SO Cord colors

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oceanobob

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central coast California
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electrical and industrial contractor company owner
Am planning on replacing a hardwired method (via "seal-tite") on a portable machine with a receptacle and cord & plug. Machine is 480vac at less than 5 amps.
FYI machine is a crimper on a hose fitting: it weighs about 100 pounds.

Idea to utilize cord with plug via a safety switch disconnect to the outlet receptacle is to allow machine to be moved for maintenance and cleanup as an occasional task.

Q: Anybody find SO type flexible cord with the colors Yellow Orange Brown Green or should I give up on the search and use some "phase tape"?

Thanks!
 
I’ve never seen SO in those colors before, but I’ve never had the need to look either.

When given the opportunity I like to mark my wires with double wall heat shrink. I find it looks more professional than tape.


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I think you can get custom colors in most any cord or cable, but won't be worth the effort if you need limited amount as you likely will need to purchase a minimum amount in a bulk quantity. If there is enough demand for something and a supplier wants to make those minimum purchases then that custom item can be bought through that supplier.

I have come across SO cord with black, red, blue, green before (no white) already installed on something - manufacturer or distributor of that equipment maybe bought it in bulk quantities.
 
I would only mark the white wire to another color, like Blue. Nothing wrong with Black Red Blue on 480. I use it all the time. Not like anyone will open the plug and think Oh, Black Red Blue, must be 208....... Especially if you use the correct 480 style plug/receptacle!
 
pjones said:
I’ve never seen SO in those colors before, but I’ve never had the need to look either.

When given the opportunity I like to mark my wires with double wall heat shrink. I find it looks more professional than tape.


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I agree 100% on heat shrink, hard to tape small wires. For some reason orange heat shrink is hard to find, I finally found a source for orange heat shrink, in fact all colors, came precut in small packages, but I don't remember who that company was.
 
Frank DuVal said:
I would only mark the white wire to another color, like Blue. [...] Especially if you use the correct 480 style plug/receptacle!
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I almost ignore the colors (except green/white) and look at the plug itself. And always use the correct plug/socket, please. There's no fun to be had when someone uses an L15 there there should be an L14 (still, meter an unknown socket anyway).
 
tom baker said:
I agree 100% on heat shrink, hard to tape small wires. For some reason orange heat shrink is hard to find, I finally found a source for orange heat shrink, in fact all colors, came precut in small packages, but I don't remember who that company was.
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Try Fry’s Electronics, they seem to have a good selection of heat shrink in different colors. Don’t remember if they have orange though. They usually sell it in five to six foot lengths if I remember correctly.
 
Frank DuVal said:
I would only mark the white wire to another color, like Blue. Nothing wrong with Black Red Blue on 480. I use it all the time. Not like anyone will open the plug and think Oh, Black Red Blue, must be 208....... Especially if you use the correct 480 style plug/receptacle!
Click to expand...
I hear you, and pretty much never mark cord conductors used in a plug/cap. If landing in an piece of equipment maybe it will get marked, but most the time not there either, IMO you usually are beyond what NEC covers once you are in that equipment as in it is not permanent wiring of the structure.
 
Many thanks .... job was completed using narrow width color tape to help assure no confusion, of course once the plug was assembled the colors were no longer visible.
 
Jumping on late, and I know that the job is done.

I concur with the 'just mark the wire' and use standard color SO cord.

However if you _really_ want ROYG SO cord, I bet these guys could make it: https://specialtywire.com/

They specialize in making 'retractile' cords (the kind where the entire cable assembly acts like a spring), but from reading their catalog it looks as though their process includes first assembling the conductors and then adding the outer jacket. Never used them, but if someone else goes down this path I'd love to know :)

Thanks
Jon
 
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