# Which wire where in this socket?



## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Hi, I bought a female socket for the end of my electric lead, the end that plugs into the van.

But the signs on the pins for wiring are odd - 
one has an upside down T sitting on 2 other, graded, shorter, lines
one has what looks like L/+
one has what looks like 600V~

I'd be inclined to think:
the upside down T is Earth
the L/+ would be Live, (but then why is another marked 600V?)
and the last, Neutral.

Would this be right?

Also, the wires I want to attach are green/yellow, blue, and white - is the white the live, that would normally be brown? I'm just remembering I bought the cable in Germany which may explain the difference.


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

It doesnt matter how you wire it PROVIDED its the same at BOTH ends.


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## inkey-2008 (May 24, 2008)

I think you should find a local electrican to do it.

A thread that was on here the other day relating to a problem like this , if somebody advises you and then an accident happens the adviser could be held responible.

It would think that you are not to sure your self, so be safe and take it to somebody who knows.

Andy


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Well, I've been wiring plugs for years so I've no problem doing that. I just thought someone on here might have the knowledge, given that a good number seem to live abroad! (lucky folk!). Tho the socket was bought in N.I.

It should be possible to find the information on the net but when I looked it up I just got loads of sites with wiring information for the caravan socket on the rear of a car.


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

sideways said:


> It doesnt matter how you wire it PROVIDED its the same at BOTH ends.


Yes, thats true but I think I would advise sticking with the electrical standards, green/yellow:- earth
Blue :- neutral
White ? :- live

Wobby


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## Patrick_Phillips (Aug 17, 2006)

The Green/Yellow is Earth and should be wired to the longer central pin opposite the orientation lug.
You can wire the other two either way.
In the EU, the convention is Blue=Neutral and Brown=Live
The cable you have is probably USA where the often use Blue=Live and White=Neutral.
The 600v mark doesn;t relate to a pin but is the overall rating of the plug/socket but if Blue should be used for no more than 240v.
Patrick


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

inkey-2008 said:


> A thread that was on here the other day relating to a problem like this , if somebody advises you and then an accident happens the adviser could be held responible. It would think that you are not to sure your self, so be safe and take it to somebody who knows.


I always get nervous when someone asks for electrical help like this, and people give advice without knowing the competence of the person at the other end.

No disrespect, JWW, but we don't know if you actually would connect it up the same at both ends, which is dangerous anyway, because in the future someone might cut off one connector and wire in a standard 3 pin domestic plug or something. We don't know how tidily you would make the connections, whether there were any strands of wire outside the clamp, whether the screw clamp was done up properly .... etc etc. And we don't know how old the cable is, or whether it's rated properly for 240 V ac and the current you're going to pull through it.

I think if you need to ask the question, you should get someone else to do it. Sorry to be a bore.

Gerald


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## Fatalhud (Mar 3, 2006)

Cable from Germany
Plug from Ireland
I reckon its a job for an Albanian Electrician to finish of this Multinational project :wink: :wink: :wink: :? :? :?


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Why on earth we had to change and muck up a perfectly good system of:-

Red ....... live.
Black .... neutral.
Green ... earth.

Been around for 50 years till some IEE regulation bound person decided we had to partly comply with Europe.

Bloody white, striped, brown, blue, etc. etc.

Ray.


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

Sorry i should have been more concise and said take the other end to pieces look at it and then wire it the same way. I assumed that the person asking would have sufficient intelligence to do the obvious perhaps i should have kept my mouth shut,(this is not a slight on the OP)


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Thanks Folks.

I understand the reticence, but I am relatively competent!

And Fatalhud - we in N.I. are actually in the UK! But I had a laugh at your suggestion. And, according to Patrick_Phillips, we now have the States involved too!


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

sideways said:


> Sorry i should have been more concise and said take the other end to pieces look at it and then wire it the same way. I assumed that the person asking would have sufficient intelligence to do the obvious perhaps i should have kept my mouth shut,(this is not a slight on the OP)


Thanks Sideways - I'd figured that!


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Take a look at this document, diagram on page 55.

http://swiftleisure.com/uploads/HandBooks/caravans/2010 Tourer handbook/05 Services.pdf


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## foll-de-roll (Oct 29, 2007)

Gerald



How do you ever get up in the morning    

Andy


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

raynipper

The reason colours were changed is partly due to the possibility of colour-blind electricians making mistakes.

Also, in poor light red wire looks black, another possible cause of lethal mis-wiring.

Making the earth wire (the most important wire of all) striped served to distinguish it even further.

The colours were not chosen to make the wires look pretty!


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## BJT (Oct 31, 2008)

1/ The colouring of the conductors was changed by EU edict to 'harmonise' (a lovely EU word) the conductors. We have had flexible conductors ie the leads on appliances as Brown - live; blue - neutral; and green/yellow - earth for some years. The same colouring has now been applied to permanent wiring as well. Why, because the colours can be seen as different shades by colour blind people! As said earlier red is black to some people, but brown and blue can be seen by most colour blind people. The stripey one as earth as it is stripey in any vision.  
2/ I suggest that if the plug, or a socket, is not marked with either a CE marking or a BS number it is not used in the UK or EU. Other countries use different voltages and frequencies, and their wiring kit is designed to suit.
3/ It comes back to the old problem of risk and liability. I can make a suggestion, but you take the risk; if the kit is all identified as tested and ratified for UK/EU then you have minimised the risk. If you get someone else to do the work then they accept the risk and any potential liability that goes with it. Sorry to keep banging on but you really need to read the small print on your insurance policies and keep within the restrictions imposed by it. They take on the risk, ie the underwriters, but they minimise their risk by setting out conditions in the small print. Ignore the conditions and you give them a clear get out if you need to claim.
The average MH, which is your pride and joy, costs a lot more than a couple of family saloons. If you can afford to spend this sort of money then the price of getting the job done by company (yes I know there are muppets out there) is prudent as it gets you off the hook if things go pear shaped.
TTFN


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## thePassants (Feb 9, 2009)

*Wiring of connecting cable and caravan mains inlet*

From Gaspode's document; just to make it easy!


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Try this.
To enable wires to be easily and safely identified all common wiring safety codes mandate a colour scheme for the insulation on power conductors. Many local rules and exceptions exist. Older installations vary in colour codes, and colours may shift with heat and age of insulation.

Standard wire colours for flexible cable
Such as Extension cords, power (line) cords and lamp cords 
World Region, country
or other entity(ies) Live Neutral Protective earth/ground 
EU, Australia & South Africa (IEC 60446) brown blue green & yellow 
Australia & New Zealand (AS/NZS 3000:2007 3.8.1) brown light blue green/yellow 
United States and Canada black (brass) white (silver) green (green) 
Standard wire colours for fixed cable
(In or behind the wall wiring cables) 
Region Live Neutral Protective earth/ground 
EU (IEC 60446) including UK from 31 March 2004 brown blue green & yellow 
Australia and South Africa red black green & yellow (core is usually bare and should be sleeved at terminations. In Australia the earth core has been separately insulated with green or green/yellow plastic since about 1980. 
United States and Canada 120/208/240V: black, red, blue (brass)
277/480V: brown, orange, yellow 120/208/240V: white (silver)
277/480V: grey green (green)
or bare copper wire
Isolated ground: Green with yellow stripe 
Note: the colours in this table represent the most common and preferred standard colours for single phase wiring however others may be in use, especially in older installations
In US black, red , or blue = live white = neutral
Dave p


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## thePassants (Feb 9, 2009)

*wiring colours*

...and stick one of these on it! :idea:


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Quote :Steven P. 

People with clever sayings as their signatures are generally tw*ts.

Does this apply to you :wink: 
dave p


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## thePassants (Feb 9, 2009)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> Quote :Steven P.
> 
> People with clever sayings as their signatures are generally tw*ts.
> 
> ...


It applies to "people with clever sayings as their signatures" Dave. :roll:

-but you can't get upset about it because I've cunningly hidden behind self-deprecating humour; and that makes it funny! :lol:

link


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Thanks to everyone. There is a genuine CE marking on the plug.

I'm expecting a call from the supplier tomorrow to explain the wiring 'how'. They are a caravan supplier and repairer so they ought to know.

We'll see what they say.


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Steven - you can say "twits" quite openly on the forum, no need to insert a "*".


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## olley (May 1, 2005)

Why is it that simply asking a question means you aren't capable in some posters eyes of doing the job? Do plumbers and electricians never ask questions?

The biggest problem with the colour change is on 3 phase supplies, where blue and black have swopped positions, black is now live and blue is now neutral. This I believe will kill a few people over time.

Olley


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## thePassants (Feb 9, 2009)

I agree Olley; it's the ones who DON'T ask the questions, but don't know for sure and guess, that are a liability!

Re harmonised colours: anyone who is unaware of the colour possibilities, the need to verify polarity and correct identification of conductors, or ignores EAW act and is working live, falls into the above category.

In my NICEIC subs, I pay for a technical support line: so I make sure I use it! I've apologised to them in the past for using it to confirm things I should really know, but am not 100% sure of. Their respose is invariably: "Its what we're here for."


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

My oft-repeated response when asked if I know how to do something is to say that I don't know, but I know a man (sexist - oops!) who does!


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