Old Red/Black Cable

[Someone-Else]

I have discovered a 100 ft Roll of 2.5mm Twin/Earth cable (Pre EU/UK) tucked away.

Are you sure it's only 100 ft? It's usually 100 M

[ericmark]

We have used wrong colours for years, be it red, yellow, blue or brown, black, grey it is far easier to identify cores to having 3 x red or 3 x brown years ago we did have twin red and earth for switch wires, but not seen many twin brown and earth cables used. Blue is a small problem as old colours it was a phase colour and new colours it is neutral, but brown sleeving will show when blue is phase rather than neutral.

With 110 volt we have no neutral, just phase 1 and phase 2, yet most yellow flex has brown and blue cores and since yellow so should be only used with reduced low voltage (110 volt) there is no real reason for making the cable with brown and blue cores, should be brown and black, and the yellow plugs and sockets should be marked L1 and L2 but most I have seen are marked L and N.

As long as you don't use green/yellow or cream for line I see no problem with any other colour used in the home, in industry we have orange, white, and purple to show control voltages and we use numbers or letters to identify, and blue with white cores often means special compensating cable, so should not be used for power, but domestic you can use any colour you want as long as not green/yellow or cream which are reserved for earth or PEN.

[Grendel]

Old coloured cable goes well on ebay.

It means tradesmen that aren't sparkles can fit new circuits and claim it was existing

I was given that very explanation by a qualified electrician.