How do you change a wall outlet?
Question:i need to change my wall outlet before i can use my air conditioner. they told me at the store it is black to brass and white to silver and ground goes on green, easy right? when i pulled the outlet out it had a red wire. does anyone know what this wire is? my house is old but the outlet im replacing is three prong. i just dont want to make a mistake.
Answers:
assuming the outlet is 110 - 120 volts. The red wire goes to the brass. Just do it! It will either work or it won't. There are a couple of reasons why it is red, but, it doesn't matter.
In older houses three wires usually means that there is 220 volts at that plug. (In the USA anyway) This is especially true if one of them is red. The 220v will be between the black and the red wire. Each of the wires (red and black) will have 110 or 120 volts between each of them and the white wire. If there is no green wire there is no ground wire although if the wiring was done right the white wire is usually neutral and in ideal conditions there will be no voltage between the white wire and a green ground wire if it exists. There should also be no voltage difference between the white wire and the pipe in the house. In old houses they are usually copper or galvanized and may provide a satisfactory ground. You will need a test light to check.
listen to bullfrog,,NOT TC,,
if you connect a hot wire to a nuetral wire ,,there is a good chance that the undertaker will be stuffing cotton up your *** soon
do what you please
i love it when some goon tells you which wire is hot ,,,,the red is hot,,,that is bullshit,,,,the hot wire is the one with current in it,,,just because the accepted procedure is one thing,,that does not mean that accepted procedure was used here...
TEST the wires to conclude which one is hot and which one is not,,and if you need instructions as to how to test,,,you need an electrician,,or like i said before ,,maybe an undertaker
USA If there is NO black wire, and you have a red, a white, and a green or bare ground, the red wire is hot, and should be connected to the brass.
If you have a black and a red, a white and a bare or green ground, you have one of three conditions: You either have two 120 volt circuits, one 220 volt circuit, or one 120 volt circuit where the black is hot and the red is coming from a switch, to turn the bottom or top half of the receptacle on/off.
Test the black and red wires to ground, to find out if they are hot and/or switched. Test the black to the red to find out if you have a 220 volt circuit.
It is always best to call a licensed electrician.
First you have several issues to consider. Some of the other answers you have are correct, but since you have an older house, and proper protocol may not have been followed, you should seriously consider calling a qualified electrician. If you don't want to then you must get a meter to let you know which wire has current in it, and which ones don't. A simple plug will have a hot wire coming in (& possibly one going out) and a neutral coming in (& possibly one going out). If two wires coming in are both hot, then you have a 220 line and only need to use one of the wires. It gets quite complicated if that is the case. In older homes your ground may be an old pipe or clamp. The most important thing to remember is BE CAREFUL. IF YOU DON'T FEEL CONFIDENT, DON'T DO IT!
if the outlet has a black red white than its a 240 volt outlet test it with a voltage tester if its a 120 volt a/c and if the outlet you are changing is a 240 volt wirenut the red wire place it back into the box connect the remaining black wire to outlet as you stated in your question. MAKE SURE AFTER TESTING TURN POWER OFF
the red wire is hot or 120volt,if you have a red and white the white is neutral,get a tester and make sure,
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