verylittlehelps

Very Little Helps => Dot Com => Topic started by: gomezz on 02-04-19, 01:59PM

Title: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: gomezz on 02-04-19, 01:59PM
Just done some refresher training online and one of the topics was hook up cables which is where I learnt something I didn't know before.  Apparently with a Silver cable, before plugging in you need to turn off at the wall *and* in the cab but with the Black cable you only need to turn off at the wall.   ???

Nobody here knows what the difference is in construction between the two colours of cable that could allow for this difference in use.  Anyone know anything about this or is it glitch in the training module?

Prior to today and for the many years since we changed chiller supplier we were told only that we needed to turn off at the wall before plugging in (regardless of which cable was used) and indeed this was lauded as an improvement on the old chiller units.
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: BlueToon on 03-04-19, 08:13AM
My reaction to that is..............
What a load of garbage!  :D :D

Unless they have changed all of the connections (or included some sort of voltage sensing in the cable &/or plugs), including the switch box and the van socket, they are talking rubbish.
It has 3 connections, Live, Neutral and Earth.
They have to be the same regardless of the cable colour.
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: AlexW on 03-04-19, 10:51PM
If memory serves, it was always a case that you needed to switch off both the mains, and the in cab unit when plugging in/unplugging. Although as the years went by the in cab part seemed to be forgotten.

My assumption with regards to the difference between the 2 is this, there isn't any. I would guess however that many people who were switching both off, probably forgot to switch the cab unit back on again once they left the yard. So with changing over to the new cables they've probably decided to do away with switching off the cab unit once and for all. But that's just a guess on my part.

Will be interesting to see how long it is before the first driver "loses" their cable once we have to start storing them in the vans.
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: alex on 05-04-19, 07:07AM
Quote from: gomezz on 02-04-19, 01:59PM
Just done some refresher training online and one of the topics was hook up cables which is where I learnt something I didn't know before.  Apparently with a Silver cable, before plugging in you need to turn off at the wall *and* in the cab but with the Black cable you only need to turn off at the wall.   ???

Nobody here knows what the difference is in construction between the two colours of cable that could allow for this difference in use.  Anyone know anything about this or is it glitch in the training module?

Prior to today and for the many years since we changed chiller supplier we were told only that we needed to turn off at the wall before plugging in (regardless of which cable was used) and indeed this was lauded as an improvement on the old chiller units.
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: alex on 05-04-19, 07:14AM
Believe the only real difference is that the silver cables have a reinforced outer protective mesh, were as the new black ones are standard, no reinforced cables (the plug ends are supposed to be better as well). Plugging in etc realistically is the same.
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: gaz123 on 23-07-20, 01:42PM
Bit late to the party on this one - but as has been stated above, it's rubbish! The difference is only physical (silver cables are armoured, black ones are plain rubber) - no electrical difference at all. If the wall end is disconnected, or switched off, there's absolutely no current draw through the cable, so it makes no difference whether the van end is on or off.
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: Duracell on 24-08-20, 09:37PM
Hardly Rubbish ... the Sliver is plastic with a reinforced armoured sleeve ... which has more chance of being conductive than rubber.
If you get any voltage going to earth via the webbing and the webbing is exposed then the voltage goes to earth through the handler whereas only the copper cores in a rubber cable is conductive which has less potential to give a shock.
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: gaz123 on 26-08-20, 06:08PM
If there's any current flow to ground and the RCD on the wall hasn't popped then you've got much bigger problems than whether or not the cable is SWA...

(And the 'rubbish' comment related to the original assertion that switching off in the cab as well as at the wall is somehow necessary before disconnecting an armoured cable. Which is rubbish...)
Title: Re: Difference between a Silver cable and a Black cable?
Post by: ikilleduku64 on 04-12-20, 10:42PM
this happened to me too, id say you could put a greivance in for manager overworking you and bullying :question: