cable markings for our own use

[vjsmarwick]

When I was serving my time the firm I was with marked the cables cut with a point for a main an angle for a switch wire and straight for a light. What markings do you use if any ? It was and is great and I still use them every day and have added marking a star for a stat and for underfloor a cut 1 2 3 and a star so I can tell which room is which.

 

[Guest111]

I used to cut them straight for a live and loop and at an angle for a switch,if we had a 2 or 3 gang switch the wires were nicked 1,2, or 3 accordingly.

 

[kingeri]

If you're talking about singles, then I use a similar method to that, for sheathed cables I write on them with a CD/DVD labelling pen!

 

[trev]

At a ceiling rose if I don't have twin brown (weapon of choice for switches) the switch gets a nick. At a multi gand switch they get nicked 1 2 3 etc. If I'm working with more than one circuit using the same CSA cables I too use the CD/DVD marker pen.
It's the way forward

 

[vjsmarwick]

Thanks guys was just trying to find out if we had any common ground with the markings

 

[kingeri]

True trev, I like using twin brown too, but I think I'm the only one around me who does. Is it that uncommonly used?

 

[trev]

I don't think it's as rare as sleeved switched lives are round my neck of the woods

 

[kingeri]

Ha, yep generally find red/black at switches every time, not a sleeve in sight.

 

[Sausage]

surely twin brown is a pain and time consuming to bell out? No sleeving is no biggie, but you know I always do it. Now do you all sleeve the entire conductor or put a 10-20mm piece on?

As for markings, mains in/out nothing, one straight nick for switch, or two if two gang.

Black is switched live/ keyswitch too!

 

[Dan23584]

Marker pen every time, unless using singles.

 

[trev]

Why would you bell it out? Strip it at the ceiling rose, one into permanant live bar the other into the switched live terminal. At the 1g sw one into the top one into the bottom. 2w one to L1 one to L2.

 

[Sausage]

Why would you bell it out? Strip it at the ceiling rose, one into permanant live bar the other into the switched live terminal. At the 1g sw one into the top one into the bottom. 2w one to L1 one to L2.

Don't you get your switches upside down?

Also, I'm coming from the angle of wiring to or 3 plating at, the switch, so kinda more important then.

 

[trev]

No the switches work exactly the same way mate, think about it, whether the live is at the top or bottom or L1/L2 the switch still makes and breaks the same way.
I'd not thought about three plating at the switch, I'm a dinosaur who likes that at roses/fittings

 

[Sausage]

No the switches work exactly the same way mate, think about it, whether the live is at the top or bottom or L1/L2 the switch still makes and breaks the same way.
I'd not thought about three plating at the switch, I'm a dinosaur who likes that at roses/fittings

In a one gang switch, if you put live in L1, and switch in common, and fix it back to the wall with the 'Top' marking at the 'Top', the switch will be upside down.

 

[telectrix]

no it won't. whichever way round you wire it , as long as you use C and L1, it will be right. however, i always wire L to common and s/l to L1. and i mark my cables in my own way so, should i fall out with the customer, let the next guy work it out.

 

[kingeri]

A lot of folk seem to think that if you switch the cables round in a switch then it will operate 'upside down'. It's just not true! A customer I saw the other week had tried to change a switch for a shiny new chrome one, 2G 2W switch, one operating one way, the other two way. He broke one of the L terminal heads clean off by over tightening it and so decided to use the other as the two-way. He ended up turning the switch upside down, changing the wires round etc., he was adamant that the switch operation should reverse if the wires were switched!

 

[telectrix]

makes no odds whichever with a dimmer. however you wire it, it's guaranteed to fail. :001_9898:

 

[vjsmarwick]

Only time it will be upside down is if you mont it the wrong way or use a two way as a single and use the wrong l1or L2

 

[Guest111]

A lot of folk seem to think that if you switch the cables round in a switch then it will operate 'upside down'. It's just not true! A customer I saw the other week had tried to change a switch for a shiny new chrome one, 2G 2W switch, one operating one way, the other two way. He broke one of the L terminal heads clean off by over tightening it and so decided to use the other as the two-way. He ended up turning the switch upside down, changing the wires round etc., he was adamant that the switch operation should reverse if the wires were switched!

Yep thats like the electric getting dizzy if you leave loops in your cable lol:joker:

 

[Robotstar5]

Back in the dim & distant past when I was allowed to wire domestic :wink5: it was nick for switch and stripped for strappers. Most of my jobs from friends & family usually started with a phone call "I've fitted a dimmer switch now one light doesn't work and another is permanently on"

 

[johnboy6083]

I nick switch lines, tape strappers togther (singles) and use an x on twin for strappers.
Multiple nicks can be used on multiple gang switches. On larger jobs I cable tie each phase together and then it's nicks as normal ect. Works for me

 

[RyanCheetham]

I mark every cable with a biro far enough up the cable so its still visible after second fix just to make it all easy for next guy

 

[Sausage]

worth marking cables high up where they enter the box so when the plasterer comes along and cuts them off, they're still marked!

 

[Adam W]

I was discouraged from using a system of nicks for the very reason that everyone has a different system. Fine if you're working alone, but in most situations involving singles you would be working with several other sparks.
T&E gets written on with a marker or biro, singles get a flag made from yellow PVC tape (which is then written on).