Fluorescent Ballast Wire Color

Electric_Light

Basic wiring is simply the B&W for power, red, yellow and blue for lamps, but rapid start ballasts for 3 and 4 lamps, as well as dimming ballast calls for blu/yel striped wire, white/blue striped and such and grey & violet for control wiring.

Is it a violation to substitute those odd colored wires with yellow?

Celtic

Who or what calls for these colors?

I don't believe it is the NEC.

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Electric_Light

The ballast label. Typically you don't see anything other than red, yellow and blue unless you're dealing with dimming or 3 or 4 lamp electronic rapid start ballasts.

Celtic

Are you building these things or retrofit and/or relamp/reballast these things?

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wayni

The main thing I see being a concern with screwing with the colors or markings used by the ballast manufacturer is e-ballasts. Whenever I have to install an emergency ballast into a fixture I always refer to the documentation provided with the e-ballast. There are always a number of different ballast configuration schematics provided. Because the manufacturers have standardized their colors or markings for the different types of ballasts available, the e-ballast schematics will indicate those specific colors or markings for the ballast combination you are installing. So if you are building ballasts use the intended colors. If you are installing or retrofitting/reballasting a fixture, I'm of the opinion that a good electrician will be able to figure things out easily enough when they trace out your work to figure out what you've done.

jrclen

No.