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In home wiring the white wire is neutral. Some light fixtures that are typically out of reach may not differentiate between hot (black) and neutral (white). In this case the black and white supply wires can arbitrarily connected to the two fixture black wires, one to each.
The NEC requires that the neutral be connected to the screw shell of a 'typical' light socket regardless of height. This allows that while changing out a lamp (called a bulb), if you inadvertently come into contact with the screw shell, you are not in danger.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoIn residential wiring, assuming power to the light is being supplied at the switch box, the white wires are all tied together and pushed back into the switch box. If you are using a switch leg where power is in the ceiling box and not in the switch box you will have 2 wires + ground coming from the ceiling to the switch box and both the white and black are connected to the switch, either screw, and the ground is connected to the ground screw.
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If the white wire is connected to the switch, the electrical code requires that it be identified as a current carrying conductor. This is done by identifying the conductor by a wrap of black tape. This is required on both ends of the conductor. This is a safety precaution to let anyone that services the switch in the future that the conductor is not a neutral.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoIf the voltage source is at the fixture box, the wire will be a two wire that goes to the switch box. The colour coding should be, black wire going to the top of the switch as a "hot" feeder and the return from the switch to the light fixture will be the white wire. The white is not a neutral and should be identified as such. This is done by wrapping black tape around the white wire at both ends of the white wire. This tells anyone working on the circuit that the white is no longer a neutral but a current carrying circuit wire.
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How and where do you connect the white wire from the shunt breake to the electrical panel?
The white wire would go to the neutral bar. Just be sure of the shunt trip voltage required for the breaker and land the white wire on the appropriate neutral bar in the correct panel.
When you are replacing a male plug on an electric cord. Which screw does the black wire go on?
The black wire goes to the brass colored screw and the white wire goes to the silver screw.
If the wiring in your ceiling box is black white red and green but the light fixture only has black white and bare what do you do with the red ceiling wire?
Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz power supply service.Learn how to use a voltmeter, or at least a neon test lamp, and check those wires out before you touch any of them!That said, the bare wire on your fixture should connect to the green ground wire in your electrical box. The white neutral wire should go to the white, and your black (hot) wire for your fixture probably goes to the black wire in the box - you will need a voltmeter to take readings of the potential between the neutral and the black, then the neutral and the red, and see if the black or red is controlled by the the switch.The Black wire may be a "hot traveler" wire coming from the lighting circuit breaker on the main panel. The Red wire may be "switched hot" coming from the light switch for this light fitting. The white wire may be a Neutral coming from the main panel. The Green wire should only ever be a safety Ground wire coming from the main panel.Or there may be a two-way switched circuit feeding that light. If it is a light near some stairs and you have 2 switches controlling it, one switch downstairs and another switch upstairs, then the wiring could well be as follows: the Red (or the Black) is a "hot feed" to the switches and the other one, the Black (or the Red) is the "hot return" from the switches.However you must not just assume any of these suggestions about wiring colors is correct for your house.If you don't know how to check these things safelyDON'T DO IT - YOU COULD KILL YOURSELF!As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.Before you do any work yourself,on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOBSAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Why dining room lights go on and off intermittently?
Check for loose wiring at the light itself and also at the light switch. There can also be a loose wire anywhere in the circuit supplying power to that light switch. Start at the light itself and work backwards in the circuit until you find the loose wire.
How do you connect a 230 volt outlets using a neutral white wire?
I am taking this question to mean that you are making an installation using two wire cable that has a black and white in it. In this situation the white is not called a neutral. At the distribution panel end the white wire does not connect to the neutral bar. It will go to one side of a two pole breaker. the other side of the breaker will connect to the black wire of the cable. On the 230 volt receptacle end the two wires will connect to either side of the receptacle. Make sure that the cable wiring is rated to take the amperage that your plug-in device will draw. The last thing to do is identify the white wire as a "hot" current carrying conductor. This is done by placing black tape around the white wire. This is done at both ends of the cables white wire. This is done to ensure in the future that is someone else works on the circuit they will know that the wire is not a neutral conductor.In the market place there is a new cable that has no white wire in it. This cable is used for wiring baseboard heaters and has a different colour jacket to identify the type of cable it is. The internal wiring colours are black and red. This wire is used for all 230 volt circuits.
Where does the white wire from the brake light switch on a 1998 s10 go?
Are you sure its not a ground wire?
Light switch has 4 wire colors red and white and green and black which is the hot wire?
You have a 3 way switch. Your black wire is the hot wire. Your green wire is the ground wire. Your red and white wires go to the light and other switch. You should have gotten a wiring diagram with your switch.
What is the black and white wire for under the hood of my 1995 Chrysler new yorker going to the fuse box and also what is the lime green or light green colored wire for?
There are probably dozens of black and white wires under the hood. It is a normal color for a ground wire. With out knowing where it or the green wire go, I can not answer.There are probably dozens of black and white wires under the hood. It is a normal color for a ground wire. With out knowing where it or the green wire go, I can not answer.
In the US where do the blue red green and white wires on a fan go to when the ceiling has red black bare copper and white wires?
Black to Black - Black from the ceiling is a hot wire and should be switched Red to Blue - Red wire is another hot wire and should also be switched White to White - White from the ceiling is the neutral and should not be switched. Your wall should have two switches, one will control the red wire, one will control the black wire. If you wire your fan as above, one switch will turn the fan on, the other will turn the light of the fan on.
How do you connect a tachometer to a 2001 S-10 with a 2.2L?
The green wire is supposed to go to the negative wire of the coil , that is usually a white wire, but make sure that the tachometer documents tell you to use the negative wire it is usually the white wire. If you have a test light hook the cramp to the negative of the battery and check the two wires if the light glows that is the positive, connect the green wire to the other wire it will be the negative. There are some that say to use the positive, ""PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTION VERY CAREFULLY"" Or you could short out the coil and the igition module.
Why would a light switch have two black wires for power and two whites caped off?
Black represents Hot and White common. For the light to operate it needs a white and black wires. The switch box has two cables with a white and black wire plus a ground. One wire is from the supply and the other to the light. Connecting the whites just provides common directly to the light. The blacks go into and out of switch because it is the hot side that is being switched.
How do you install a Sunpro super tach 2 tachometer in a 1979 Chevy Silverado?
If the wires are Red,Black,Green,and White I can help you. Im also assuming you have HEI ignition. The red wire will go on the positive battery terminal, make sure you run an in line fuse. The white and black wire are for the light, so you will have to tap in to a dash light. White being positive. The green wire will go on the tach lead also known as negative. The cap has the words TACH and BAT on them. Hook it up to the TACH.
How do you wire an additional light to another light with a switch?
In the wall switch box you should have a white and black pair from your source of power (120 volts). The other pair of black and white wires from the wall box should be going to the light fixture junction box. With the power off, connect the two white wires together with a wire nut. Connect the two bare copper ground wires together making sure that at least one of the ground wires goes under the green screw in the switch junction box. Turn the switch to the off position, no little indicator bump showing on the switch toggle lever. Now take the black incoming hot wire and put it under the top screw on the switch. Hot wires always go to the top of switches. Now put the black wire that is going to the light fixture under the bottom screw. Tighten both. Install the switch into the wall box with the switch handle in the down position. All switches when installed must be off in the down position. Install the switch plate cover.
Explain why a light switch makes a light go on and off?
A light bulb is wired up to have a current run through it to produce light light. when you disconnect the wire to one end of the light bulb there is no longer a current flowing through it and the light go's out. A switch is a device that is able to disconnect or connect the wire. or otherwise put cause a break in the wire so that power will not run through it.
Where does the switched live go in a ceiling light?
To the black wire on the fixture.
How and where do you connect the white wire from the shunt breake to the electrical panel?
The white wire would go to the neutral bar. Just be sure of the shunt trip voltage required for the breaker and land the white wire on the appropriate neutral bar in the correct panel.
In house wiring can the white wire have some current too?
Yes. The white wire (the "neutral") is the "return" for the hot. Recall that electric current had to "get to where it is used" and then has to "get back" to the outlet. (A complete circuit is necessary.) You need the black wire (the "hot" wire) to carry the current out and the white wire to carry the current back, and the currents should be equal. You don't want any current returning on the ground wire or "leaking to ground" from anywhere in the circuit. Another way to look at this is that the black and white wires form "rails" for the voltage. Anything hooked up is connected "across" the rails. It's connected from the black to the white - from one rail to the other. All the appliances in the house are connected in parallel across the black and white, or in parallel across those voltage rails. (That's why all appliances operate on the same voltage and why if one fails, it doesn't affect any of the others.)
