Extractor Fan Wiring Colours

[PeterAstle]

For domestic extractor fans with timer overrun, is there a standard or regulation for which colour of three core cable to use for live, switched live and neutral? I've seen variations:

BROWN - LIVE
GREY - SWITCHED LIVE (Sleeved BROWN)
BLACK - NEUTRAL (Sleeved BLUE)

BROWN - LIVE
GREY - NEUTRAL (Sleeved BLUE)
BLACK - SWITCHED LIVE (Sleeved BROWN)

What about old colour cable (Red, Blue and Yellow)?

Thanks.

 

[Octopus]

To be honest its down to the sparky installing.

With the current colours, I use grey sleeved blue for neutral and black sleeved brown for S/L....

For older colours its generally red live, anyones guess as to the others....

 

[trev]

Older colours I'd use red as PL yellow as SL blue as N all sleeved as appropriate but as my learned friend Murdoch says, it's up to the installing electrician

 

[telectrix]

i'm with murdoch on this. black should not be used for N anymore as it is now a phase colour ( yeah, it's stupid, but we're stuck in the eu(rine) till a government with balls gets us out)).

 

[matt1386]

As a trainee ive always been shown and told the same way

BROWN - PL
BLACK - SL
GREY - N

All sleeved up appropriately for identification

 

[SJD]

I used to use Black for N, but typically the order of the connection block in the fans I use mean that if Grey is used for N, the cores in 3-core and earth cable are in order, no crossing of wires. So I changed, now I always use Black for Switched Live, Grey for N (all sleeved, of course).

 

[telectrix]

As a trainee ive always been shown and told the same way

BROWN - PL
BLACK - SL
GREY - N

All sleeved up appropriately for identification

that's fine but it's also acceptable to use black as pl and brown as sl. secret when working is to treat any cable as live until proven dead.

 

[Andy78]

I also use the black as switched line.

In answer to the original question though, regulations wise it doesn't matter which conductors you use as long as they are appropriately identified.

 

[Octopus]

that's fine but it's also acceptable to use black as pl and brown as sl. secret when working is to treat any cable as live until proven dead.

Is that the sparky or the circuit?

 

[PeterAstle]

Many thanks for your advice.
It's as I thought then.
I guess grey is a fairly neutral colour!

 

[Guest77]

All sparks should avoid using Black as the Neutral in any installation these days, treat it as a phase, in this case as the switch Live, the Neutral must be the grey and sleaved Blue.

 

[Resu]

As above (a few times):

Brown - L
Black - SL
Grey - N

 

[Plonker 3]

As long as you comply with section 514 in the BGB it doesn't matter what colour you use for what conductor

 

[Guest77]

and using black as the neutral won't comply with section 514 I am sure

 

[Plonker 3]

That's why I said as long as it complies with section 514 :redface:.

 

[Guest77]

Evening Mate

 

[Plonker 3]

Evening Mike, how's you?

 

[Guest77]

Evening Mike, how's you?

Fine Pal, happy as a pig in = well you know lol

 

[Adam W]

I use black as permanent live, and brown as switched live, to stay consistent with the lighting.

Same with emergency lighting.
Using 3 core:
Brown - switched live
Black - permanent (auxiliary) live
Grey (or blue) - neutral.

Using 2 core:
Brown - switched live
Blue - neutral

 

[davesparks]

I always use brown for permanent and black for switched for everything. PIRs, fans, emergency lights, timeswitches, etc etc

 

[telectrix]

I use black as permanent live, and brown as switched live, to stay consistent with the lighting.

Same with emergency lighting.
Using 3 core:
Brown - switched live
Black - permanent (auxiliary) live
Grey (or blue) - neutral.

Using 2 core:
Brown - switched live
Blue - neutral

that's my preference as well. reason is so that all non-em lighting has brown for switch live as you'd expect.

 

[davesparks]

that's my preference as well. reason is so that all non-em lighting has brown for switch live as you'd expect.

Depends who is doing the expecting! Personally I would expect black to be switch live when presented with 3 core.

But that is only an expectation, never an assumption!

 

[Adam W]

Depends who is doing the expecting! Personally I would expect black to be switch live when presented with 3 core.

But that is only an expectation, never an assumption!

If the fitting didn't have a permanent live you wouldn't take a 3 core to it just so you could use keep using black as switched live though, you'd use twin and use brown as switched live.
The way I see it using black as permanent live saves using different colours as switched live in the same installation.

 

[Plonker 3]

But that is only an expectation, never an assumption!

worked on quite a few sites where lighting is wired in 3c&e, several sparks connecting up the lights press the em light test button and all sorts of weird and wonderful things happening to the lighting lol