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Labelling conventions

Johno12345
I was reading Tomgunns post about separating 3 phase areas and it made me think of my latest project to fill some of the quiet times at the facility where I work


I have been labelling our my final distribution, and to make room, I have been removing all the old labels and putting new ones on, to a standard convention.


the amount of 3phase sockets that have Danger 400V on them is surprising. I have been labelling them with the slightly more useful 3ph&e or 3ph&N&E


also finding things with 400V between ---> on them


things labelled "Supplied from L7" on 3 phase boards in a factory with over 100 boards, oh, and we have, so far 14 DB/A and at least 8 "Main DB"


Identifying and labelling the main distribution is easy, but the final is a lot more time consuming than I was expecting. 


I'm talking about new labels by the way, in the last sort of ten years. There is one light switch that is fed from six separate fuses, 3 phases that has the original traffolyte label that looks to be dating from the 70s, I left that in place


not much point to the post, but do you have any conventions for labelling, information that is useful that you think people miss?


Ill reveal my convention after my coffee!
  • 0
    the amount of 3phase sockets that have Danger 400V on them is surprising

    :

    also finding things with 400V between ---> on them

    That would have been appropriate if the installation dates back to the 16th Ed or earlier - then notices were required for over 250V between anything within reach (where such a voltage might not have been expected) even if within separate enclosures.


       - Andy,
  • 0
    I don't have a labelling convention but on anything with more than a couple of DBs I do like a diagram.
  • 0
    AJJewsbury:
    the amount of 3phase sockets that have Danger 400V on them is surprising

    :

    also finding things with 400V between ---> on them

    That would have been appropriate if the installation dates back to the 16th Ed or earlier - then notices were required for over 250V between anything within reach (where such a voltage might not have been expected) even if within separate enclosures.


       - Andy,


    Regardless of the fact that BS 7671 no longer requires it, a lot of organisations still retain the requirement as part of their Spec and sometimes it's put in there as part of client's standard electrical safety management provisions.


  • 0
    Well done for labeling - an essential part of safety as well as being a good investment so you can quickly know where to go when something has tripped.

    The first requirement,is to label all your BDs in some sensible way then a label like DB1 1L1 should suffice, as long as it is clear when you go to DB1 which MCB is 1L1.

    I was on one job where I persuaded the contractor to give a labeling machine to every test spark so that the outlets could be labelled as they were tested. All went well until he increased the number of test sparks but didn't buy more labeling machines. The contractor then sent another spark round to do the labeling who picked up the wrong drawing and all was a major shambles when the client did a random test and found that the labeling was wrong.

    I still think it is a major failing that board manufacturers are not required to provide labels, even if they need to provide several different options in the form of self adhesive plastic.
  • 0
    I cant work out how to multi quote still


    I'm the only one making client requirements for labelling, so that part is fairly easy


    Re the 16th edition labels, I know about that, most of what they are stuck on is much more recent than that, its almost like someone finds it a novelty putting labels on things


    all boards have a number DB1 DB2 etc, distribution switches are labelled starting at 1 for the main breaker, 1/1 1/2 for subsequent switches like a tree, and there is a full schematic of it all that I did a few years ago.


    fortunately, the boards that are vaguely recent all have 3/4" breakers in them, and I'm using 3/4" tape so its quite neat, set the label length so they are all equal length. Same for the final circuits

    'Big Bertha

    Fed From

    DB104 4L123'


    'SW 1/3/19/4

    Supply For

    Big Bertha'


    depending where and what they are stuck to

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