Colors

[jmellc]

Not a huge issue but I had a minor dispute with a coworker this week. We were working a 208 single phase panel. I was using black and red, black and red. He said I should still use black, red, blue. I explained that blue was only used as C phase on 3 phase. He hadn't heard that. He worked in another state before and said they used black, red, blue regardless. I say that adds confusion. Black, red tells me there is no 3 phase, black, red, blue tells me there is.

Opinions?

 

[tortuga]

What would the blue identify if its 208 open wye (single phase) you only have 2 hots and a neutral?

 

[LarryFine]

Opinions?

You're correct, of course.

Also, I like chocolate.

 

[Little Bill]

Usually, two wires = single phase
three wires = 3 ph
No colors needed for that

 

[LarryFine]

What would the blue identify if its 208 open wye (single phase) you only have 2 hots and a neutral?

The closest the co-worker could come to justifying a third color would be to identify which two lines each panel is supplied by, presuming multiple panels.

 

[hillbilly1]

Not a huge issue but I had a minor dispute with a coworker this week. We were working a 208 single phase panel. I was using black and red, black and red. He said I should still use black, red, blue. I explained that blue was only used as C phase on 3 phase. He hadn't heard that. He worked in another state before and said they used black, red, blue regardless. I say that adds confusion. Black, red tells me there is no 3 phase, black, red, blue tells me there is.

Opinions?

I’ve seen black, red and blue used in a single phase panel, but it was because the electrician that did it screwed up! It was a panel backed up by a UPS, and they pulled one neutral for three “phases”, which made the neutral overloaded because two of the three wires were the same leg. Found it on an UPS upgrade the customers were doing to all of their stores.

 

[jmellc]

The closest the co-worker could come to justifying a third color would be to identify which two lines each panel is supplied by, presuming multiple panels.

That would make sense too. A 3 phase panel feeds 3 single phase sub panels Panel A black & red. Panel B blue & black. Panel C red & blue.

 

[infinity]

Black, red tells me there is no 3 phase, black, red, blue tells me there is.

I agree.