Receiving Helpdesk

red wire with white stripe

by Candice Kuhn V Published 4 years ago Updated 3 years ago

Red is the switched lead (or a traveler in a 3-way installation), and is attached to the switched hot going to the light. Red with white is a traveler, used for 3-way installations. In your situation, you'll just cap this one off. Green is ground, and is attached to the grounding conductor. Hereof, why do I have a red wire in my light switch?

Full Answer

How do you connect red black and white wires?

Electrical Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

  • The switch it is connected to is a dimmer switch with an on/off button as well as a dimmer slider.
  • The wiring in the ceiling contains a black, red and white wire as well as a ground.
  • The fixture contains only black and white.
  • What would the red wire be for and how do I connect it?

Is wire with stripe positive or negative?

Usually* the wire with the white stripe or the dashed lines carries the "positive" (+) end, while the other, unmarked wire carries the "negative" (-) end. It doesn't matter if it is striped or dashed, the presence of any kind of marker is the indicator of the wire being the "positive" end of things, as opposed to the unmarked "negative" wire.

What logo is red circle with white stripes?

World War I US Army Air Service recruiting poster showing the new late-1917 roundel. In May 1917 the US adopted a red circle-centered white star in a dark blue circular field for all United States military aircraft.

Can red and black wires go together?

If the red and black wires are connected together already and energized, yes you can do that but you will need a pull chain light or a remote control, if they are not switch controlled. Which wire is positive red or white?

What is a red wire with a white stripe?

The solid/dashed lines on wires like the ones pictured in your question are used to indicate polarity e.g. for the "wall wart" power supplies. Usually* the wire with the white stripe or the dashed lines carries the "positive" (+) end, while the other, unmarked wire carries the "negative" (-) end.

Is white Stripe Cable Positive or negative?

negativeIf both wires are black but one has a white stripe, the striped wire is negative, while the plain black wire is positive. Look in the owner manual to determine which wires are negative in a car. Every car follows its own color-coding system for wires.

Can a red wire connect to a white wire?

In the US, the answer would be no, even though I am reluctant to answer this. White is not aggressive. White is neutral, black is 120, green is ground, and red is the other phase of the mains into your house.

What does a black wire with a red stripe mean?

These are the most common colors used in electrical wiring. Other color combinations, such as striped wires, may be used for other applications. Remember, black and red wires are always hot, meaning they are source wires that carry power from the electric service panel to a destination, such as an outlet or a light.

Which wire is positive red or white?

The coloring is as follows: The positive current must be red. The negative current must be black. The ground wire, if present, must be white or grey.

Is the striped wire hot or neutral?

The wire with the ribbing or stripe is the neutral wire, and the other one is hot. If you don't see any markings on the wires, and the plug has two prongs of equal size, the cord is not polarized.

Does red wire connect to black or white?

Attach the black wire to the outlet you want to always be on (usually the top one) and the red wire to the switched outlet. Connect the white wire to either of the chrome screws (remember, they are still joined) and the ground wire to the green ground screw.

What do I connect the red wire to?

Normally you'll see a red wire in places you would expect a ceiling fan. But in places like a bathroom or a wall light, if you see a red wire, it's a good bet that the red wire is the wire that's connected to the light switch.

Can a red wire be hot?

Red wires are usually used as secondary hot wires. Red wires are also hot and should be clearly marked to avoid the dangers of electrocution. Red wires are commonly used when installing ceiling fans, where the light switch maybe.

How do you wire a light fixture with red black and white?

Black wires always signify the positive, or hot, leg of the current, while white wires signify negative, also called neutral or return. Ground wires are either left bare or covered with green insulation. When there is an extra hot wire, it is red. Ceiling fixtures almost always have a black and white wire.

What are the red white and black wires on a light switch?

Going out of both boxes and into your light fixture will be 14/3 wire, which has a black wire (hot), a white wire (neutral), a red wire (traveler), and a bare copper wire (ground).

Where does the wire go on a turn signal flasher?

It goes to the turn signal flasher. It looks as though there is a B side and a L side to the flasher unit, and that wire goes to the B side. It also shoes the wire going to a generator/regulator. That looks as though it wires to the B post of your voltage regulator.

What to do with worn wires in engine compartment?

As far as the worn wires and connectors in the engine compartment, I cut and pasted mine and covered the connections with heat shrink tubing.

Can you use lacquer thinner on wires?

You have some paint in there, so you might try wiping the wires with lacquer thinner to be sure of the color.

What color wire is used for traveler wire?

Blue and yellow are considered the most common travel wire colors, but brown or purple/violet can also be used. Yellow is more commonly used as a switch leg instead of a traveler wire in these applications. Originally Published: February 12, 2021.

What is the red wire used for?

Red wires can also be used in some 120-volt applications. Like black wires, red wires can be used as switch legs. Dawson notes that red wires are commonly used when installing ceiling fans that use separate switches for the fan motor and light. When this is the case, the hot black wire is connected to one switch to operate the fan motor, ...

What is the most common color of electrical wire?

Three-way and four-way switches operate a single appliance from multiple locations and use traveler wires to connect the switches. Blue and yellow are considered the most common travel wire colors, ...

What is black wire?

Black wires are “hot” wires, which means they carry a live current from your electrical panel to the destination. They feed electricity to electrical outlets, switches and appliances from the home’s main power supply. Black wires can also be used as “switch legs” that connect wall switches outlets and appliances (like ceiling fans or lights), ...

What is the red wire on a smoke alarm?

Red wires are also used as “trigger wires” for interconnected smoke alarms. In this case, the red trigger wires allow all the interconnected alarms to go off simultaneously when one alarm is triggered. Orange wire may be used in place of red for all of these purposes. 4 / 5. 66North/Getty Images.

What does gray mean on a wire?

White and Gray. “White or gray indicates a neutral wire ,” Dawson says. A neutral wire returns electricity from the hot wire back to a grounded portion of the home’s electrical panel to complete the circuit. Without it, the electrical current couldn’t circulate and the live wire couldn’t provide usable power.

What color wire is used for grounding?

According to Mark Dawson, chief operating officer of Mister Sparky, “green insulated wires are used for grounding.” Green is the most common ground wire color, but “green-yellow” (green wire with a yellow stripe) and “bare” wire ( copper wire without colored insulation) can also be used.

What is zip cord wire?

Less expensive speaker wire, often called zip-cord, indicates polarity with a raised ridge on the outside edge of one of the conductors rather than striping. You frequently find that convention on wall-wart wiring, too. Twisted pair used in network cables and some phone wiring indicates pairs and polarity with a similar scheme.

What does the dashed line on a wire mean?

The solid/dashed lines on wires like the ones pictured in your question are used to indicate polarity e.g. for the "wall wart" power supplies. Usually * the wire with the white stripe or the dashed lines carries the "positive" (+) end, while the other, unmarked wire carries the "negative" (-) end.

What does twisted pair mean on a phone?

Twisted pair used in network cables and some phone wiring indicates pairs and polarity with a similar scheme. Each pair has a different base color, such as blue, green, or orange. The polarity is indicated by having one wire a solid color and the other with a white stripe on a background of the same color.

What color is polarity?

Each pair has a different base color, such as blue, green, or orange. The polarity is indicated by having one wire a solid color and the other with a white stripe on a background of the same color. Share. Improve this answer.

Does it matter if a wire is striped or dashed?

It doesn't matter if it is striped or dashed, the presence of any kind of marker is the indicator of the wire being the "positive" end of things, as opposed to the unmarked "negative" wire.

What color is hot wire?

They expect manufacturers in the US to use the green color to identify the ground. On the other hand, the hot wire is black.

What color wires are used for phone lines?

Phone and network cables follow a similar convention. They have a wire with a solid color and a wire with a white stripe. Though, the solid color isn’t always black. Manufacturers can use blue, green, orange, and any other color that suits them.

What Do Solid/Striped Lines on a Wire Indicate?

The color of a wire refers to the polarity of that wire. White stripes show that the wire is the positive end. The unmarked wire is the negative.

What Is the Use of Those Dashed Wire?

Dashes on a wire are similar to striped lines. In many situations, they show that the wire in question is positive. The wire with the solid color is negative. While this convention is common in speakers and cars, you should never assume that your electronic device is going to follow the same scheme.

How To Identify Positive And Negative Wires?

1). Look for the large knob on your multimeter. Turn it to face the ‘V’ symbol. This will shift the device to the DC voltage setting.

What does a white stripe mean?

A white stripe could mean a positive end in one instance and a negative end in another.

Is black wire negative or positive?

As you can see, that is the opposite of the scheme that was mentioned earlier where the black wire is negative and the striped wire is positive.

What color wires are used in UK AC circuits?

US, AC: The US National Electrical Code only mandates white (or grey) for the neutral power conductor and bare copper, green, or green with yellow stripe for the protective ground. In principle any other colors except these may be used for the power conductors.

What color is the neutral power conductor?

US, AC: The US National Electrical Code only mandates white (or grey) for the neutral power conductor and bare copper, green, or green with yellow stripe for the protective ground. In principle any other colors except these may be used for the power conductors.

What color conductors are used for 208 VAC?

Black, red, and blue are used for 208 VAC three-phase; brown, orange and yellow are used for 480 VAC. Conductors larger than #6 AWG are only available in black and are color taped at the ends.

What color is the ground for DC power?

US DC power: The US National Electrical Code (for both AC and DC) mandates that the grounded neutral conductor of a power system be white or grey. The protective ground must be bare, green or green-yellow striped. Hot (active) wires may be any other colors except these.

What color is the protective ground?

The protective ground is green or green with yellow stripe. The neutral is white, the hot (live or active) single phase wires are black , and red in the case of a second active. Three-phase lines are red, black, and blue.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9