French wiring - heated towel rail

[Laura]

I have been given a heated towel rail (which is in excellent condition and has been used recently) which I would like to install it in my utility room.  However, the wiring is:  blue (grey), brown and black.  My understanding is that the black and brown are live and neutral (interchangeable)  but despite extensive search, I cannot find a definitive answer that the blue (grey) is the earth (and therefore the black and brown are live/neutral).  Can anyone please confirm that this is the case.   Sorry if this sounds naive but I would like to be sure.

Many thanks - and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Laura

[Spyder]

I think you will find the brown and blue are live and neutral. You will find detailed instructions on installation HERE (it's a PDF file)

Edit - there is plenty of info on the net, try  "câblage de sèche-serviettes" in Google

[Laura]

Fantastic!  Thanks, Spyder.

Laura

[Chancer]

Blue is only ever used for neutral, no other colours are allowed to be used.

Green/yellow is only ever used for earth, no other colours are allowed to be used.

Brown is commonly used as a phase colour but any other colour apart from the above can be used.

So by deduction:

Your towel rail doesnt have an earth connection, it will probably have the class III or whatever its called symbol of a pair of concentric squares somewhere to prove this.

The blue wire is the neutral.

Of the remaining pair one will be the phase (live) and the other the fil pilot wire, my money is on the Brown being the phase and the black the fil pilote wire, if you dont have a controller or want to do anything fancy with it do not connect the fil pilote.

If it doesnt work swop the Brown and the black.

[nomoss]

DO NOT SWAP THE BROWN AND BLACK AS SUGGESTED

The instructions supplied above state quite clearly that the black wire is for "Pilot" - that is remote control - and must NOT be connected to earth, but left unconnected for a single unit installation.

PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS OR GET AN ELECTRICIAN WHEN YOU DON'T INDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE DOING

[Laura]

Thanks for the replies.

Nomoss, I have posed the question as the heater was given to me and did not come with instructions.

Laura.

[nomoss]

Spyder gave you a link to the instructions in the first reply to your post. You can access it by clicking on the word HERE in blue on the first line of his reply.

If you find that too difficult, here is the full link

[url]http://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&ved=0CD4QFjAAOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermor-heating.com%2Fdocuments%2FNotice%2520po%25C3%25A8me%2520A.pdf&ei=ulikVJLIB4b1ULDNgKAL&usg=AFQjCNG6NF591Fgf9E1CasoFHqhQtfLJpg&sig2=ZnsbZvTqGc61NUuwHqU0Aw&bvm=bv.82001339,d.d24&cad=rja[/url]

[Chancer]

I dont think that they specified the make of the heater so we dont know whether the instructions are relevant.

The consensus is that the black wire is fil pilote, having connected one by mistake I know it dosnt do any harm or present a risk it just wont function, in fact I think the first time I used the black as neutral my mind at least 50% operating on the old UK colour codes.

I agree if unsure leave to someone who either is or is qualified, I suppose I ought to write that every time I reply to an electrical question.

[nomoss]

I understand that the wiring system is common to all currently available heating appliances in France, regardless of make.

Here is an explanation of the operation and wiring details [url]http://www.myipx800.com/index.php?post/2012/10/07/Chauffage-et-fil-pilote-%3A-comment-%C3%A7a-marche[/url]