Wrong color wire coding

[faresos]

I have a situation where we have ran brown, yellow, orange (480V/3-phase system) to a slide gate motor (located outside) that we thought is 480V but it turned out to be 208V/-1-phase. My thought is to splice the wires in the 480V panel and nipple between the two panels (480V & 208V) and use the correct wire coding from the splice location (Splice brown with black, yellow with red). Also, do the same at the motor termination. Do you see any code violation by doing this?Is this legal?

Thanks,

 

[zbang]

The NEC doesn't care, as long as green and white are used correctly, and a high-leg is identified. Search the forums and you'll find things like:

http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=88335
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=95545

(Control panels may have their own color codes, too, but that's not NEC.)

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The NEC doesn't care, as long as green and white are used correctly...

What about the rule in 210.5(C)?

 

[zbang]

What about the rule in 210.5(C)?

:slaphead: yes, that too. Quoted for completeness:

(C) Ungrounded Conductors. Where the premises wiring system has branch circuits supplied from more than one nominal voltage system, each ungrounded conductor of a branch circuit shall be identified by phase or line and system at all termination, connection, and splice points. The means of identification shall be permitted to be by separate color coding, marking tape, tagging, or other approved means. The method utilized for conductors originating within each branch-circuit panelboard or similar branchcircuit distribution equipment shall be documented in a manner that is readily available or shall be permanently posted at each branch-circuit panelboard or similar branchcircuit distribution equipment.

 

[kwired]

Nothing wrong with identifying them somehow to indicate the correct voltage and phase.

What if they were all black conductors with orange, yellow, and brown markers to start with?? There would have been nothing wrong with that either before you found out the colors were not what you wanted.

Only ones that are required to have insulation a certain color are grounded and grounding conductors smaller than 4AWG. Everything else can be marked.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Nothing wrong with identifying them somehow to indicate the correct voltage and phase.

What if they were all black conductors with orange, yellow, and brown markers to start with?? There would have been nothing wrong with that either before you found out the colors were not what you wanted.

Only ones that are required to have insulation a certain color are grounded and grounding conductors smaller than 4AWG. Everything else can be marked.

That is correct but the sign at each panel must state the means that is being used to identify the conductors as to phase and voltage. If the sign states you are using the insulation color for this purpose, then remarking with tape is a violation of the section.

 

[tkb]

That is correct but the sign at each panel must state the means that is being used to identify the conductors as to phase and voltage. If the sign states you are using the insulation color for this purpose, then remarking with tape is a violation of the section.

In 35 years I have never seen a sign indicating the colors for the voltages that is required per 210.5(C)(3).

Re-identification of ungrounded conductors are permitted as per 210.5(C)(2).

 

[cadpoint]

In 35 years I have never seen a sign indicating the colors for the voltages that is required per 210.5(C)(3).

Re-identification of ungrounded conductors are permitted as per 210.5(C)(2).

I've never seen the colors mentioned in the OP (in use), but I have seen the labels and installed the respective phonetic designations on panels.

 

[kwired]

That is correct but the sign at each panel must state the means that is being used to identify the conductors as to phase and voltage. If the sign states you are using the insulation color for this purpose, then remarking with tape is a violation of the section.

If that is the case he has a problem. He either needs to change the conductors or change his signs (all of them).

 

[dana1028]

In 35 years I have never seen a sign indicating the colors for the voltages that is required per 210.5(C)(3).

Perhaps that is because the requirement for signage did not appear till the 2008 cycle.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Perhaps that is because the requirement for signage did not appear till the 2008 cycle.

It was actually in the 2005 code.

 

[iwire]

In 35 years I have never seen a sign indicating the colors for the voltages that is required per 210.5(C)(3).

Re-identification of ungrounded conductors are permitted as per 210.5(C)(2).

We have been doing it.

They had small stickers made on clear with black lettering with the color codes.

 

[weressl]

I have a situation where we have ran brown, yellow, orange (480V/3-phase system) to a slide gate motor (located outside) that we thought is 480V but it turned out to be 208V/-1-phase. My thought is to splice the wires in the 480V panel and nipple between the two panels (480V & 208V) and use the correct wire coding from the splice location (Splice brown with black, yellow with red). Also, do the same at the motor termination. Do you see any code violation by doing this?Is this legal?

Thanks,

Any splices will potentially create a failure point. I would not introduce a splice unless it is absolutely necessary for repair, or other technical reasons; holding reliability and functionality the primary goals, not repair or troubleshooting.

If circuit and phase identification is important to me I would use panel/circuit designations and phase number labels installed on the conductors at both ends.