over as the wires have been cut to size. All outlets are earthed.

Useful link : http://www.crossy.co.uk/wiring/colour%20codes.html

Edited February 20, 2012 by haveaniceday

[Crossy]

Modern equipment is invariably polarity insensitive, even UPS's etc at least as far as their operation is concerned. However, it is important for safety that the internal fuses and switches operate on the live conductor (if they don't operate on both).

The Thai standard follows the American NEC, Black - L, White/Grey - N, Green - E.

Whilst nobody is going to die from using an installation with non-standard wiring colours it should at least be consistent, with outlets all wired the same and light switches breaking the live conductor.

It is annoying that an equipment manufacturer has chosen not to comply with the local standard

[haveaniceday]

Does anyone know if you can get these OUTLET TESTERS in Thailand, down towards the bottom of the page in this Wiki link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_light

Crossy said a few years ago: "You should get:-

A neon screwdriver - This allows you to check for live wires, since it only uses one connection (you put your finger on the end as an earth return) it can distiguish between Live and Neutral easily.

A simple electronic multimeter - A 1000Baht or so well spent (Tesco have some reasonable units). Good for verifying that you have about the right voltage and that you have both L and N legs connected, something the neon can't do."

How do you interpret the Neon Screwdriver?

Source of the old quote above:

This is useful, thanks, : http://www.crossy.co.uk/wiring/testing.html

[Crossy]

Does anyone know if you can get these OUTLET TESTERS in Thailand, down towards the bottom of the page in this Wiki link. http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Test_light

How do you interpret the Neon Screwdriver?

I bought a few 110V outlet testers a couple of years back which I converted to 220V, I then had no real luck selling them They are most definitely a useful device if you can find a local 220V one.

A neon screwdriver will light on a live wire, the only thing it can tell you is that a wire is hot. If it does not light you can't tell if you have neutral, earth or an unconnected wire, that's where your multimeter comes in.

[JAS21]

Does anyone know if you can get these OUTLET TESTERS in Thailand, down towards the bottom of the page in this Wiki link. http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Test_light

How do you interpret the Neon Screwdriver?

I bought a few 110V outlet testers a couple of years back which I converted to 220V, I then had no real luck selling them They are most definitely a useful device if you can find a local 220V one.

A neon screwdriver will light on a live wire, the only thing it can tell you is that a wire is hot. If it does not light you can't tell if you have neutral, earth or an unconnected wire, that's where your multimeter comes in.

Yes you did ... I bought one and its proved to be very useful and not only in my house ... raise the price Crossy and they will sell ...TIT!

[bdenner]

...............

Whilst nobody is going to die from using an installation with non-standard wiring colours it should at least be consistent, with outlets all wired the same and light switches breaking the live conductor.

It is annoying that an equipment manufacturer has chosen not to comply with the local standard

If you have very light, flickering florescent tubes in the black of night it is a very good indication of the neutral being switched rather than the active.

[bankruatsteve]

...............

Whilst nobody is going to die from using an installation with non-standard wiring colours it should at least be consistent, with outlets all wired the same and light switches breaking the live conductor.

It is annoying that an equipment manufacturer has chosen not to comply with the local standard

If you have very light, flickering florescent tubes in the black of night it is a very good indication of the neutral being switched rather than the active.

And, it woud also be a good indication that the light boxes are dirty/cobwebby and making some connection with "ground".