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White Cable

Former Community Member
Former Community Member

I'm working on the design for the extension of a school and the electrical contractor says that the existing building supply is the only original cable in use and has a white core that dates it pre 1967.

Any ideas of what a white core cable is (other than MICC)?

  • 0

    The white core in the cable will almost certainly be second phase.

    You need to ask him if it is plastic, or paper in lead (and fit for continued use) or rubber or rubber in lead (and therefore needs to scrapped)

    Before 2004 when we introduced the current Brown, black, grey for 3 phases (blue neutral) 

    we had

    Red Yellow Blue (black for neutral) from late 1960s to  2004

    before that

    Red White and blue (black for neutral) green or bare earth.

    and pre war you may have found 

    Red White and Green for the 3 phases, and either brown or black for earth.  There is not a lot of this about, but it is a dangerous confusion.

    (exact years are not exactly consistent - and early wiring had local variations)

    Mike.

  • 0

    PS it may have a reduced neutral, so if the idea is to have lots of single phase loads, rather than rotating machinery, it may need to be redone anyway, certainly core sizes need verification.

    And beware of asbestos pads in fuseholders from that era, pre 1970 or so folk were still installing lots of it.

    Mike

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Thanks for the replies Mike, very insightful.  Definitely further investigation required.


    But as no-one will want to carry the can, it looks like it's going to be a new submain.
  • 0

    You might find someone happy to inspect it and decide if it suitable or not, it will depend on the cost of the new one if it is worth it. 

    You do not mention amps or distance, but the ‘just replace it’ mentality often evaporates with larger numbers… (and the cable in the street probably pre-dates all of it and will still be in use 50 years from now)

    Mike.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Yes I know what you mean.

    I don't have any load or length details, only it's a white core cable from 1967.

    Looks like a site visit coming on.

  • 0

    Has it just one white core - or all white cores? It's quite common even today to have white cores (usually numbered) for cables with more than 6 cores.

       - Andy.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Hi Andy


    It's an existing submain, and I'm assuming that it's a 4 core.  I really need to visit site as all I have is a short email from the contractor saying its white core from 1967, that's it!


    I don't imagine it needs changing unless the load has increased beyond its capacity, and/or the test readings are way out. I am aware that there are much older PILC cables around from the 1920s still in service, and I think that the contractor is scare mongering about the serviceability of the cable.


    Site visit here we come.
  • 0

    If when you get there not sure what it is, post a pic and we can all take an educated  guess

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