ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS - COLOR CODES
Electrical regulations and standards
that apply to boat builders and recreational boats.
Wiring Color Codes: If you look at any wiring you will
see that the wires are all different colors. This is so an electrician knows what they are
looking at. Each color has a specific function.
Direct Current Color Codes: From ABYC
standard E-11 Table XIV and Table XV.
Green/Green
w/yellow stripe |
DC Grounding Conductor |
Bonding Wires (insulated) |
Yellow or Black
or
Black W/Yellow stripe |
DC Negative Conductor |
Negative Mains |
Red |
DC Positive |
Positive Mains |
Yellow/Red
Stripe |
Starting Circuit |
Starting Switch to Solenoid |
Brown/Yellow
stripe or Yellow |
Bilge Blowers |
Fuse or Switch to Blower |
Dark Gray |
Navigation Lights |
Circuit Breakers or Switch To Lights |
Dark Gray |
Tachometer |
Tachometer Gauges and Senders |
Brown |
Generator Armature |
Generator Armature to Regulator |
Brown |
Alternator Charge Light |
Generator Terminal or Alternator Aux Terminal to Regulator |
Brown |
Pumps |
Circuit Breakers or Switch to Pumps |
Orange |
Accessory Feed |
Amp Mtr to Alt or Gen Output & Acc Circuit Breaker & Switches |
Orange |
Common Feed |
Distribution Panels To Accessory Switches |
Purple |
Ignition |
Ignition Switch to Coil & Electrical Instrument |
Purple |
Instrument Feed |
Distribution Panel To Electrical Instruments |
Purple |
Main Power Feed |
Positive Mains (particularly un-fused) |
Dark Blue |
Cabin and Instruments |
Circuit Breakers or Switch to Lights |
Light Blue |
Oil Pressure |
Oil Pressure Gauges & Senders |
Tan |
Water Temp |
Water Temp To Sender To Gauge |
Pink |
Fuel Gauge |
Fuel Gauge Sender to Gauge |
Green/stripe |
Tilt Down/Trim in |
Tilt and Trim Circuits |
Blue/Stripe |
Tilt Up/Trim Out |
Tilt and Trim Circuits |
Alternating Current: Wiring Color Codes
I strongly recommend that unless you
have experience or training working with AC electrical systems, that you
hire an electrician. AC is deadly!
Black: Hot: An ungrounded current carrying conductor. This is the hot side of the system. Do not touch! You
will get zapped!
White: Hot: Shore Grounded Neutral. A current carrying conductor
maintained at ground (Earth) potential. Do not touch! You will get
zapped!
Green or Green with Yellow Stripe: Grounding Conductor. Used as a path to
ground if there is a ground fault in the system. Do not cut or disconnect!
Normally does not have any current. If there is current in the green wire there
is something wrong.
Red: Hot: An ungrounded current carrying conductor
in 120/240 volt systems. Do not touch! You will get zapped!
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