Introduction of white T&E

[Octopus]

So I'm interested to know the approx. date when white T&E was first installed - I think it was about 1978 - is this correct?

I also remember seeing a thread on here a while back listing the types of cables and dates etc - can anyone find it for me?

Thanks

 

[Guitarist]

I thought it was later than that, and used by DIY chains only.

 

[7029 dave]

Maybe, but I can tell you I was installing it in 1979 100% when started in this industry.

 

[Guitarist]

Maybe, but I can tell you I was installing it in 1979 100% when started in this industry.

I didn't start my apprenticeship until 1986, and remember being told that you could tell DIY addons by the fact that they were white, whereas trade used grey.

 

[7029 dave]

Bring back the white good for surface work, who wants bloody grey anyway lol.

 

[Des 56]

I'm not sure about white twin and earth but I know 3 core and earth,Red White and Blue with a White sheath could be found in houses being rewired in the early seventies,I couldn't guess at when that was first installed

It seems to me White sheath cable seems to have always been around

 

[Spark1979]

White sheath used for lsf now, bloody knightmare to strip

 

[Engineer54]

Pretty sure i can remember white T&E being around when i first came into the industry proper. As for it only being available at DIY outlets/sheds, is total bull, it was stocked and available everywhere...

 

[kingeri]

My house was wired in 1980 and the majority of the cable was white sheathed. I know cos I had to rip it all out! I don't think it was a DIY job either.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

I had a roll until recently - 50M 10.0mm2 t+e (WICKES) with a date on early nineties, still in cling film wrap. Price was on there. Worked out worth more than original purchase price scrapped..... How times have changed.

 

[kingeri]

The only circuit I didn't rewire a few years ago was my shower circuit, that's still wired in white sheathed 10mm red/black, date on sheath is 1998.

 

[needasparks]

We rewired a street of council houses that were wired in 72. All of it was white and had a 1mm cpc in all the 2.5 so was all updated.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

We rewired a street of council houses that were wired in 72. All of it was white and had a 1mm cpc in all the 2.5 so was all updated.

You couldve just changed a few MCBs and saved the council thousands :wink_smile:

 

[bugsy]

White t&e has been available forever, you reason it has not been used much is beacause it's more expensive,

it was available at a premium as 3029 and 7029 ( before metric - ( for you young gun's:wink_smile::wink_smile: )

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I can't comment on cables from earlier years, but i have come across the old 2.5mm stranded T&E with the 1mm CPC.

To the best of my knowledge, the T&E of today with the white sheathing is LSF, to stop people choking to death on it when it smoulders.

The grey stuff is just the same old same old cable, and gives off toxic black smoke.

I have seen a few plans that specify the installation of LSF cable.

Cheers………….Howard

 

[7029 dave]

White t&e has been available forever, you reason it has not been used much is beacause it's more expensive,

it was available at a premium as 3029 and 7029 ( before metric - ( for you young gun's:wink_smile::wink_smile: )

I have never seen 3029 or 7029 or 1044 in white always grey but I will take your word on that.

 

[Richard Burns]

I have seen some red white blue with white sheathing, did not think anything of it at the time but puts the date back a bit!

 

[Engineer54]

White t&e has been available forever, you reason it has not been used much is beacause it's more expensive,

it was available at a premium as 3029 and 7029 ( before metric - ( for you young gun's:wink_smile::wink_smile: )

That's not how i remember it, The wholesalers bought whatever was available white or grey, all the same price. Same thing in the day's of the far superior imperial cables. Electricians used to prefer white T&E for surface work over grey for obvious reasons, but the price was the same!!

Maybe your thinking in terms of manufacturer, in those day's a small premium was afforded to the better or well known cables like BICC etc...

 

[onions1066]

White sheath used for lsf now, bloody knightmare to strip

Saying that brings back bad memories of rewiring an elderly people's home in winter. It was so hard to strip it was unreal. Ended up stripping it old school with a knife.