I've been given 30mtrs of 2.5mm flexible cable,it's yellow as used on 110volt leads,is there any reason or site guide lines as to the use of it because of it's colour ( stating the obvious I would be putting a 16Amp plug and socket)
EHU 2.5mm flex
- Thread starter toad a caravan
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- Nov 11, 2009
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Definitely a no no.
Yellow cable is an industry recognised 110 v cable . Using on site could cause confusion and a fatal error , rare perhaps.
230 v will exceed the cable’s rated voltage and may lead to overheating and a fire. The insulation is not designed for a voltage above 110v. Possible electric shock to someone unaware the yellow cable is carrying more than twice its specified voltage.
Yellow cable is an industry recognised 110 v cable . Using on site could cause confusion and a fatal error , rare perhaps.
230 v will exceed the cable’s rated voltage and may lead to overheating and a fire. The insulation is not designed for a voltage above 110v. Possible electric shock to someone unaware the yellow cable is carrying more than twice its specified voltage.
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- Nov 30, 2022
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Surely cable is rated on its amperage capacity not voltage? Think of the cables in your house. Thin cable for lighting, thicker for electric kettle/iron etc. ALL carry 230 volts, but the thicker ones carry more amps.
The theory re confusion of colour is somewhat valid, but I dont think ANYONE would look at any electrical cable and say "Oh look, thats only a 110v cable so I can mow over it, or cut it with a pair of pliers without any harm"
Personally?? I woukd make it up and keep as a spare.
The theory re confusion of colour is somewhat valid, but I dont think ANYONE would look at any electrical cable and say "Oh look, thats only a 110v cable so I can mow over it, or cut it with a pair of pliers without any harm"
Personally?? I woukd make it up and keep as a spare.
- Jun 20, 2005
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The hook-up cable supplied with my Lunar when new was originally orange but has faded to yellow over time - whilst I can believe that the odd jobsworth site manager might take exception to specific colours I've not heard of any general restriction.
- Sep 4, 2011
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As Roger, my cable in use is now faded to Yellow, Orange when new. This cable is now about 15 years old and in regular use. I still have brand new leads in our garage supplied with new caravans since,which are still in their packaging, as I cannot see the need to replace them on my drum each time we change a caravan. I do check the lead regularly with meters to ensure it is still safe to use, which I still have from my working life
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- Dec 27, 2022
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Provided the cable passes an insulation resistance test* I can see no reason not to use it.
* IR test cannot be done with a normal meter so is outside the scope of most DIY.
www.testinstrumentsolutions.co.uk
* IR test cannot be done with a normal meter so is outside the scope of most DIY.
What is an insulation resistance test? | Test Instrument Solutions
What is an insulation resistance test? How you test insulation resistance with a multi-function tester?
www.testinstrumentsolutions.co.uk
- Nov 11, 2009
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What goes around comes around. Major sense of déja vu.
forums.practicalcaravan.com
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Yellow heavy duty cable
Good evening, Might seem a daft question, but, I have been given a heavy duty 32 amp, 110v cable drum with 50m of cable on. I was musing about a longer hookup lead and was wondering if this cable would take 240v? I know some people say its not the volts its the amps, but I dont want to take a...
Yellow (and blue) flex are generally Arctic flex, designed to stay flexible in extreme temperatures. There is no 'technical' reason why they can't be used for a caravan EHU but I have no idea if any site owners would object.
Edit: Assuming that they are sized correctly to conduct 16A.
Edit: Assuming that they are sized correctly to conduct 16A.
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With a conclusion that the cable was actually rated for 500V / 32A - so should be fine with 230V / 16A or 110V / 32AWhat goes around comes around. Major sense of déja vu.
.Yellow heavy duty cable
Good evening, Might seem a daft question, but, I have been given a heavy duty 32 amp, 110v cable drum with 50m of cable on. I was musing about a longer hookup lead and was wondering if this cable would take 240v? I know some people say its not the volts its the amps, but I dont want to take a...
- Jun 20, 2005
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See https://forums.practicalcaravan.com/threads/yellow-heavy-duty-cable.34811/
Prof, JTQ and Lutz discussions are interesting.
So for me the Jury is still out.
Surely on such an important question we need a professional technical answer. I’d hate to give anyone the wrong advice on a safety critical item.
Prof, JTQ and Lutz discussions are interesting.
So for me the Jury is still out.
Surely on such an important question we need a professional technical answer. I’d hate to give anyone the wrong advice on a safety critical item.
- Nov 11, 2009
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Why not just buy the proper cable from a reputable supplier. Instead of trying to save a few bob and not being 100% confident in the product.
- Jun 20, 2005
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- Nov 11, 2009
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What do I know I gave up electrotechnolgy in year 2 of my degree, and was then made redundant by AEI. So my electrical knowledge is limited. But given the full specification of the cable I’d make up my own mind whether to use it or not. But as the ancient post says 500 volt rating for insulation should be okay. But you can find 240v 16 amp outdoor cables with a stated voltages between 300 volts to 500 volts. Are they specifying RMS or MAX voltages? Hence my comment buy the correct item. You might not know it’s speciations but along with thousands of others that use EHU you will sleep better.
If you look at your cable it should be marked with either BS6500 (now superceded) or EN50525 pt2-12 which is for low energy cables with PVC insulation.
The current rating for the cable will be determined by the conductor size and is really independent of the working voltage.
What often gets misquoted is that a 110V cable will carry roughly twice that of a 230v cable. This is misleading and usually results from the fact that the same load e.g 1000W will require roughly twice the current at 110V than when supplied from 230V. Its why a lot if US cables are thicker than the UK equivalent.
The other significant factor is the insulation properties - between phases and phase to earth. Strangely enough these figures seem to be inconsistent in the same specification. Rated at 450/750Vrms or even 300/500Vrms.
Either way this is enough for our our 230Vrms system.
Insulation breakdown should be considered with age of the cable and also the exposure to the environment in which they've been used.
Out of interest my 25m EHU cable, which I got in 2020, is marked with BS6500 which I belive was superceded in about 2011/12.
My 10m EHU cable which I got this year has no marking of this sort on it at all - Chinese import I suspect.
The current rating for the cable will be determined by the conductor size and is really independent of the working voltage.
What often gets misquoted is that a 110V cable will carry roughly twice that of a 230v cable. This is misleading and usually results from the fact that the same load e.g 1000W will require roughly twice the current at 110V than when supplied from 230V. Its why a lot if US cables are thicker than the UK equivalent.
The other significant factor is the insulation properties - between phases and phase to earth. Strangely enough these figures seem to be inconsistent in the same specification. Rated at 450/750Vrms or even 300/500Vrms.
Either way this is enough for our our 230Vrms system.
Insulation breakdown should be considered with age of the cable and also the exposure to the environment in which they've been used.
Out of interest my 25m EHU cable, which I got in 2020, is marked with BS6500 which I belive was superceded in about 2011/12.
My 10m EHU cable which I got this year has no marking of this sort on it at all - Chinese import I suspect.
- Mar 14, 2005
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Sams post covers it very nicely.
Whilst construction sites do use 110V ac systems, they also need "Artic Grade" cables that can retain good flexibility in cold UK winter conditions. These artic grades are usually coloured yellow, which is why they are so common on building sites.
The crucial thing is a cable that is mains BS approved should have its voltage capability and conductor Cross Sectional Area embossed or printed regularly along its length.
There is no formal outer sheath colour coding applied to UK mains cable that links it to a particular voltage or usage.
Incidentally, the plugs and sockets for 110V ac equipment will not mechanically interlock or make a connection to a 230V ac system unless the connectors have been broken or replaced.
The colour itself does not matter, its what the cable is designated for, usually this is marked on the cable, that is important.
The previous thread was concerned using a 32 Amp 110 Volt cable on 240 Volts, not simply using a yellow , blue, black or red, as opposed to Orange 240 Volt mains cable.
One of our EHU cables sold for caravanning use in the UK and Germany, is actually black, but is for the correct voltage.
The previous thread was concerned using a 32 Amp 110 Volt cable on 240 Volts, not simply using a yellow , blue, black or red, as opposed to Orange 240 Volt mains cable.
One of our EHU cables sold for caravanning use in the UK and Germany, is actually black, but is for the correct voltage.
I would be quite happy to use yellow cable ( with blue 16A connectors) as its voltage rating is 300/500V (check with a trade supplier) and as it's used on construction sites it has to be very very tough. The use of yellow cable in 110V systems on construction sites is to protect the doom brained workers from themselves (although nowadays most are using battery powered devices) . The specification for caravan hook up cables in the IET installation regulations (HO5RN-F) makes no mention of what colour the outer sheath is and you can actually buy yellow cable to that specification.
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