2020 NFPA 70 Art. 410.69 (NEW)

[Dell3c]

Identification of Control Conductor Insulation. Where control conductors are spliced, terminated, or connected in the same luminaire or enclosure or enclosure as the branch-circuit conductors, the field connected control conductor shall not be of a color reserved for the grounded branch-circuit conductor or equipment grounding conductor. This requirement shall become effective January 1, 2022.

Exception: A field connected gray-colored control conductor shall be permitted if the insulation is permanently re-identified by marking tape, painting or other effective means at its termination and at each location where the conductor is visible and accessible. Identification shall encircle the insulation and shall be a color other than white, gray, or green.


I've been kind of "loosely" following this up during last couple years. It was to my understanding from the manufacturer(s) of LED luminaires, that color identification of "purple & gray" leads, were somehow leading to this confusion.

Anybody having any personal notes might wanting to share, into subject in the above (?)

Thank you in advance.

 

[hbiss]

That's interesting. So purple and gray that has been chosen by the industry and is used in every luminare, 0-10V dimmer and control cable is now no good. The gray has to be reidentified.

-Hal

 

[brantmacga]

It seems to me this would have been considered before deciding on the standard colors for analog dimming.

I’ve never been confused as to what that wire is when wiring a fixture or dimmer. I guess the manufacturers will have to implement a new color scheme?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dell3c]

I first started following this up during latter end 2017 code era. Having pull 277volt "high-hat" LED w/ driver out of ceiling, because fixture was "blinking" after circuit was powered up. We took the fixture down to table surface, opened it up started looking around @ factory internal wiring inside the fixture. What we assumed being the gray (neutral fixture lead) was not internally. At that time, we did have to change some wiring around internally, inside the fixture.

We had to repeat this process, (checking one @ time) after finding this in first fixture.

Later doing some research, finding out something about the factory wiring regarding LED luminaires, something to do w/color of wiring internally, specifically the two colors mentioned, were not used as the standard color arrangement that we as Electricians follow, as in standard color code Article 200.

Something about the Manufacturers, were not bound by same NFPA 70 standards of color code. (not exactly sure, into that statement). But what I read, this situation was suppose to be "cleaned-up" by the start of 2020 code.

So when the 2020 Analysis of Changes was published, making point trying get my hands early edition copy, from the IAEI in following this up.

What your seeing in the first posting, date of effective January 1, 2022, they having pushed it back two more years.

I've got the book open now, as typing this. You'll find this footprint on page(s) 292 & 293.

 

[Dell3c]

I'm not trying, to cause a uproar. And I haven't heard, anyone talking about this either. I have cruised several pages back (like 20+) into heading of problem(s) via lighting, in threads on Holt's Forum. Having noticed many times denoted in threads, objectional unexplained current on neutral (grounded) conductors, blinking lights and host of other unexplained problems. While some of these problems could be associated, and still going unanswered.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

It is very common to have a future effective date for a rule that requires manufacture's to make a physical change in their product. Many times the date is 3 years in the future and not 2 like this one is.

The substantiation for the change was:

This public input intends to prevent lighting control conductors from being installed using the same color as the branch circuit conductors. This is based upon multiple shock incidents that have occurred. One common control conductor scheme is to use "purple and gray" colored control conductors. 200.6(A) specifically permits white and gray to be used in the identification of grounded conductors. The shock incidents occurred where "gray control" conductors were inadvertently spliced to the grounded conductor. The lighting control conductors are not limited to control of a single branch circuit, they can control multiple branch circuits. This sets up a scenario where employees are working on a branch circuit that has been placed into an electrically safe work condition but an inadvertently spliced common control conductor in a luminaire becomes energized when a completely different branch circuit is energized. This is a logical, feasible safety driven revision. There is no logical reason to continue using colors identified for branch circuits as control conductors. In discussions with the lighting control manufacturer involved there was significant consensus that this revision be adopted.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

That's interesting. So purple and gray that has been chosen by the industry and is used in every luminare, 0-10V dimmer and control cable is now no good. The gray has to be reidentified.

-Hal

You know that we have to make everything idiot proof now....but the more changes we make the better the idiots become.

 

[Bogdan-PDX]

You know that we have to make everything idiot proof now....but the more changes we make the better the idiots become.

You can’t fix them “idiots” but you can fix What they do

 

[infinity]

I've worked on hundreds of 0-10 volt control fixtures and I don't really see the purple/gray colors as a problem. Yes there are occasionally wiring errors due to the gray color and 277 volt circuit branch circuits but they are rare and are usually corrected rather quickly because the light will not operate correctly.

Also these 0-10 volt drivers typically use white as the neutral so your 5 wires (Black, White, Green, Purple, Gray) are all different colors.

 

[Strathead]

I've worked on hundreds of 0-10 volt control fixtures and I don't really see the purple/gray colors as a problem. Yes there are occasionally wiring errors due to the gray color and 277 volt circuit branch circuits but they are rare and are usually corrected rather quickly because the light will not operate correctly.

Also these 0-10 volt drivers typically use white as the neutral so your 5 wires (Black, White, Green, Purple, Gray) are all different colors.

I had a basketball facility. Out of 100 plus drivers at $130 each I had to replace 80 of them. We found the one location where the wires were done incorrectly but never found the other. It would have taken two miswires to get the 277 across the dimming circuit to create the problem we had. I suspect one of the "electricians" would wired wrong fixed his error without admitting it. Anyway, this was new to us and the factory, but once we figured it out, it was less than a month later, that a union Electrical contractor (always in the top 10 EC's in the country per ECM mag) changing all the lights at an NFL stadium had the same problem (the lights would come on dim and stay dim). The lighting rep told them what to look for and sure enough, they had done the same thing. I am being vague because I am not trying to diss anyone. My point is that it is a problem and a costly one. Usually it is one miswire and fixable in the field but in a system where you have dozens or hundreds of drivers fed from a lighting control panel it can be very costly.