Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
(OP)
I would like to know what the standard color scheme for the indication of "OPEN / CLOSE" on control panels remote from actual breakers.
We currently use white(amber) for indicating that the breaker is CLOSED, and we use green for indicating that the breaker is OPEN.
Reason for white(amber) is visibility from the control room.
I am in need of replacing sockets and caps because of breaking of the threaded portion of the sockets.
Should this go the the color scheme of RED/GREEN? If so, what do you base your suggestion on?
Any ideas?
Rick Miell
We currently use white(amber) for indicating that the breaker is CLOSED, and we use green for indicating that the breaker is OPEN.
Reason for white(amber) is visibility from the control room.
I am in need of replacing sockets and caps because of breaking of the threaded portion of the sockets.
Should this go the the color scheme of RED/GREEN? If so, what do you base your suggestion on?
Any ideas?
Rick Miell






RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
I've seen Amber/White/Red for closed. I've also seen Red for breaker control panels and amber for air break control panel and white for lock-out indication specifically.
I'd say, try and be consistent with what you are replacing or with the rest of the sub/client.
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=39408
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=48055
However, from my experience in the ANSI world, red means the breaker is closed and green means the breaker is open. But in the IEC world, red means the breaker is open and green means the breaker is closed.
Here is an ANSI relay
Here is the IEC version of the same relay
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
Power industry
Process industry
The process industry standard makes more sense in the context of valves, where a an open valve allows flow much like a closed switch and vice-versa. Unfortunately the industry applies the same open/closed colours to both valves and switches even though functionally they are reversed in terms of control. It can get awkward when DCS uses one colour scheme and the hardware uses the other one.
White is generally a 'control power present' indicator or similar.
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
Yeah I know, pushing a red button to light a green bulb is weird. That'a why OPEN and CLOSE words are still in use.
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
Before my utility was broken up, the standard within the thermal/fossil[nuclear?] stations where I worked was red for no flow, green for flow; open breakers and closed valves made for a nice predominantly red panel when a unit was shut down, conversely a mostly green one when running at full load; worked great.
Did I ever get messed up when I moved into hydraulic generation, though; for everything green meant closed and red meant open, which really messed me up for a while when it came to valves.
CR
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
Green traffic light - traffic is flowing
Red traffic light - traffic is stopped
Green breaker light - current is flowing through the breaker
Red breaker light - current is not flowing through the breaker
RE: Standard for indicator lights on breaker panels
I, as an electrician, would rather use RED for stop, and GREEN for go.
As a member of a line crew said to me, red should mean stop, stay away because the breaker is energized, while green mean you could approach it because it is de-energized.
As a manager of a power plant, the operators have, for as long as I have been here, used green to mean the breaker is closed, and amber for breaker open. Visually this gets their attention when looking at a long control board.
Like it has been mentioned in earlier replies, as long as everyone knows what the sequence is, it should be ok.
Thanks again.
Rick Miell