What colour wire is live red or black?
Question:
Answers:
Depends on what and where you're talking about. On a 3-way switch, both are "live" depending which position the other switch is in. On some circuits, black will be 120v and so will red so you have a 240v circuit and so on. If you're not sure, don't mess with it without a meter.
If the electrician has followed the colour coding prescribed by Standardization Agency - then Red - Hot Live, Black - Neutral, Green - Earth
DON'T trust color use a multimeter to check wires!!!!
If you do not know, do not mess with it. Use a multimeter or at least a test pen.
For AC Power.
Brown - Live. Blue - Neutral. Yellow/Green - Earth.
For DC Power.
Red - "Live"/Positive.
Bleack - 0V/Ground/Negative.
Well it depends on the type of circut you are dealing with or who installed it. Ordinarly in a DC(direct current) circut the lighter color tends to be the positive and the darker color is the negitive . The darker color is the grounded conducter. In this case the red would be your hot sort of speak. Both can current at any given time but the darker color carries the un-used or dirty current to ground. In an AC(alternating current) circut THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY. All colors can be carrier of current or voltage at any given time with the exception of green. Green is usually understood as grounded conducter in a AC circut. Hope I helped.
If it is a four strand Romex type, both are hot. This would used in a 220 volt circuit or to tie together two switches for a light.
USA. Both Hot.
Do not forget the important fact that often gets lost along the way. We are talking about house wiring, I'll assume. So this is " Alternatng Current"
So if you only have a black and red wire that means when the black is negative then the red is positive. But don't forget both are live wires because current follows a cycle and reverses polarity on a regular bases. On one point the black will be Positive while the red is negative, then this will reverse and the cycle continues.
You should not mess with one thinking there is no power in it, in other words, because at some point they both carry Positive current - just not at the same time. Don't assume negative current is harmless because it is current that can kill you, it don't matter what direction that current is traveling when it travels through your body to do this. Negative is just as potent as Positive - only in the opposite direction- if one has the potential to cause harm then the other does also.
Also, keep your left hand in your pocket and away from the wiring to aviod having a shock go directly through your heart- it could kill this way.
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