I do not agree with that, what if they did not have white or green?
Not enough colors
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I do not agree with that, what if they did not have white or green?
jumper
Senior Member
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While I think 408.3 F makes sense.
(F) High-Leg Identification. A switchboard or panelboard
containing a 4-wire, delta-connected system where the midpoint
of one phase winding is grounded shall be legibly and
permanently field marked as follows:
?Caution _____ Phase Has _____ Volts to Ground?
I think that choosing orange as a color in 110.15 is silly, because it does not preclude using orange as an ungrounded conductor for another voltage, if a high leg is not present.
If I see an orange wire in a junction box, it can be 120,208, or 277. I still have to check and verify.
I agree with this part of 110.15:
Such identification shall be placed at each
point on the system where a connection is made if the
grounded conductor is also present.
But if I wanted to use purple or another color as the high leg identifier, I think I should be allowed.
I agree with you. The bottom line is to check. I've been on jobs where the other electrician was sure of the voltage.
I stopped to help another electrician pull some wire to disconnects and j-boxes. Started talking about what he had and was going to do. He had some 120V loads. 3 Phase service. Asked if he knew if it was 208 or 240.
Other person, "Yeah, yeah, it's 208, can't be anything else."
Me, "Did you put your tester on it?"
Other, "No, it has to be 208. There's red tape on one of the legs."
Me, "I'll go grab my tester."
Other, "No, no, I'm sure."
End of conversation. I leave. Get a call a few hours later. Burned up one of the 120V machines.
I'm sure we've all seen all green wire used by Mr. Jack-leg to wire up any number of things. Colors are indicators not guarantees.
NFPA79 (Industrial Machinery) requires ORANGE to be used exclusively for circuits that remain energized after the machine disconnect is pulled.
NFPA70 of course requires it (and has priority) to be used as a high-leg marker.
If the right shade of orange is used, very few people are blind to the color.
IMO, orange/orange stripe should be reserved for special use just as green is reserved. Let the rest fal where they may.
NFPA70 of course requires it (and has priority) to be used as a high-leg marker.
If the right shade of orange is used, very few people are blind to the color.
IMO, orange/orange stripe should be reserved for special use just as green is reserved. Let the rest fal where they may.
donaldelectrician
Senior Member
If the right shade of orange is used, people are blind to the color.
If the right shade of orange is used, people are blind to the color.
I think that "brail" option should be proposed !!!http://forums.mikeholt.com/images/icons/icon6.gif
any short circuit knows that , 277/480 is Brown, ORANGE ,Yellow
and umpteen zillions of bldgs , are wired such.
all cu wire is cu in color....so test,
all al wire is al in color.....so
When , and what code cycles , did the NEC , get on it? Besides the Current one?
If the right shade of orange is used, people are blind to the color.
I think that "brail" option should be proposed !!!http://forums.mikeholt.com/images/icons/icon6.gif
any short circuit knows that , 277/480 is Brown, ORANGE ,Yellow
and umpteen zillions of bldgs , are wired such.
all cu wire is cu in color....so test,
all al wire is al in color.....so
When , and what code cycles , did the NEC , get on it? Besides the Current one?
I don't how many new manufacturing plants are being built in the US these days? And what few are how many are being built by a company based solely in the US of A. More and more North American Plants will be needing 400Y230 50/60 Hz or making, testing and servicing products for that market.
The real problem is we are running out of grounded conductor colors.
Look out for light blue is has become an international standard for a neutral conductor inside equipment and cords. It could be a 208 - 277 to ground neutral or 120V to ground.
There are people whom hang out in engineering/calcs forums whom post plans which specify light blue as a neutral (plans are for overseas jobs and equipment for use in the USA).
UL and the NEC have approved light blue as neutral in equipment and flexible cords. Flexible cords can enter a Junction box. I have seen incorrectly hard wired lights, pond pumps, and ondemand water heaters all UL listed equipment where light blue was the neutral and there was a blue hot wire in the junction box.
I also just changed out some lights on a store and blue was the neutral, at first I thought it was 208V lighting, then I tested to find the blue was the neutral.
It makes me question the wisdom of using of blue or light blue at all.
The real problem is we are running out of grounded conductor colors.
Look out for light blue is has become an international standard for a neutral conductor inside equipment and cords. It could be a 208 - 277 to ground neutral or 120V to ground.
There are people whom hang out in engineering/calcs forums whom post plans which specify light blue as a neutral (plans are for overseas jobs and equipment for use in the USA).
UL and the NEC have approved light blue as neutral in equipment and flexible cords. Flexible cords can enter a Junction box. I have seen incorrectly hard wired lights, pond pumps, and ondemand water heaters all UL listed equipment where light blue was the neutral and there was a blue hot wire in the junction box.
I also just changed out some lights on a store and blue was the neutral, at first I thought it was 208V lighting, then I tested to find the blue was the neutral.
It makes me question the wisdom of using of blue or light blue at all.
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