How to properly mark the wires in the electrical panel

Rules and standards for the designation of wiring in electrical panels

The colors for marking the wiring were chosen for a reason. The whole variety of colors is reduced to one standard - standard rules. They are spelled out in the rules for the technical operation of consumer electrical installations (PTEEP). It indicates that the conductors of the electrical wires must be indicated by color or letters and numbers, and the cabinet itself (shield) also requires designations. Find out which one exists wire marking by colorYou can from our article.

The PUE states that:

1. The electrical panel must have a name. This name is indicated on the case. In the electrical panel of the apartment, you can not mark it with inscriptions. But for a private house, when the shield is placed on a pole, this is necessary.
2. Inside the dashboard, when installing it, it is necessary to leave a sheet where all consumers (sockets and lamps) are indicated in the form of a table.
3. Also, inside should be input shield assembly diagram. This rule applies only to the device that was purchased as an assembly.

Note: if an electrician assembles a switchboard or cabinet, then he must definitely take an assembly diagram from him.

According to the same rules and PUE:

• Chapter 2.3. PUE paragraph 2.3.23. "Each cable line must have its own number or name ...".
• PTE EP p. 2.4.2 “Openly laid cables, as well as all cable sleeves must be tagged.”
• On circuit breakers or on the information stand of the installation, marking is carried out, where the wiring group is indicated. Also, according to the rules, the serial number and name of the room or the purpose of the group (for example, kitchen or air conditioning) should be indicated.
• In the case when there is no place for recording on the modular device, the marking with the purpose of this installation is made in the table and passport, which each cabinet must have.

According to GOST, wires are designated:

• In accordance with GOST 23594–79 (marking), a wire or cable is marked with PVC tags or ribbons. Polyvinyl chloride and heat shrink tubing.
• The inscriptions on the label are written in legible font, they should be clearly visible. The length of the tag itself must not be less than 25 mm.
• According to the norms, marking can be applied to a wire or cable (to its insulation). Only on condition that such an inscription will be clearly visible.

We understood the basic rules for applying identification marks. Now consider how to mark the wires during installation.

Marking Devices

The wiring designation is a serious and responsible business. Each cabinet or shield inside must contain special labels that give an understanding of the wiring diagram and the location of the circuit elements. The difficulty lies in the fact that the tags must be firmly fixed and the labels must be preserved for a long time. Therefore, for convenience, special devices are used that mark the cables and wires in the shield.

A printer for wiring in electrical panels is a device that is used to print tags and labels that display markings when wiring. The photo shows a mini printer with which you can mark a wire or cable.

The video shows how to use such a printer:

If you are not professionally involved in electrical work, then there is no point in purchasing a special marking printer. An alternative to this device is cable markers, for example from IEK, are shown in the photo below:

With their help, you can quickly mark power and low-current lines in cabinets. A more expensive pleasure is to use the graphoplast marking system, you can learn about it from the network.

What else is important to know

The photo below shows the shield in which the wires were marked during installation:

When assembling the electrical panel, mark the wiring groups as follows: the wire at the input is marked as L, and at the output it is Gr (indicates that these are groups). After the letter, which group number and line number are indicated.

Also, during marking, it is important to consider all color differences so that there is no emergency. If, after opening the cabinet, no sign was found, then it is necessary to determine with the help of a probe where which wire is located. About, how to use an indicator screwdriver to determine the phase and zero, we told in the corresponding article. Since this will take a lot of time, it is better to leave labels when checking, so that another electrician who will repair or service will understand where which wire is.

If there are no conductors of the desired color, then any color can be used, the main thing is that the ends of the wires are marked correctly during installation. This can be done using colored electrical tape or special heat-shrinkable tubes.

Shrink marking is as follows:

Here on this technology is the marking of wires and cables during installation of the electrical panel. As you can see, marking the lines is very important, and the process itself does not take much time. We draw your attention to the fact that with the help of this instruction you can mark conductors not only in power switchboards, but also in automation shields (for example, to indicate signal cables and control).

It will be useful to read:

• How to assemble a 380 volt electricity metering board
• Decoding of marking wires and cables
• Errors in wiring