Dating Old Electrics

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Some dates - but may contain errors, and sometimes things did get installed later than they should strictly have been.

Cables:

• Lead sheath cable: before 1948, except on farms
• TRS (Tough Rubber Sheath) 1945-1962
• Capothene and Ashothene sheath cables: 1952 - 1960
• PVC inner PVC outer T&E style cables with no cpc (lighting circuits): 1955-1966
• Imperial PVC cables: 1955 - 1971
• 2.5mm PVC/PVC T&E with 1mm cpc: 1971 - 1981
• Twin twisted flexible cords: before 1977
• Rubber/PVC mix T&E cable: 1958 to 1961

Earth wire in cables:

• Separate bare copper earth wires run alongside twin cable:
• Black earth conductors: before 1966
• Green protective sleeving: before 1977
• Green & yellow earth sleeving: 1971 onwards

Main earth bonding:

• No main equiptential bonding conductor: before 1966
• 2.5mm main equipotential bonding conductors: 1971-1972
• 6mm main equipotential bonding conductors: 1966 - 1983
• 10mm main equipotential bonding conductors: post 1983

Fuseboards:

• ELCB (Voltage operated circuit breaker): pre 1981
• Double pole fused switchgear on ac Installations: pre 1955
• Wood backed Wylex fuseboxes: still being installed in 1983
• Slate fusebox with bare screws for fusewire links: in use in late 1800s, obsolete by the 1930s
• Wooden box with wooden lid fusebox: standard in 1930s

Sockets:

• Accessories mounted on wooden blocks: before 1966
• Round pin socket outlets: mostly before 1955, but sometimes used much later
• Square pin 13A sockets: post 1945
• 2 pin 5A sockets:
• No sockets upstairs:

See Also

• Wiki Contents
• Wiki Subject Categories