orange wire

[pat12153]

I am wiring an office building..The service is 208v 3 ph..I was using orange #12 for switch legs and travelers for 3 ways...The building inspector told me he could reject my work because orange should only be used to identify hi leg.

 

[charlie b]

Re: orange wire

Get the inspector to cite a code section. If he can cite a code section, it will not be an NEC section.

 

[jeff43222]

Re: orange wire

Orange marking is one of the ways the high leg can be identified in a panel, but I've never heard of a rule that orange cannot be used elsewhere.

Charlie's right -- get a citation from the inspector.

 

[roger]

Re: orange wire

Ask the inspector how he's going to tell the NFPA that 517.160 will have to be changed.

Roger

 

[charlie b]

Re: orange wire

The Inspector might have been thinking of this:

110.15 High-Leg Marking. On a 4-wire, delta-connected system where the midpoint of one phase winding is grounded, only the conductor or busbar having the higher phase voltage to ground shall be durably and permanently marked by an outer finish that is ORANGE in color or by other effective means.

Or this:

230.56 Service Conductor with the Higher Voltage to Ground. On a 4-wire, delta-connected service where the midpoint of one phase winding is grounded, the service conductor having the higher phase voltage to ground shall be durably and permanently marked by an outer finish that is ORANGE in color, or by other effective means, at each termination or junction point.

Since you are not working on a 4-wire delta, then these articles do not apply. Note also that neither statement says you can never use orange in any other application. In fact, orange is used for isolated ground wires per 517.160(A)(5), and for 480 volt space heating cables per 424.35.

The only other use of the word ?orange? in the NEC is the orange triangle to be placed on an isolated ground receptacle.

 

[jim dungar]

Re: orange wire

Basically the requirement for orange conductors (assuming not an existing installation) is similar to the requirement for school buses.

All school buses must be yellow, but not all yellow vehicles must be school buses.

 

[charlie b]

Re: orange wire

Originally posted by jim dungar:All school buses must be yellow, but not all yellow vehicles must be school buses.

Very well put! That is a good analogy.

 

[hurk27]

Re: orange wire

By Charlie B.: In fact, orange is used for isolated ground wires per 517.160(A)(5)

The wires that are discribed by 517.160(A)(5) are not grounded but isolated from ground. the system is an isolated power supply that is kept isolated from ground or the primiss wiring system. But the orange wire has to be connected to the grounded conductor (neutral) terminal of a receptacle But it is not grounded.

 

[iwire]

Re: orange wire

517.160(A)(5) Conductor Identification. The isolated circuit conductors shall be identified as follows:

(1)Isolated Conductor No. 1 ? Orange

The code section continues.

Bob

[ November 23, 2004, 07:19 PM: Message edited by: iwire ]

 

[peter d]

Re: orange wire

And of course, we can't forget to check our local codes. Here are some rules from the Rhode Island Fire Safety Code concerning fire alarm wiring.

(Add) 13.8.10.6.3.10

HVAC SHUTDOWN CIRCUITS and AUDIO/VISUAL SYSTEMS SHUTDOWN CIRCUITS shall be orange and yellow.

(Add) 13.8.10.6.3.8

MUNICIPAL MASTER BOX TRIPPING CIRCUITS shall be orange and orange. Conductors for this circuit shall be installed in a separate raceway.

These conductors are all installed in dedicated raceways, so confusion between line voltage is impossible, but I thought it might be interesting to someone nontheless.

Edited to include ammendments I just found.

[ November 23, 2004, 08:17 PM: Message edited by: peter d ]