Marking of wires by color 220 V. L and N in electrics - color coding of wires

important for faster and correct installation electrical distribution devices, ease of repair and elimination of errors. Electrical wire colors are regulated regulatory documents(PUE and GOST R 50462-2009).

Why do we need color coding for wires and cables?

Installation and maintenance work in electrical installations is associated not only with ensuring reliability, but also safety. Complete error elimination is required. For these purposes, a system of color designations for core insulation has been developed, which determines what color the wires are phase, neutral and ground.

According to the PUE, the following colors of current-carrying conductors are allowed:

• red;
• brown;
• black;
• gray;
• white;
• pink;
• orange;
• turquoise;
• purple.

The above list contains many options for wire colors, but does not include several colors that are used only to indicate:

• blue color and its shades – working neutral wire (neutral – N);
• yellow with a green stripe – protective earth (PE);
• yellow-green insulation with blue marks at the ends of the conductors - combined (PEN) conductor.

It is allowed to use conductors with green insulation for grounding yellow stripe, and for combined conductors, blue insulation with yellow-green marks at the ends.

The color must be the same in each circuit within one device. Branch circuits must be made with identically colored conductors. The use of insulation without differences in shades indicates high culture installation and greatly facilitates further maintenance and repair of equipment.

Coloring phase

In cases where the electrical installation is installed using rigid metal busbars, the tires are painted with indelible paint in the following colors:

• yellow – phase A (L1);
• green – phase B(L2);
• red – phase C (L3);
• blue – zero bus;
• longitudinal or inclined stripes of yellow and green color – grounding bus.

The color of the phases must be maintained throughout the entire device, but not necessarily over the entire surface of the bus. It is allowed to mark the phase designation only at the connection points. On a painted surface, you can duplicate the color with the “ZhZK” symbols for paint of the corresponding colors.

If tires are not accessible for inspection or work when there is voltage on them, then they may not be painted.

The color of phase wires connected to rigid busbars may not coincide with them in color, since there is a difference in the accepted designation systems for flexible conductors and rigid stationary distribution busbars.

Neutral color

What color the neutral wire is is specified by GOST standards, so when looking at the installation of a power plant, the question should not arise: blue wire– this is phase or zero, since the blue color and its shades (blue) are accepted to indicate neutral ().

Other colors of neutral cores are not permitted.

Only valid option the use of blue and cyan insulation - designation of the negative pole or midpoint in DC circuits. This color cannot be used anywhere else.

Ground wire color coding

The rules indicate what color the ground wire in electrical installations is. This is a yellow-green wire, the color of which stands out well against the background of the other wires. It is acceptable to use a wire with yellow insulation and a green stripe on it, or green insulation with a yellow stripe. It is not allowed to use any other color of the ground wire, just as it is not allowed to use green-yellow wires for installing circuits on which voltage is present or may be applied.

The listed labeling rules are observed in the countries of the post-Soviet space and in the countries of the European Union. Other countries mark the cores in a different way, which can be seen on imported equipment.

Basic colors for marking abroad:

• neutral – white, gray or black;
• protective grounding – yellow or green.

The standards of a number of countries allow use as protective grounding bare metal without insulation.

Grounding wires are switched on prefabricated non-insulated terminals and connect to each other all metal parts of the structure that do not have reliable electrical contact with each other.

Colors for 220V and 380V networks

Installation of single- and three-phase electrical networks made easier if the wiring is done with multi-color wire. Previously, a flat two-core wire was used for single-phase residential wiring white. During installation and repair, to avoid errors, it was necessary to ring each core individually.

Production of cable products with colored cores different colors reduces the labor intensity of work. To indicate phase and zero in single-phase wiring, it is customary to use the following colors:

• red, brown or black – phase wire;
• other colors (preferably blue) – neutral wire.

The phase markings in a three-phase network are slightly different:

• red (brown) – 1 phase;
• black – 2 phase;
• gray (white) – 3 phase;
• blue (cyan) – working zero (neutral)
• yellow-green – grounding.

Cable production domestic production complies with the standard for the color of the conductors, therefore a multiphase cable contains differently colored conductors, where the phase is white, red and black, the neutral is blue, and the ground is yellow-green conductors.

When servicing networks installed according to modern standards, it is possible to accurately determine the purpose of the wires in the junction boxes. If there is a bundle of multi-colored wires, the brown one will definitely be phase. The neutral wire in the distribution boxes has no branches or breaks. The exception is branches to multi-pole switching devices with complete circuit breaking.

Coloring in DC networks

For DC networks, it is customary to mark conductors connected to the positive pole in red, and to the negative pole in black or blue. Insulation in bipolar circuits blue tint used when marking the midpoint (zero) of the power supply.

There are no standards for color codes on multi-voltage circuits. What color are the plus and minus wires, what is the voltage in them - this can only be determined by decoding the device manufacturer, which is often given in the documentation or on one of the walls of the structure. Example: computer power supply or car wiring.

Automotive wiring is characterized by the fact that in it the circuits with positive voltage of the on-board network are red or its shades (pink, orange), and those connected to ground are black. The remaining wires have a specific color, which is determined by the car manufacturer.

Letter designation of wires

Color markings can be supplemented by letters. Partially the symbols for the designation are standardized:

• L (from the word Line) – phase wire;
• N (from the word Neutral) – neutral wire;
• PE (from the combination Protective Earthing) - grounding;
• “+” – positive pole;
• “-” – negative pole;
• M – midpoint in DC circuits with bipolar power supply.

To designate the protective grounding connection terminals, a special symbol is used, which is stamped on the terminal or on the device body in the form of a sticker. The grounding symbol is the same for most countries in the world, which reduces the likelihood of confusion.

In multiphase networks, the symbols are supplemented serial number phases:

• L1 – first phase;
• L2 – second phase;
• L3 – third phase.

There is marking according to old standards, when the phases are designated by symbols A, B and C.

Deviation from standards is combined system phase designations:

• La – first phase;
• Lb – second phase;
• Lc – third phase.

In complex devices, additional symbols may be found that characterize the name or number of the circuit. It is important that the markings of the conductors match throughout the entire circuit where they are involved.

Letter designations are applied with indelible, clearly visible paint on the insulation near the ends of the cores, on sections of PVC insulation or heat-shrinkable tube.

Connection terminals may have marks that indicate circuits and power polarities. Such signs are made by painting, stamping or etching, depending on the material used.

Anyone may face the need to repair electrical wiring or purchase various cable products for their future new home, and the color of wires in electrical installations plays an important role. The reasons for this can be different, but when you start eliminating it, you should count on one encouraging factor: that there is color coding wires It’s worth figuring out what it is and why they do it.

Basic definitions

In electrical networks alternating current up to a thousand kilovolts, the color marking of wires and cables is strictly regulated by state regulatory documents, such as the “Rules for Electrical Installations” (PUE), and this is what the section of the seventh edition in Chapter 1, paragraphs 1.1.29 - 1.1.30 is responsible for. It states that “Identification of wire cores by colors or digital designations” must be used in accordance with GOST P 50462-92 (IEC 446-89). The marking has the following basic designations:

IN distribution boards 3-phase AC busbars are painted:

• yellow – L1 (phase A);
• green – L2 (B);
• red – L3 (C);
• blue – block of neutral working conductor N;
• alternating longitudinal or transverse stripes of the same width of yellow-green color - PEN grounding bus.

Important! If the electrical panel housing also serves as a grounding contact, then the location where the wires are connected is indicated by a sign (ground) and is colored yellow-green.

The PUE allows you to designate the color of the main wires, phase and zero, not along the entire length of the bus, but only at the points of connection to the contacts; if the bus is invisible, you are allowed not to color it.

Important! When installing electrical equipment located in the same building, it is necessary to use color marking of wires and cables using the same color schemes.

We must not forget that the designation of wires by color should in no case reduce the degree of electrical safety and convenience when repairing or servicing electrical equipment.

electrical safety

Alternating electricity with a voltage of 380V - 220V is a dangerous factor, so if a person touches exposed wires or metal parts of electrical equipment that may be under this voltage without permission, it can result in severe burns or fatal injury! For this purpose, the PUE gives an answer not only to the questions: what color is the grounding wire, or what is PEN, but what is it for.

To protect people as much as possible from possible impact electric shock, electrical safety systems have been adopted, characterized by one or more factors, such as:

• grounding;
• protective grounding;
• separation of networks by a transformer.

To provide safe work in existing electrical installations up to 1 kV, five grounding systems are used: TN-C, TN-S, TN-C-S, TT, IT s different ways grounding, grounding and separation of networks. The PUE defines each of the systems as:

1. TN-C, where the working zero N and the grounding PE conductors are combined in one PEN wire. Characterized by: the use of a cable with four cores in a three-phase network and a two-core cable in a single-phase network. This is the oldest device in electrical networks and is still found everywhere for reasons of economy, for example, in street lighting.
2. TN-S, where the working N conductor and the grounding PE are separated from the supply transformer to the end consumer. Such networks are made of five-core cables for a three-phase network and three-core wires for a single-phase network.
3. TN-C-S, where there is one combined PEN conductor of a four-core cable, from the supply transformer to the group panel at the entrance to the building, which is further divided into N and PE, respectively into five and three-wire wiring. This is the most common system for constructing power supply networks for buildings and structures.
4. TT, where there is only one working N conductor, and only the body of the electrical equipment is grounded. In such a system, four and two-wire wiring are used, respectively. This is how overhead power lines are mainly constructed.
5. IT, where the electrical installation is separated from the power supply network by a transformer and completely isolated from the ground. This is the safest system for humans and is used only for special-purpose consumers.

Thus, the color of the wires phase and zero, L and N in electrics will help to clearly determine the security system used in a given electrical network.

DC electrical networks

Along with alternating current, direct current circuits are used, for example, in on-board networks of cars and electrical household appliances. In such electrical wiring there is no phase wire and neutral wire. The wire color rule in DC electrics is much simpler, since there are only two potentials: positive, denoted in electrical circuits as (+) and negative, signified (-). The colors of such wires are easy to remember: the plus is red, and the minus is black.

Important! For household appliances these colors are correct only for the supply lines; in the further part of the circuit, the positive wire may have a different color.

Practice

Having started directly with electrical installation work or repairs in electrical wiring, you may encounter non-compliance with the color regulations, which are established by regulatory documents. As practice shows, this case is not the rule, but the exception.

Eg:

• you can buy a three-core cable type BBG 3x1.5, which has cores with white, red and brown colors;
• cable products are often found with white wires with a color stripe of black, gray or of blue color, along the entire length;
• In the electrical wiring that was done before, in general, you can find a two or three-core white wire.

Here are some practical tips that will come in handy:

1. When making repairs in existing networks, it is necessary to use electrical safety devices, such as a voltage indicator or an indicator screwdriver. With their help you can always determine the color of the phase wire.
2. If the correct color marking of cable products is not available, purchase cambric or insulating tape of the required color. The main thing is to indicate the color of the ground wire as yellow-green, the working zero as blue, and for phase L in electrics you can choose any other color.
3. To install new wiring, use a cable of the same brand so that there is no confusion with the color of the wires in the electrics.

Color coding abroad

The yellow and green marker of the grounding wire PE and the blue working zero N are designated absolutely identically in all CIS countries, while they are clearly unified with the countries European Union. The color designation of the phase wire varies slightly, but this is not of fundamental importance in terms of electrical safety.

In other countries such as Brazil, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand The PE ground wire, along with the yellow-green color, can be simply green, and the working zero N is designated by any of black, white or blue.

In the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, the PE conductor may not have any insulation at all.

Important! Previously in the USSR, according to the old edition of the PUE, there was color marking that was radically different from today. Thus, the black color indicated the solidly grounded neutral and all grounding conductors, and the white color of the wire corresponded to the working zero.

It is worth remembering that electrical installation work requires an electrician to have knowledge of electrical installations and safety precautions. Once you clearly know the markings, the question of how to choose the right wire color during work will no longer arise, and repairing electrical wiring or installing equipment will become not only safe, but also convenient.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

If you incorrectly connect the contacts to each other by color, this can cause such adverse consequences as electric shock to a person.

The main purpose of color marking is to create safe conditions electrical installation work, as well as reducing the time for searching and connecting contacts. Today, according to the PUE and existing European standards, each core has its own insulation color. We will talk further about what color the wire is phase, neutral, ground!

What does grounding look like?

According to the PUE, the ground insulation should be painted yellow-green. Please note that the manufacturer also applies yellow-green stripes to the ground wire in the transverse and longitudinal direction. In some cases, the shell may be pure yellow or pure green. On electrical diagram Grounding is usually denoted by the Latin letters “PE”. Very often, “ground” is called zero protection; it should not be confused with working zero (zero)!

Appearance Graphic representation on the diagram

What does neutral look like?

In three-phase and single-phase electrical networks, the color of the zero should be blue or light blue. On the electrical diagram, “0” is usually denoted by the Latin letter “N”. Zero is also called neutral or zero working contact!

Standard color Indication of neutral on the electrical diagram

What does the phase look like?

The phase wire (L) can be marked by the manufacturer in one of the following colors:

• black;
• white;
• grey;
• red;
• brown;
• orange;
• violet;
• pink;
• turquoise.

The most common colors of the phase wire are brown, black and white.

Shell color Electrical diagram

It is important to know!

Color marking of wires in electrical engineering has many features and beginners often face questions such as:

• “What is the abbreviation PEN?”;
• “How to find grounding, phase, zero if the insulation is colorless or has a non-standard color?”;
• “How to independently indicate phase, grounding, zero?”;
• “What other standards exist for insulation color?”

We will now briefly give a simple explanation to all these questions!

What is PEN?

Today's outdated system grounding TN-C involves the use of a combination of neutral and grounding. The advantage of such a system is the ease of electrical installation work. Disadvantage - the threat of electric shock in any apartment.

The color of the combined wire is yellow-green (like PE), but at the ends the insulation has a blue color, characteristic of neutral. On the electrical diagram, the combined contact is indicated by three Latin letters - “PEN”.

Indication "PEN" on the electrical diagram

How to find L, N, PE?

So, you are faced with the following situation: during the repair of a household electrical network, it turned out that all the conductors are the same color. In this case, how do you find out which wire means what?

If the single-phase network is presented without “ground” (2 wires), then all you need is a special indicator screwdriver. With its help, you can easily determine where 0 is and where the phase is. We talked about that. First, turn off the electricity supply on the panel. Next, we strip the two conductors and separate them apart from each other. After this, turn on the electricity supply and carefully use the indicator to determine phase/zero. If the light bulb lights up upon contact with the core, this is a phase, respectively, the second core is zero.

If the electrical wiring has a ground wire, it is necessary to use equipment such as a multimeter. This device has two tentacles. First you need to set the AC current measurement range to above 220 Volts. Next, we fix one tentacle on the phase contact, and with the help of the second tentacle we determine zero/grounding. When you touch 0, the multimeter will display a voltage value within 220 Volts. If you touch the “ground”, the voltage will definitely be a little lower. A more intelligible one was provided in the corresponding article, which we recommend that you read!

There is another method of determination. If you don’t have a multimeter and an indicator screwdriver at hand, you can try to determine what color the L and N wires are by their insulation. In this case, you must remember that the blue shell is always ZERO. In any non-standard marking, the color of the zero does not change. The other two wires will be a little more difficult to identify.

The first version of associations. You see the remaining colored and black or white contact. To the old ones good times the ground was marked with black or white insulation. It is quite reasonable to assume that this is it, the remaining color is phase (L).

Second option. Zero, again, is immediately removed, leaving a red and black/white wire. If the insulation is white, then according to the PUE it is a phase. This means that the remaining red is earth.

Please note that this method is extremely dangerous. If you decide to use it, be sure to make notes for yourself so that you don’t get an electric shock while plugging in!

I would also like to note very important nuance — in a DC circuit The color marking of plus and minus is represented by black (-) and red (+) insulation. As for a three-phase network (for example, on transformers), all three phases have their own individual color: phase A - yellow, B - green, C - red. Zero, as usual, is blue, and ground is yellow-green. In a 380V cable, wire A is white, B is black, C is red. Zero worker and protective conductors do not differ from the previous color marking version.

How can I specify L, N, PE myself?

In the event that a visual designation is missing or differs from the standard one, it is recommended to independently indicate all the elements after repair work. To do this, you can use colored electrical tape or a special product - heat shrink tube, also called cambric. According to PUE requirements, GOST and generally accepted recommendations, the indication of cores must be carried out at the ends of the conductor - at the points of its connection with the bus (as shown in the photo).

Small notes by color will make repairs and maintenance easier for both you and the electrician who may be repairing the home electrical network after you! We talked about this in a separate article.

Existing factory standards

Insulation designations change slightly every decade, so it is possible this information It will be useful to you.

Until 2000, the following color markings for wires were used:

• white – N;
• black – PE;
• bright - L.

A few years after this standard, a significant change was made: PE was “repainted” yellow-green (as it is now).

Thus, the products began to look like this:

• yellow-green wire – ground;
• black (and sometimes white) – neutral (N);
• bright – phase.

Color solutions

If for some reason you are confused between contacts, we bring to your attention detailed transcript marking of wires and cables by color, which today complies with European and domestic standards:

For correct connection wires use their color marking, which allows you to quickly identify the desired conductor in the bundle. But not everyone knows how phase and zero are designated in electrical engineering, Therefore, colors are often confused, which complicates future electrical wiring repairs. In this article we will look at the principles of color marking of wires and tell you how to correctly separate phase, ground and neutral.

Wires must be connected to each other only in strict accordance. If you mix it up, it will happen short circuit, which can lead to failure of the equipment or the cable itself, and in some cases even to a fire.

Standard wire colors

Marking allows you to correctly connect wires, quickly find the necessary contacts and safely work with cables of all types and shapes. Marking, according to the PUE, is standard, so knowing the principles of connection, you can work in any country in the world.

Note that the old cables produced under the USSR had one conductor color (usually black, blue or white). To detect the required contact, they had to be called or a phase was applied to each wire one by one, which led to unnecessary waste of time and common mistakes(many people remember the newly built Khrushchev buildings, in which, when you press the bell, front door the light in the bathroom turned on, and when you pressed the switch in the bedroom, the voltage in the outlet in the hallway disappeared).

Various significantly simplified the process of creating wiring, and a few years later became a standardin Russia, the EU, the USA and other countries of the world.

Ground, zero and phase

There are three types of wires: ground, neutral and phase. The coloring is applied to the entire wire, so even if you cut the cable in the middle, you can still figure out which contact is which.Grounding is indicated as follows:

1. Yellow-green color (in the vast majority of cases).
2. Green or yellow.

In an electrical wiring diagram, grounding is designated by the abbreviation PE.

Note:In drawings and in electricians' slang, grounding is often called zero protection. Do not confuse it with zero, otherwise a short circuit will occur.

The zero in the cable is indicated by blue-white or simply blue, symbolized in the diagram by the letter N. Sometimes it is called the neutral or neutral contact, so be careful and do not confuse these concepts.

Now let's figure it outis used most often. Here you will have a hard time, since there can be a lot of options. We advise you to go the opposite way - first detect the yellow-green ground, then the blue zero, and the remaining wires in the cable will be the phase. They must be connected according to colors to avoid confusion. Most often in three-wire systems they are marked brown, but there may be other options:

• black;
• red;
• grey;
• white;
• pink.

In schematic images, the phase is represented by the letter L. It can be detected with a test screwdriver or a multimeter. When connecting wires, use special clamps or solder them offset from each other so that short circuit or oxidation of contacts with subsequent loss of voltage does not occur.

Classic colors of wires in the cable

Difference between zero and ground

Some novice electricians don't knowand why is it needed at all? Let's look at this question in more detail. Flows through zero and phase electricity, so you can't touch them. The ground serves to remove voltage if it breaks through to the body of the device. This is a kind of protection that last years has become mandatory - some devices do not work if they are not grounded.

Attention:Do not ignore the grounding requirement - accumulated static electricity or breakdown can damage the device or give you an electric shock.

If you are not sure which wire is ground and which is zero, then use the following tips. They will help you decide without wire color code:

1. Measure the resistance of the wire - it will be less than 4 ohms (check that there is no voltage on it so as not to burn the multimeter).
2. Find the phase, use a voltmeter to measure the voltage between the supposed zero and ground. On the ground the value will be higher than at zero.
3. If you use a multimeter to measure the voltage between ground and a grounded device (for example, a battery in multi-storey building), then the voltmeter will not detect voltage. If you measure the voltage between zero and ground, a certain value will be displayed.

All this is true only for three or more conductor cables. If there are only two wires in the cable, then by default one will be ground (blue), the second phase (black or brown).

Observe cable connections

We are looking for a phase

You already know which one wire color phase, neutral, ground. Let's consider the main question - how to find the phase. If you are going to connect an outlet, then, in fact, you do not care about this issue - there is no difference to which contact you supply phase or zero to. But with a switch the situation is different.

Attention:The phase in the switch always opens, and zero goes to the light bulb. This is necessary so that you do not get an electric shock during repair or replacement of the lamp. The phase must be applied to the bottom contact of the cartridge, zero - to the side.

If there are two wires of the same color in the wiring, then the easiest way to find the phase is with an indicator - when you touch the bare wire, it starts to glow. Before touching the wire, turn off the power, strip the insulation on the wire (1 cm is enough), separate the wires in different directions to prevent a short circuit. Then turn on the power and touch the indicator to the contact. Thumb hands need to be placed on top part screwdrivers, where the contact pad is located. After this, the LED on the indicator should light up. This will allow you to find the phase, but the device will not help you figure out between zero and ground. To find out what color is the ground wire in a three-wire wire, you will need to use the methods above.

You can find the phase using the indicator

Conclusion

If you create new wiring, be sure to follow the rules adopted in the PUE marking wires in electrical - this will help you in subsequent repairs of the system, because you can easily identify the wires by color. Use yellow/green cable for ground, blue for neutral, brown/black/white for phase. In cables with big amount phases, connect contacts only by color, using appropriate clamps and heat shrink. If you have to work with old wiring where the colors do not meet the standard, then first of all look for the phase using an indicator screwdriver. The contact that does not light up will be the desired zero.

When laying wires, follow the rules - they should only run horizontally and vertically. There is no need to try to save money by dragging them along an inclined path across the entire wall or ceiling - in the future you simply will not be able to find them or during repairs you will catch/break them, which will lead to serious consequences. Remember once and for all colors of wires in a three-core cable - this will help you in life, because any electrician is faced with repairing sockets, switches, electrical panels, laying new lines, etc.

Anyone who has ever dealt with wires and electricity has noticed that conductors always have different insulation colors. This was done for a reason. The colors of wires in electrics are designed to make easier recognition phase, neutral wire and ground. They all have a certain color and are easily distinguished during operation. The color of the phase, neutral, and ground wires will be discussed further.

How phase wires are painted

When working with wiring, phase wires pose the greatest danger. Touching the phase, under certain circumstances, can become lethal, which is probably why they were chosen for bright colors. In general, the colors of electrical wires allow you to quickly determine which of a bunch of wires are the most dangerous and work with them very carefully.

Most often, phase conductors are red or black, but other colors are also found: brown, lilac, orange, pink, purple, white, gray. Phases can be painted in all these colors. It will be easier to deal with them if you exclude the neutral wire and ground.

In the diagrams, phase wires are designated by the Latin (English) letter L. If there are several phases, a numerical designation is added to the letter: L1, L2, L3 for a three-phase 380 V network. In another version, the first phase is designated by the letter A, the second by B, and the third by C .

Ground wire color

By modern standards, the ground conductor is yellow-green. It usually looks like yellow insulation with one or two longitudinal bright green stripes. But there are also transverse yellow-green stripes in color.

In some cases, the cable may only have yellow or bright green conductors. In this case, the “earth” has exactly this color. It is displayed in the same colors on diagrams - most often bright green, but it can also be yellow. Signed on circuit diagrams or equipment “ground” in Latin (English) letters P.E.. The contacts to which the “ground” wire must be connected are also marked.

Sometimes professionals call the grounding wire “neutral protective”, but do not be confused. This is an earthen one, and it is protective because it reduces the risk of electric shock.

What color is the neutral wire?

Zero or neutral is blue or light blue, sometimes blue with a white stripe. Other colors are not used in electrical engineering to indicate zero. It will be like this in any cable: three-core, five-core or with a large number of conductors.

“Zero” is usually drawn in blue on diagrams and signed with the Latin letter N. Experts call it a working zero, since, unlike grounding, it participates in the formation of the power supply circuit. When reading a diagram, it is often defined as "minus", while the phase is considered "plus".

How to check the correctness of marking and wiring

Wire colors in electrical engineering are designed to speed up the identification of conductors, but relying only on colors is dangerous - they could be connected incorrectly. Therefore, before starting work, you should make sure that you have correctly identified their affiliation.

Take a multimeter and/or an indicator screwdriver. It’s easy to work with a screwdriver: when you touch a phase, the LED built into the housing lights up. So it will be easy to identify phase conductors. If the cable is two-wire, there are no problems - the second conductor is zero. But if the wire is three-wire, you will need a multimeter or tester - with their help we will determine which of the remaining two is phase and which is zero.

We set the switch on the device so that the selected jackal is more than 220 V. Then we take two probes and hold them plastic handles, carefully touch the metal rod of one probe to the found phase wire, and the second to the supposed zero. The screen should display 220 V or the current voltage. In fact, it may be significantly lower - this is our reality.

If 220 V or a little more is displayed, this is zero, and the other wire is presumably “ground”. If the value is less, we continue checking. With one probe we again touch the phase, with the second - to the intended grounding. If the instrument readings are lower than during the first measurement, there is “ground” in front of you and it should be green. If the readings turn out to be higher, it means that somewhere there was a mistake with “zero” in front of you. In such a situation, there are two options: look for exactly where the wires were connected incorrectly (preferable) or simply move on, remembering or noting the existing position.

So, remember that when testing a phase-zero pair, the multimeter readings are always higher than when testing a phase-ground pair.

And, in conclusion, let me give you some advice: when laying wiring and connecting wires, always connect conductors of the same color, do not confuse them. This can lead to disastrous results - at best, equipment failure, but there may also be injuries and fires.