Under those conditions a black wire should be always hot and always on. When you see a red wire in a 120 volt duplex outlet box its usually because one of the outlets is operated by a wall switch while the other is always on.
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Is red wire hot. Ive covered red wires in light fixturesand light switchesbefore. Another useful application for red wires is to interconnect hardwired smoke detectors so that if one alarm is triggered all of the others go off simultaneously. The red wire is for the light switch. These wires carry power but arent used in typical outlet wiring. Red wires are used to designate hot wires. Like black wires they can also be used in some types of switch legs.
One is that the outlet is a 240 volt one which requires an extra hot wire. Although a white wire should only ever be connected to another white or grey wire. White wires are always neutral in 110 volt circuits but can be used as the second hot wire or switch leg in 240 volt applications and three way switches respectively. Blue and yellow electrical wires. Except in rare cases it is a hot wire or a switched hot wire. In most cases you see a red wire in an outlet box only in special circumstances.
Another is that the box is on a circuit three way switch loop. Theyre used in more complicated circuits and are used as hot wires to conduct current between switches and poles therefore known as travelers. White and grey wires are your neutral wires and those should never be connected to brown which is a hot wire. Blue and yellow wires are most commonly found in commercial buildings and are used as the live wires pulled through a conduit. Since red wires conduct current they are considered hot. Check the wire with a non contact voltage tester with the power and.
In 220 volt circuits red wires are the secondary live wires. Red wires are sometimes used as the second hot wire in 240 volt installations. Red wires are also hot wires. In a three conductor cable the extra wire is red and its almost always used as a hot wire. The exact purpose of a red wire for a light fixture can vary. In a 110 volt setup an additional wire usually red or blue normally indicates a hot wire controlled by a light switch.
In addition red wires are used to connect hardwired smoke detectors to the homes power system. As hot wires can be connected to each other a black wire can be connected to a red wire. In standard 120 volt wiring the hot wire is black but it can also be red. Its possible to link two red wires together or a red wire to a black wire. The additional wire is hot but switched off at the switch. White wires with black or red tape.
Red goes to black or black to red because those are your hot wires.
Gallery of Is Red Wire Hot
