color code

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sirdon

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What is the proper color code for 277/480 and is it county, or state wide. where do I find it in the code book
 
sirdon said:
What is the proper color code for 277/480 and is it county, or state wide. where do I find it in the code book
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There is no NEC required color scheme for general use circuits at any voltage. Except for white, gray, and green you can use any color you want.

However, it seems the most common colors for 480Y/277 are Brown-Orange-Yellow and Brown-Purple-Yellow.
 
their is no code required colors for 277/480V,the only requirement is that what ever colors you chose for the current carrying conductors stay the same throughout the system.The code designates green or green stipe for grounding conductor, white or grey for the grounded conductor and orange to identify the high leg.
 
I'm way too lazy to look it up right now but is't there an orange required for a high leg or something?
 
mcelweec@gmail.com said:
according to the pse&g hand book orange cant be used unless high leg is present.
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That could be trouble. When I wire the microswitches for commercial-kitchen fire-suppression systems, I sometimes need six colors, and orange is one of them. I use black, red, blue, brown, orange, and yellow. White for grounded, of course, and an occasional purple. But, I mix the colors between switches so nobody thinks one micro is handling only 120v and the other only 277v.
 
LarryFine said:
That could be trouble. When I wire the microswitches for commercial-kitchen fire-suppression systems, I sometimes need six colors, and orange is one of them. I use black, red, blue, brown, orange, and yellow. White for grounded, of course, and an occasional purple. But, I mix the colors between switches so nobody thinks one micro is handling only 120v and the other only 277v.
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That should not be an issue...the utility company rules do not extend beyond the service equipment...actually they stop at the service point with the exception of a meter that is installed on the load side of the service point.
 
I was taught .....

I was taught .....

I was taught the 277/480 was "BOY" ....Brown orange yellow with gray as the neutral leg ... with 120/208/240 Red, Black, Blue w/ white neutral .... don't know if that is in the code anywhere ... just somkething I have always adhered to .... :smile:
 
RJohnsonMasterElectrician said:
I beleive it used to be code brown,orange,yellow 277/480 and black, red , blue 120/240 in the 93 code?? but has since changed to any color for branch circuits except for the bastard leg.
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There never has been a color code like that in the NEC. There are some requirements for a certain conductor to be a certain color in certain instances, but brown-orange-yellow is just as acceptable as black-red-blue, or pink-yellow-black, or blue-brown-purple.
 
Color code 517.160 Isolated Power Systems. See (5) Conductor Identification

Color code 517.160 Isolated Power Systems. See (5) Conductor Identification

I find that color codes are more of a local standard, and that the helps to understand the system... until some person decided it is not cost effective.
Standardizing is related to safety. I work plants that span Decades and those with mixed color systems are the more dangerous. The old "yellow" rule in industrial controls for seperate source has gone by the wayside. Our state does have adoption of other codes that may apply ie NESC and "ANSI AND IEEE" where color codes ARE identified. Again it is a question of the installers and the AHJ to follow what the norm is. Nothing like chasing a run and having it change colors 4 times in one phase.. ah weel it all pas the same and looks good on the report for use of time$$
 
The oldest color code for multiwire circuits I can quickly find is 1937:2104.
Branch circuits of any of the types recognized in this article may be installed as multi-wire circuts; provided one of the conductors of the circuit is an identified grounded conductor. Conductors of such multi-wire branch circuits of multi-phase systems shall conform to the following color code: three-wire circuits-- one black, one white, one red; four-wire circuits-- one black, one white, one red, one yellow; five-wire circuits-- one black, one white, one red, one yellow, one blue.
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In 1940 they swapped the blue and yellow.
1968 is the last year those colors where required for multiwire circuits, in 1971 it existed as a FPN.
In 1971:210-5(c) the last sentence was:
All ungrounded conductors of the same color shall be connected to the same ungrounded feeder conductor and the conductors for systems of different voltages shall be of different colors.
It is recommended for a basic single wiring system that the following colors be used: 3-wire circuits-- 1 black, 1 white, 1 red; 4-wire circuits-- 1 black, 1 white, 1 red, and 1 blue.
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1975:210-5(c) was simply:
Ungrounded conductors of different voltages shall be of different color or identified by other means.
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LarryFine said:
That could be trouble. When I wire the microswitches for commercial-kitchen fire-suppression systems, I sometimes need six colors, and orange is one of them. I use black, red, blue, brown, orange, and yellow. White for grounded, of course, and an occasional purple. But, I mix the colors between switches so nobody thinks one micro is handling only 120v and the other only 277v.
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Orange is only required on a high leg where the neutral is present (past the service)
 
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