What Is the Function of a 3-Core and Earth Flex?

To use our electrical devices, equipment, and appliances, we need electricity. 3 core outdoor electric cable helps to connect these devices and machines to the main power source. The size of the 3-core cable you choose and the way you design your circuit using the selected cable will also affect your project due to application differences and variations in project specifications.

What is 3 core outdoor electric cable?

It is important to know the type of wire or cable you will be using regardless of the electrical application. A very popular choice for various purposes is 3 core outdoor electric cable. These cables contain three independent conductors for three different purposes of power transmission. For example, if you choose to use 1.5mm 3-core flexible cable, there will be three separate wires inside the main cable sheath. One wire is for live, another is for neutral, and the third wire in the 3-core outdoor electric cable is for grounding applications.

To understand what this means for electrical wiring projects, it can be helpful to look at the above information from the perspective of other types of wires. Unlike 3 core outdoor electric cable, 2-core cables have one less conductor. It has only two conductors as components. Therefore, although the 10mm 3-core armored cable has live wire, neutral wire, and grounding wire, the corresponding 2-core version of the same cable does not have a grounding conductor. It only has a live and a neutral conductor.

What is 3 core and earth flex used for?

3 core and earth flex is often used for residential purposes such as 2-way lighting applications, as well as other applications such as central heating system and equipment wiring. Depending on the way the electrician designs the circuit for the 2-way lighting and the location of the switch, 3 core and earth flex may have a neutral or a live application.

Typically, a 3-core and earth flex refers to a wire with three independent copper conductors, each in its own protective sheath. However, for 3 core and earth flex, a fourth conductor is inserted during the manufacturing process. For example, a typical 3-core flexible cable will have the usual 3 cores, including live, neutral, and grounding, but there will be another core - the fourth core. This additional core is typically a bare copper wire used for grounding purposes. In the example above, if we use 3-core flexible cable with an extra bare copper conductor, the fourth conductor must be inserted into a green/yellow coded sleeve (grounding) during installation.