Electrical Services Color Codes

The following set of pictures gives some examples on the identification of the different electrical services inside a building.

Picture 1 – Example color codes for a few electrical services

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The three conduits with the color code bands in the above pictures are part of what we call in building works as electrical services.

However, electrical services are not the only ones that require some means of identifying what they are for.

Mechanical services also really need their piping, trunking, etc to be provided with some identification.

In some installations such as hospitals, there are so many services under the mechanical category. At certain locations in a hospital complex, it is almost impossible to know which pipe is for what. (Remember that an electrical G.I. (galvanized iron) conduit is just a metal pipe.)

During maintenance, long after we the construction people have completed and commission the building with all the mechanical and electrical services fully tested and operational, the maintenance people could be cursing us every week for not providing sufficient identification for each of the services inside the building.

During operation and maintenance of the building, insufficient identification on each of the services throughout the building can lead to serious accidents.

Why do I talk about mechanical services? Because they often run along the electrical services. Now and then the parts and materials between the two disciplines look and feel just the same.

A note for the beginners: the different colors of the wires to a three-phase motor or to a machine that use three-phase power supply is a form of color coding.

Now let us get back to the pictures: In Picture 1 above you can see three conduits with color bands on them.

The one the right side (nearer to the concrete wall) has got a six-inch band with two colors. Or you can call it three bands with the outer two in red and the center band in white.

This conduit is for one of the Extra Low Voltage services. It is for the audio-video cables. An example where you can find this would be a large meeting room or a conference room, or an auditorium.

These types of building spaces would usually have conduits and/or trunking to contain and protect the wiring cables to and from the microphone points, the speaker points, ceiling speakers, etc.

That is an example of what we call an Audio-Video system.

(Note: Extra Low Voltage (ELV) Services is a name usually used to categorize some electrical services. Examples may be the Audio-Video system I have just explained above, security systems like CCTV and card access systems, queue management system, etc. These systems are still electrical systems because they still run on voltage and currents to say it simply. However, they use very low voltages of less than 25 volts anywhere in their equipment and wiring.

Of course they still need to connect to the 240 volt building electricity in order to work.)

The purpose of the color bands is simple: to identify what system the conduit is part of.

Table 2 below show a table of the ELV services in a building with the respective colors of the bands shown.

Not all buildings use the same colors, but large organizations usually have some sort of standard color coding system that must be followed by all contractors that execute work under the control of that particular organization.

Table 2 – Table of color codes for ELV services



Note that the colors for electrical conduits and trunking are not listed here. As far as I know it is a general practice everywhere to use orange as the color code for those electrical conduits, trunking and cable trays, while the cable ladders are more often not painted.

The subject of color coding is simple so I am not going to drag this post any longer than necessary. Readers can just scan through the other pictures below.

Picture 3 – Labeling on electrical trunking

Any building of a signification size usually has a supply source backed by standby diesel generators. This supply is usually called “ESSENTIAL SUPPLY”. The label “ESS” spray-painted below the smaller trunking is used to convey that message.

In office buildings, a form of centralized UPS (uninterruptible power supply) may also be provided. In Picture 3 above, the trunking that carries the wiring to all 13A wall sockets backed a UPS supply has been labeled “UPS”.

Please do not underestimate the importance of these labels. When the electricity supply from the public mains has failed, the standby diesel generators kick in. So the cables and wiring that run inside the ESS trunking is LIVE.

That means all socket outlets supplied from this trunking is still live and DANGEROUS.

The UPS unit always takes supply from electrical boards backed by the generators. So the wiring inside UPS trunking are also just as dangerous.

If the standby diesel generators also fail to start, then the wiring inside the ESS trunking has no power and not live.

However, the wiring inside the UPS trunking still has power because they are backed by batteries of the UPS unit.

Picture 4 – Another picture of electrical trunking

Picture 5 – CCTV conduit



Pictures 6 – Conduits for some other ELV services. You can check against Table 1



Picture 7 – CCTV conduit also



Picture 8 – Audio-video system



Picture 9 – This is another method to label the ESS supply




Okey folks… I need to get back to my work. See you again the next time.

Visit this post, Electrical installation pictures, to see more electrical pictures.

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How to install overhead projector

Readers who are looking for information how to install a motorized overhead projector to the ceiling may find the following pictures useful.

I will not write much here because there is not much to write. A picture says a thousand words.

The methods of installation mounting used are just standard methods. I just thought there are people out there who need to know how to do it or how it is done for one reason or another.

Picture 1 – Motorized overhead projector mounting



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This mounting has been done for my approval some time back. The location was inside a large (about 100 pax) meeting room for a high rise office block.

The unit in the picture was a mock-up unit so I could check it. Actually the sizing of the mounting bolts, the hanger rods and all metal works were all done by guesswork by the contractor.

But they oversized everything so much it made me speechless. The stingy contractor became very generous that day.

However, I knew the projector unit to be installed was very expensive. So I guess the contractor did not want to take any chances.

Notice that two hanger rods were used. They were larger steel pipes actually. Each was welded at the top to a thick steel base plate with four mounting screw holes (see Picture 2).

Picture 2 – Hanger rod base plate



The lower end of each hanger rod was also fixed with a similarly welded base plate which is used to fix the projector mounting plate (Picture 3).

Picture 3 – Bottom base plate



Picture 4 shows the whole assembly for one hanger rod. I separate it here so everybody can understand.

Picture 4 – One hanger rod assembly



The projector rack unit in picture 1 is what people call motorized projector.

It is actually not a motorized projector. It is the projector rack that is motorized.

You can put any projector there as long as the projector size can fit into the rack size installed.

The motorized rack is used so that the projector unit can be concealed into the ceiling when not in used. I took a few pictures of the completed work where you can see that the whole unit is totally recessed into the ceiling but I do not seem to be able to find them.

I will upload those photos later.

I have said enough about the mounting method I think. Notice also the cables hanging around the projector rack in Picture 1. Those are the rack’s power cable and the temporary supply cable to demonstrate the operation of the mock-up.

I approved the sample and about thirty unit of these motorized projector units were installed throughout the office building.

Picture 5 – Closer view of the motorized projector rack



Picture 6 – Another angle of view




See this post, Electrical installation pictures, for more pictures of electrical building services.


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MATV antenna bracket pictures

I have a few installation pictures of MATV antenna brackets. In fact I have quite a number of pictures on the installation of other building services such as the public address system, the firemen intercom, audio visual and conference system, etc.

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All these are part of the electrical contracts in a building construction works.

They are classified as building services together with the cold water supply, the fire protection sprinklers, etc.

When I started this blog, I wanted to make it specialized in only electric supply systems.

However, I have also always asked myself what to do with all the pictures on the ELV (extra low voltage) systems and telephone works.

It has been such a waste. Those pictures can be of use to many people such as those whose need real installation pictures of the systems in real construction works.

Even I myself was having such needs during my early days in the electrical world. Of course, now anyone can search among the tens of thousands of the manufactures’ and suppliers’ websites specialized in these systems.

However, often we only find nice pictures and often we do not want nice pictures.

We want the real construction pictures, pictures that are not biased towards any particular supplier or manufacturer.

For this reason, I am expanding the scope of this blog to also include the installation pictures of building’s extra low voltage (ELV) services and telecommunication systems.

In the future, I may even include building’s ICT systems.

After all, the title of this blog is “… installation pictures”. The internet search engines should not be confused about the content of this blog, I think. We will see.

Now let’s get back to the pictures.

I will not be writing much on this. My specialty is not on these technologies. I only have some experience with them, including design (aka system integrator) and installation supervision.

Therefore, I will only be going through the pictures very briefly when it comes to the ELV services and telecommunication systems.

Picture 1 – Installation of MATV antennas



I apologize if you need to look closely at the picture to see the antennas. I should have taken the photographs before they started work on the roof installation. The green color of the construction safety nets seems to have disturbed the clarity of the antenna image in the picture.

However, Picture 2 below shows the antenna brackets quite clearly.

Picture 2 – Antenna brackets mounted to a roof wall



Well, there is nothing special with the brackets here. Just similar to the types that you may have at home.

However, observe that stay wires were used to add stability to the poles. You may not have the stay wires at home.

Picture 3 – Closer view of a bracket



Picture 4 – The flexible conduit connection between cable trunking and the rigid steel conduit



Below is an example single line diagram for an MATV installation at a multi storey building. I hope it will help “genuine” beginners place where the antennas are located in the overall system of the MATV installation.

It was part of a draft proposal for a turnkey project many years ago. So it is simple enough and easy to understand.

It was also the first AutoCAD soft copy file that I found in my old archive when I started digging for a schematic diagram to complement the above MATV pictures. I would not want any beginner reader to leave this post confused.

A list of the symbols used in the diagram also follows.

Observe and try to understand. I am not a teacher here. I just share pictures with you.

Diagram 5 – MATV single line schematic diagram for a multi storey building



Diagram 6 – TV antenna symbol



Diagram 7 – Satellite TV antenna symbol



Diagram 8 – Lightning arrestor symbol



Diagram 9 – Amplifier power supply symbol



Diagram 10 – Channeled amplifier symbol



Diagram 11 – Final amplifier symbol



Diagram 12 – 2 way tap off symbol



Diagram 13 – 4 way splitter symbol



Diagram 14 - 2 way splitter symbol



Okay, guys. Enjoy the photos.

Visit also this post, Electrical installation pictures, to see more photos on this blog.


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