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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.

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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.

Related Questions

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.


Where does the red wire go, to the white or black wire?

The red wire typically goes to the black wire.


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.


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.


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 wire a series of recessed lights to a single switch when the power goes to the lights first?

If you already know how to put one fixture on a 3-way, just connect white-to-white and black-to-black from one light to the next. If you're changing from a single switch to the 3-way, the exact wiring will depend on whether the power comes from the breaker box to the switch or the existing fixture. I'll assume you're starting from scratch or have the power going to the fixture. You need #15 two-wire with ground and #15 three-wire with ground romex. Run two-wire from the breaker box to the first light fixture. Pull a another two-wire from this box to switch A and a three-wire between the switches. String two-wire from the first light to the second, second to third, etc. In the first box, connect white from source to the white fixture wire and the white going to the second box; black from source to the black to switch A; and the black fixture wire to both the white to switch A and the black to the next fixture. At each of the other 5 fixtures, connect all white to white and black to black (three pair in each box except the last one). At switch A, connect the white from the fixture to the common (center) connector and the black directly to the black going to switch B. The red and white wires going to switch B are connected to the two outside connectors of switch A. At switch B, the black goes to the common connector and the red and white to the outside connectors. At each box, connect all the bare wires (second ground) to each other and to the fixture or box. Now turn the power back on. If all the connectors are tight, power should follow the black wires from source past the fixture and switch A to switch B. From there it will go through one or the other of the travellers and, if switch A is in the same position as B, up the white switch leg to the fixtures, turn on all the lights and go back to ground.


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.


If you have a switch wired red and black and a fan that calls for black and white where does the red wire go?

It sounds like your fan also has a light with it. If your wall switch is a two gang box with two switches in it most likely one switch is for the light on only and the other switch is for the fan on only. This can be checked out by installing the fan and making the connection green to green, white to white, black to black. Turn on one of the switches and see if the fan operates. Disconnect this connection and then connect the red wire to the black fan wire. Turn the other switch on. If the fan turns on again, then the two switches were installed to operate the fan and light separately. If this is the case disconnect the red and fan black wires and reconnect the black to black. This is the fan connection. Connect the red to blue fan wire and this is the light on the fan connection.