Standardised DB labelling

[Amp David]

Is there an actual standard relating to 3 Phase DB labeling and numbering.

I always start at the top left, down to the bottom, then top right down to the bottom.

Have recently seen a few done starting at the bottom left then jumping across to the right, which to complicates things a little.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I do it the same as you, but no one has ever taught me, i just followed on from how others had done it before me.

Cheers..........Howard

 

[telectrix]

i start at bottom left up to top, then down right. suppose it's as the bottom is closest to the main switch, and we read left to right.

 

[Electro-tech]

Same as- telectrix.

 

[Knobhead]

I don’t know about the best but the worst I’ve ever come across was a board were every fuse was labelled with dynotape stuck directly to the fuse holder. I was pulling my hair out when I had to follow on with a job. Told by the electrician going off shift the fuse is in the bottom of the board, OK, opened the board and there were half a dozen fuses lying there, which bloody way had he taken it out of! What should have taken 10 minutes took me near 4 hours what with tracing cables to find the correct way.

As for normal labelling I always go left to right:
R1 =
Y1 =
B1 =
R2 =
Y2 =
B2 =
And so on.

It was how I was shown as an apprentice and I’ve never seen a reason to change. If I remember right it was how EE RedSpot supplied the board labels.

 

[IQ Electrical]

Is there an actual standard relating to 3 Phase DB labeling and numbering.

I always start at the top left, down to the bottom, then top right down to the bottom.

Have recently seen a few done starting at the bottom left then jumping across to the right, which to complicates things a little.

There's no 'standard' as such as long as the designation of each device is clearly shown and it relates easily to the information that should be available in each DB regarding circuit type, composition etc.

 

[mogga]

IMO top to bottom left to right starting at bottom you end up with chart not following db ie on db L1L2L3 start at top if starting at bottom you have l3L2L1 Iv seen all sorts even one starting at bottom going up rhs then down lhs this makes following up faults ( specialy in low light) extremly confuddling
that said MCCB panels are exception as when fitting 3 ph mccbs to either side they are upside down on opposite sides :~

 

[ian.settle1]

I don’t know about the best but the worst I’ve ever come across was a board were every fuse was labelled with dynotape stuck directly to the fuse holder. I was pulling my hair out when I had to follow on with a job. Told by the electrician going off shift the fuse is in the bottom of the board, OK, opened the board and there were half a dozen fuses lying there, which bloody way had he taken it out of! What should have taken 10 minutes took me near 4 hours what with tracing cables to find the correct way.

As for normal labelling I always go left to right:
R1 =
Y1 =
B1 =
R2 =
Y2 =
B2 =
And so on.

It was how I was shown as an apprentice and I’ve never seen a reason to change. If I remember right it was how EE RedSpot supplied the board labels.

Should be
1L1=
1L2=
1L3=

now we are supposedly harmonised.

 

[joshjoynes1988]

I always go left to right, labelling 1L1, 1L2, 1L3 etc, just what i was shown when i was younger!

However some times our customers say go from top left down to bottom, then top right down.

 

[tigerpaul]

I start at top left and work down, then go to top right and work down. The DB schedule should mirror what you see in the board.

IMO any other way is gash!

 

[Knobhead]

Should be
1L1=
1L2=
1L3=

now we are supposedly harmonised.

You try keeping a plant that was like a museum going for 15 years, you soon forget about harmonised colours.
OK it should be 1L1, 1L2, 1L3 etc. but it’s not as clear as the old way. But there again nothing is since we got railroaded in to this stupid harmonisation. What could be simpler than RYBBlk.

 

[Voltimax]

There is a small diagram in the old crabtree C50 DB's. They number from the top left down and the from the top right down. That's the way I tend to label, I just find it less confusing, but each to his or her own.

 

[brizospark]

i start at bottom left up to top, then down right. suppose it's as the bottom is closest to the main switch, and we read left to right.

Yes we read left to right, but if you are going with this theory who reads bottom to top?

 

[brizospark]

I don’t know about the best but the worst I’ve ever come across was a board were every fuse was labelled with dynotape stuck directly to the fuse holder. I was pulling my hair out when I had to follow on with a job. Told by the electrician going off shift the fuse is in the bottom of the board, OK, opened the board and there were half a dozen fuses lying there, which bloody way had he taken it out of! What should have taken 10 minutes took me near 4 hours what with tracing cables to find the correct way.

As for normal labelling I always go left to right:
R1 =
Y1 =
B1 =
R2 =
Y2 =
B2 =
And so on.

It was how I was shown as an apprentice and I’ve never seen a reason to change. If I remember right it was how EE RedSpot supplied the board labels.

Is this the pre-2008 method?

 

[Knobhead]

Is this the pre-2008 method?

A lot of the gear I worked on was installed in the 50’s & 60’s so all done with sensible colours.

 

[malcolmsanford]

I'm the old school top left down then top right down.

Great on new boards but don't we all just love old boards where over the years single phase loads have been added and you come along to fit a 3 phase load and you can't find 3ways. You have R/B 4 taken up and Y/B 4 B/G 4 empty and then R/B 6 empty Y/B 6 taken B/G 6 empty .............etc and spend the next 2 hours trying to balancing things up

 

[Knobhead]

This is more the type of board I’m used to