Wire colors in Industrical control panels

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Busarider29

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Saginaw, MI USA
Greetings from Michigan,

I have an electrical panel that has some larger gauge cables that terminate to a 12 VDC car battery that is outside of the panel. The two cables that are in the panel are red and black and they terminate on the inside of the panel to two special type receptacles. No matter. My question is regarding the color of the wire cables inside the panel. Because there is 12 vdc power on these cables, shouldn't they be blue in color?? Is it okay to use a strip of blue electrical tape around the cables inside the panel to denote they are low voltage DC?

Thanks,
D.
 
Busarider29 said:
Greetings from Michigan,

I have an electrical panel that has some larger gauge cables that terminate to a 12 VDC car battery that is outside of the panel. The two cables that are in the panel are red and black and they terminate on the inside of the panel to two special type receptacles. No matter. My question is regarding the color of the wire cables inside the panel. Because there is 12 vdc power on these cables, shouldn't they be blue in color?? Is it okay to use a strip of blue electrical tape around the cables inside the panel to denote they are low voltage DC?

Thanks,
D.
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It does not appear the UL508a has any special requirements for power circuits that are DC. They should be black, or identified as black with tape at the end if it is #4 or larger.

Only DC control circuits are blue.
 
petersonra said:
It does not appear the UL508a has any special requirements for power circuits that are DC. They should be black, or identified as black with tape at the end if it is #4 or larger.

Only DC control circuits are blue.
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I don't much like the idea of electrical tape. It eventually comes undone/falls off in my experience. We use numbered markers and, where the cable diameter is too large to fit them, a cable tie round the cable can be used.

Blue here is usually used as the neutral conductor.
 
K8MHZ said:
Welcome to the forum.

I would be more concerned about the use of a car battery (flooded wet cell) if it's indoors. That should be replaced with a sealed lead acid battery for safety sake.
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Aren't most sealed lead acid or VRLA these days?
 
Busarider29 said:
Greetings from Michigan,

I have an electrical panel that has some larger gauge cables that terminate to a 12 VDC car battery that is outside of the panel. The two cables that are in the panel are red and black and they terminate on the inside of the panel to two special type receptacles. No matter. My question is regarding the color of the wire cables inside the panel. Because there is 12 vdc power on these cables, shouldn't they be blue in color?? Is it okay to use a strip of blue electrical tape around the cables inside the panel to denote they are low voltage DC?

Thanks,
D.
Click to expand...

The only thing that I am aware of is NFPA79 art 16 for wiring methods and procedures and table 8 for control.
 
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