3 phase armoured used for single phase supply?

[T i m]

Hi All,

My mate has a tidy roll of what I have now found out is 3 core 2.5mm armoured cable (wooden drum) but it turns out it's coloured as 3 phase (ie red / yellow / blue)?

Would it be ok (as per the current regs) if suitably marked, to use this as a single phase feed to an outbuilding?

I know it would actually 'work' and I'm happy that some green / yellow sleeving over say the yellow phase would make the earth wire clear, some black heatsrink over the blue would sort the neutral and the red is ok anyway?

I just wondered what the rules said?

All the best ..

T i m

[Lurch]

That's exactly how you do it. For future reference that's the colours

3 core SWA come's in, you don't get single or three phase wiring, it's all the same. ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

[T i m]

[T] Ahhhhh ... so he' didn't order the 'wrong stuff' by mistake then?

Cheers fella!

T i m

p.s. When are we going over the blue / brown for fixed wiring .?

[Lurch]

Have a look around here,

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

[Dave Plowman]

Hope so. This is what the leccy board used to feed my meter from the riser. ;-)

[T i m]

Thanks muchly again ..

T i m

So, rather than making 3 phase AND twin and external wire / armour earth they use 3 phase for both and only need to make . stock one type ...?

[Lurch]

Pretty much, it's a supply and demand thing. If they only made half as much of each colour combination it would theoretically cost twice as much. You can get allsorts of cables and accessories for electrical, (and plumbing), that get you out of tricky situations but they're overpriced and little used so no-one stocks them. So it's the make-do this way method then! ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

[Harry Bloomfield]

On 24/02/2004 T i m opined:-

Not a problem providing the markings are perfectly clear and unabiguous.

[T i m]

[T] Hi Harry,

I thought the issue might have been if someone breaks into the cable they wouldn't know what was done at the ends? (ie, how I allocated the single phase use of the 3 phase colours, or is there a rule I've missed?)

Isn't there something about leads for portable appliances where they can use whatever coloured wire they choose as long as the plugs are moulded on each end?

All the best ..

T i m

[Lurch]

The same would apply for using a twin and earth as a feed and switchwire, the black will be live. I think yoou're meant to check what the cable does *before* you start chopping it up and connecting things to it.

Have to say I've not heard of that one, logically though if you cut the plug off a lead you would want the correct colours there to be able to wire up a new one. But then again, some things defy logic! ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

[Christian McArdle]

Nah. Everyone uses red->live, blue->neutral and yellow->earth if it is for earthed single phase supply. You definitely must sleeve the ends, though.

Christian.

[T i m]

[T] Thanks for that .. I would have done anyway, just wondered if it was *ok* to simply re-mark it.

All the best ..

T i m

[Zymurgy]

It's ok, if someone breaks into the middle, there'll just be a big "bang" ;-)

HTH

Paul.

[T i m]

But it's not the fun it used to be .. now everything is on RCD's ... ;-(

All the best ..

T i m