myth,professionalism,or nec code

[billdozier]

Hey guys just got inspected on a job we did a week ago. On this job we had a 277/480 MDP with a step down transformer feeding a small subpanel. The subpanel is 120/240. My question is on color coding the wires in both panels. To me it should have been brown,orange,yellow in the hv panel with black,red,blue in the lv panel. What we did was black,red,blue in both panels. Am I buying into an old school myth or is this actual code? The job is an open ball field with both panels and transformer sharing the same poured slab.

 

[cowboyjwc]

You can use any colors you want, but the two systems have to be different. While B/O/Y and B/R/B are the norm, they are not in the code.

210.5(C)

 

[raider1]

I agree with cowboy.

The systems have to be identified in accordance with 210.5 and 215.12. If you are under the 2008 NEC each system must be identified by system and phase. In prior editions of the NEC you only had to identify each system.

Chris

 

[patsy]

hi guys im in a situation with an inspector and i actually changed it all today he came to inspect theres 120/208 in the building the lighting system is 110v but the guys used a yellow wire for a travler for the lightsand the inspector told me to change it because it represents 277 or id fail is that right?

 

[cowboyjwc]

hi guys im in a situation with an inspector and i actually changed it all today he came to inspect theres 120/208 in the building the lighting system is 110v but the guys used a yellow wire for a travler for the lightsand the inspector told me to change it because it represents 277 or id fail is that right?

I saw your other post, but didn't comment on it. Your inspector is not correct. A trade standard is not code, many a trade practice has become a mythical code. My guess is he would tell you that you can't use gray for a neutral on a 120/208 system.

Would he have made the same call if you had used brown or orange for the switch leg?

What I did see in the other post was, pick your fights. Is changing it faster than fighting it? Is one more expensive or time consuming than the other? If you have nothing to lose, take it up the ladder.