Does the neutral (black coloured) conductor on a light switch loop connection need to be swapped to red with tape or heatshrink or can it be left as black?
john.s,
Jul 22, 4:54pm
If you have to ask that question then you should not be any where near electrical wiring!
comsolve,
Jul 22, 5:01pm
With a response like that, you are the dangerous unit.
Why?
Because either you don't understand the question or you are a tradie who is too self-assured to ask any questions.
Has to be permanent sleaving. No it can’t be tape. Heatshrink or sleaving to be used.
kwaka5,
Jul 22, 5:32pm
I’m picking you are talking about an existing circuit. A new two way would have to be run in phase colours.
johotech,
Jul 22, 5:40pm
Neutrals are black. Actives are red, or some other allowable colours. Either colour wire can be used for either active or neutral, if you change the colour with sleeving at both ends. But you would be pretty stupid to just use the wrong colour and sleeve it without good reason. Normally at a light switch, the black wires in the loop terminal are neutral. But as a switched active wire, black can be sleeved to red.
Not a very good question. But as you would know, even something as simple as the colour of the wires used, might involve a number of different clauses in the standards, plus a number of regulations. As far as the regulations go - for domestic - the neutral must be black, and black can only be used for neutral. But a different coloured wire can be sleeved at both ends to achieve that. Make sense?
Let me know where to send the invoice for this 15 minutes.
gpg58,
Jul 22, 5:44pm
Seem to recall also, that sleeving must cover entire exposed length (outside of tps cover)
snoopy221,
Jul 22, 5:44pm
Now any sparkie in here can simply answer me as to the regulation change a coupla years ago I.E. what was it blue/yellow for light SWITCHING circuits . Is that still current or changed again like the old cable clipping?
johotech,
Jul 22, 5:46pm
"sleeving or other means" which is colourfast. Actual sleeving or heatshrink is best, but I don't think there's anything that says you can't use tape.
kwaka5,
Jul 22, 5:48pm
Think you might find tape is out because it says permanent and tape can unwind.
johotech,
Jul 22, 5:50pm
You can't use yellow for anything because that's part of the earth colour. The 2nd active colour that was yellow, is now normally white. But any yellow already being used can remain, but if there's work done on the connections, they should be sleeved to white.
Neutral can be black or light blue (like the blue in flexible cable). Dark blue is an active colour.
The "switching" colour, is often white now, with red-red or red-white twin cable being available for switching.
gpg58,
Jul 22, 5:51pm
agree, fairly certain tape was no longer permitted at some point over the years, for that reason. (who hasn't seen a pile of sticky tape unwinding in a sw/b etc)
johotech,
Jul 22, 5:51pm
The word permanent isn't used at all.
kwaka5,
Jul 22, 5:56pm
Yup, just had a look. However if you worked for me and I saw you do it I would kick your arse. Some of us have higher standards and I have made many sparkies change it. Sorry but tape really is not professional for this application.
johotech,
Jul 22, 5:59pm
And what did I say above?
And BTW, tape is used all the time to identify cantols and other conductors, even in works - so it can't be all that bad.
comsolve,
Jul 22, 6:01pm
I was going to use heatshrink.
Knowing the general 'cut of the gib' of the regs, I thought it was probably required, but then I have never seen it done in practice.
I have just been having a read through a summary of the changes in 3000:2018 and I see they have found new ways to torture sparkies.
kwaka5,
Jul 22, 6:03pm
As I said, yup just had a look. Standards are next to me champ. It does no longer say permanent. However my statement still stands and if you worked for me and used it I would still kick your arse. Sorry you mis understood my first comment.
comsolve,
Jul 22, 6:07pm
Yes, but everything in the regs is about permanence. It's why they don't allow nylon cable ties in PV arrays.
johotech,
Jul 22, 6:48pm
I'm not sure how much arse kicking is currently allowed under workplace employment laws - I haven't been an employee for a long time.
And if you're going to impose additional requirements on your staff with penalties for non-compliance, I hope you have given them advance notice of all those requirements in writing.
Thanks for that. Of note to myself, apparently PV supply main switches now have to be marked "solar".
Apparently the existing requirements of AS/NZS 5033:2014, namely: 1. Green circle decal with the letters "PV" on it affixed at the switchboard and 2. Array location / Voc / Isc declaration sticker also affixed at the switchboard; are not enough.
Added to that, in my install, it's mounted next to the inverter and charge controller units.
hulloitsme,
Jul 24, 8:38pm
Just wondering. why did we ever change from the simple red, black & green?
comsolve,
Jul 24, 9:05pm
Because yellow and green together are better karma.
Or just someone trying to justify their job.
pauldw,
Jul 24, 11:22pm
Because a lot of people have red/green colour blindness and have trouble picking the difference between the original colours.
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