Permanent/Unswitched live colour

[Zdb]

*Emergency Lighting*

I know this has already been discussed recently on a similar thread but I just thought that it might be a good idea to create a poll and see what the general consensus is.

I personally use black as the permanent live and brown as the switched but I recently had a debate with someone who said that the brown should always be permanent like with domestic where the sleeved wire is the switched wire. I completely understand the logic in this but I've always used the black as the perm.

 

[ipf]

I use the brown as permanent but, as long as its sleeved, where's the problem? Not worth the hassle.

 

[Resu]

Depends on the existing install.

If new, brown for permanent live for me, only as I was taught that way. As ipf says though, as long as everything is actually sleeved!

 

[robd]

I would go with brown as PL but neither is wrong by the book so long as black is sleeved. Splitting hairs really but if I went to an existing install and had to start from nothing my money would be on the brown being PL. Wouldn't lose any sleep over it either way

 

[Leesparkykent]

On a new install I would use brown as perm but would follow what’s there on an old install.

 

[casperLennon]

I used to use black but then someone said what colour would you put in the breaker so I now use brown for pl

 

[sam400]

I used to do brown for perm, black for switched.

Then I had connect 100’s of pre flexed Klik roses that are the other way round! So I changed over to there colours,
On the same job we had to install loads of danlers sensors which are different again!

Now I don’t know what I am doing

 

[Zdb]

That's true, although I use black as perm on emergency lighting, I use brown as perm on PIRs. Makes no sense whatsoever

 

[goasis]

Brown for p live, black switched, same in 3 core for timer over run fans, switch drops etc, just they way you're taught I guess!

 

[KEV 1 N]

I was taught to use black as permanent live/keyed live/eme live.
The reason was on 3 pin lighting rock roses, the connections were LNE (brown,blue,green/yellow), so brown is switched live in the 3 core flex for a non-emergency fitting.

A 4pin rock rose (used on EME fittings) the connections would be LNE and AUX or L2, this would be used for the permanent live and would be connected to the black core of the rock flex/plug and brown would be switched (same as brown being switched on a non eme fitting)

Black = permanent live (IMO)

 

[pirate]

Saddo that I am, I label them...cos I love my Brother label printer

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Always black as permenant live, always have.

Only time ive had a issue was second fixing a corridor with about 30 lighta down it, i did 15 one way and the other lad did 15 the other way, our own fault for lack of communication. Re did all mine after losing a rock paper scissors. Could have just crossed over halfway but wanted to keep it consistant for future sparks.

 

[telectrix]

never had this problem before stupid colors. ....red perm L. yellow sw. L, blueN.

 

[Red Tony]

I was too young to have much experience with the old colours but I'm guessing not many sparks would have used the yellow as the perm live?

 

[Dave OCD]

That's another thing, what colour do you use as Common on two -way switching ? In the 'old days' there seemed to be a 50/50 split between those who favoured red and yellow.

 

[Toneyz]

never had this problem before stupid colors. ....red perm L. yellow sw. L, blueN.

100% Tel and you could see which colour was what in a darkened room.

 

[Toneyz]

never had this problem before stupid colors. ....red perm L. yellow sw. L, blueN.

100% Tel and you could see which colour was what in a darkened room.

 

[davesparks]

Brown for permanent live.
Brown for switched live.
Black for key-switched live.

If you use black for the normal switched live then you end up swapping black to brown when you wire the normal lights with a 2 core and earth after the emergency fittings.

 

[telectrix]

Brown for permanent live.
Brown for switched live.
Black for key-switched live.

If you use black for the normal switched live then you end up swapping black to brown when you wire the normal lights with a 2 core and earth after the emergency fittings.

that'sthe reason i started using black for perm.L.

 

[davesparks]

Another way to look at it, the emergency feed is an auxiliary supply to the fitting for battery charging. So you have the main circuit in brown and the auxiliary supply in the extra core.