It should pointed out to everyone to be cautious when you encounter a gray wire, particularly in an existing installation. Up through the 1999 NEC, a grounded, or neutral, wire was to required to be white or natural gray. Natural gray is not the same as gray, and many electricians and inspectors did not know the difference, and therefore they were used interchangably.
Natural gray is a very light gray, not much darker than white, and has not been available for years. In low-light or poor-light situations, white and natural gray would be indistinguishable, even side-by-side. Yet many electricians improperly installed gray as an grounded (neutral), typically in 277/480 applications.
But there are some places where gray, the gray you can buy today, was (properly) installed at the time as an ungrounded (hot!) conductor. These installations are rare, but do exist, so caution should be exercised when you encounter a gray conductor.
The deletion of the word natural occured in the 2002 NEC, when it was concluded that too much gray had been already (incorrectly) installed as a grounded conductor. In that Code cycle, both white and gray became the required choices for grounded conductors.
So please be aware that if you encounter an existing gray wire today, treat it with suspicion until you can determine whether it's a hot or neutral. And don't jump to the conclusion that "Well, it was installed in 2003, so it has to be a neutral!". Many jurisdictions don't adopt the NEC the same year it is issued. An installation done in 2003 or even 2004 may have been performed under 1999 standards.
Natural gray is a very light gray, not much darker than white, and has not been available for years. In low-light or poor-light situations, white and natural gray would be indistinguishable, even side-by-side. Yet many electricians improperly installed gray as an grounded (neutral), typically in 277/480 applications.
But there are some places where gray, the gray you can buy today, was (properly) installed at the time as an ungrounded (hot!) conductor. These installations are rare, but do exist, so caution should be exercised when you encounter a gray conductor.
The deletion of the word natural occured in the 2002 NEC, when it was concluded that too much gray had been already (incorrectly) installed as a grounded conductor. In that Code cycle, both white and gray became the required choices for grounded conductors.
So please be aware that if you encounter an existing gray wire today, treat it with suspicion until you can determine whether it's a hot or neutral. And don't jump to the conclusion that "Well, it was installed in 2003, so it has to be a neutral!". Many jurisdictions don't adopt the NEC the same year it is issued. An installation done in 2003 or even 2004 may have been performed under 1999 standards.
There, I admitted it... send the OT police after me....
