If you take the existing light down, including the canope, those two black wires and two white wires, are probably just wirenutted together up in the junction box above the light.
Full Answer
What is a twisted pair of electrical wires?
The twisted pair of electrical wires is a cabling technique used in audio and network technology, among many others. Wires are twisted together to accomplish two main goals: reduce outgoing noise and reduce incoming noise related to electromagnetic interference.
Can you wire black and white wires together?
You might wire the black and white together. Then turn on the power afterward. In that case, that same spark will take place at the fuse or breaker. Both cases are really dangerous. You shouldn’t connect the black and white wires together! You might want to use the white wire as an alternative to the black. Or vice versa.
What happens when you put two wires next to each other?
Twisted Pairs Reduce Outgoing Noise Placing the wires next to one another will greatly reduce the energy of the magnetic fields created by each wire. That’s because the positive wire creates a positive magnetic field and the negative wire creates a negative magnetic field. The two magnetic fields interact and work against one another.
What do two black wires mean on a plug socket?
Black means hot, white signifies neutral, and green indicates ground. However, if you need to rewire a light switch or a plug socket, you may occasionally come across two black wires.
Can you have 2 black wires together?
This is the typical way to connect a switch. The 2 blacks connected are "power in, power out" to the next switch in the circuit. The pig-tail to the dimmer connected to the two blacks is also typical.
What if there are two black wires?
Black means hot, white signifies neutral, and green indicates ground. However, if you need to rewire a light switch or a plug socket, you may occasionally come across two black wires. It's essential that you determine which black wire is hot before proceeding.
Which wire is hot when both are black?
The black wire is the "hot" wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the "neutral" wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.
Can you have two black wires on a light switch?
You should see two black wires, each connecting to a different screw on the side of the switch. These are called terminal screws. You will also see two white (neutral) wires that connect to one another in the box. The connection should be covered with a wire nut.
Which wire is hot when both are same color?
In most modern fixtures the neutral wire will be white and the hot wire is red or black. In some types of fixtures, both wires will be the same color. In this case, the neutral wire is always identified by some means. In some cases, there will be small writing on the wiring case.
How do you wire a light switch with two black wires?
Connect the top screw to the wire that feeds to the light. Connect the bottom screw to the hot wire. When you turn the power back on, and if you want to swap the direction of the switch (as in press down to turn off, or turn on), turn off the power and switch the two black wires.
What happens if you mix up hot and neutral wires?
This happens when the hot and neutral wires get flipped around at an outlet, or upstream from an outlet. Reversed polarity creates a potential shock hazard, but it's usually an easy repair. Any $5 electrical tester will alert you to this condition, assuming you have a properly grounded three-prong outlet.
How can you tell which wire is hot without a tester?
0:212:02How To Find Find Hot Wire Without Color Clue - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe're gonna put our black probe on that middle wire and then we're gonna touch the red probe. To oneMoreWe're gonna put our black probe on that middle wire and then we're gonna touch the red probe. To one of the wires. Now the wire if it gives voltage that's the hot wire.
How do you know which wire is hot in old wiring?
6:248:03Identify the Hot or Line Wire Using a Couple Cool Tools - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYour black probe to ground. And put your red onto the hot. And so there you can see 120 volts.MoreYour black probe to ground. And put your red onto the hot. And so there you can see 120 volts.
What happens if you wire a light backwards?
But here's the catch: If you connect the circuit wires to the wrong terminals on an outlet, the outlet will still work, but the polarity will be backward. When this happens, a lamp, for example, will have its bulb socket sleeve energized rather than the little tab inside the socket.
Can a black wire be live?
Black wires should always be considered live, so taking proper safety precautions is important to avoid electrocution. This includes shutting off the circuit breaker that supplies the wires you're working on, or shutting down the power to the whole house at the main electrical panel.
What does it mean when a wire is hot and the other is not?
You will get a reading if one wire is hot and the other isn’t. However, if both wires are hot, the reading will be zero. The United States has strict codes relating to home wiring, including clearly defined colors on the outer casing of the wires. Black means hot, white signifies neutral, and green indicates ground.
Can you rewire a light switch with two black wires?
However, if you need to rewire a light switch or a plug socket, you may occasionally come across two black wires. It's essential that you determine which black wire is hot before proceeding. The easiest and safest way is to use a multimeter to test for current. Advertisement.
Why are black and white wires connected together in a switch?
Why are black and white wires connected together in the switch outlet? If you see both sides connected together, it means it’s a switch loop. The white wire that’s connected to the black wire carries power to the switch. And the black wire that’s in the same cable carries back that switched power to the outlet.
Why do I see two wires tied together?
If you see them tied together, it signals that you’ve got a wired switch loop . Now, not all white wires are neutral. They can be hot wires as well. And that’s because of the switch loop. Furthermore, for this reason, the two wires are connected without causing any trouble.
What happens if two wires aren't connected?
First of all, nothing will happen, if the two wires aren’t connected to any power source. Therefore, you won’t have much to worry about. You’re mainly wanting to connect an active hot wire to a neutral wire. So, in this case-. Even if you just let the bare wires touch each other, you’ll encounter a short circuit.
What is the black wire?
Question: What are electrical black and white wires?#N#Answer: Well, the black one is the wire that’s actually termed as the hot wire. It carries electricity to your light source or switches from your breaker panel. Then the white is one is known as the common or neutral wire. This wire sends back unused electricity to that same breaker panel.
Is the black wire the hot wire?
The black wire is known as the hot wire. Thus, it’s the positive wire. On the other hand, the white wire is the neutral wire. So, it’s the negative one. Therefore, they’re completely different and can’t be connected together. If you see them tied together, it signals that you’ve got a wired switch loop . Now, not all white wires are neutral.
Can you touch wires?
Don’t touch the wires if you don’t have any idea about them. That can lead you to a dangerous situation. Remember to take help from someone when you’re working with wires. Because it isn’t a wise decision to work alone if you are inexperienced.
Can you move a light fixture with black wire?
At first, if you’re trying to move a light fixture-. It’s best to not move the wires around. You need to connect your new fixture to the white and black wires. Those are tied to the existing fixture. To be aware of the white being a hot wire, wrap the white wire with black tape. Or you can even mark it black.
Why are wires twisted together?
Wires are twisted together to accomplish two main goals: reduce outgoing noise and reduce incoming noise related to electromagnetic interference.
What is twisted wire?
Twisting wires is a great compromise that allows a cable to carry many channels while still placing the wires in very close proximity, rejecting a significant amount of noise. Of course, twisted wires are not occupying the same position. But here’s what is accomplished: along the length of the cable, the two wires alternate.
How is noise rejected through twisted pair?
Firstly, if we are going to understand how noise is rejected through the use of a twisted pair, it is important to understand where the noise comes from. Any time an alternating electric current is passed through a wire, a magnetic field is created around that wire. The opposite is also true. Whenever a magnetic field interacts with an electrical ...
Why do we put wires next to each other?
Placing the wires next to one another will greatly reduce the energy of the magnetic fields created by each wire. That’s because the positive wire creates a positive magnetic field and the negative wire creates a negative magnetic field. The two magnetic fields interact and work against one another. This is called destructive interference.
What happens when two wires are next to each other?
When the wires are simply next to one another, they don’t truly occupy the same position. This means that a nearby circuit will almost always be closer to one wire than the other. Likewise, a magnetic field passing by will almost always interact with one wire before the other.
Why is it important to twist wires?
The Benefit of Twisting Wires. In both cases, placing the wires close to one another reduces the amount of noise entering or exiting the circuit. However, placing the wires near one another isn’t nearly as effective as twisting them, and here’s why.
What happens when you put a power cable in close proximity to another power cable?
If you place another electrical circuit in close proximity to the power cable, that magnetic field will induce a 60 Hz current onto that circuit. This causes a common issue, called crosstalk, in which a signal from one circuit is transferred to another circuit through electromagnetism.
Identifying The Different Wires In An Outlet
For electrical circuits to work there must be: one wire to receive electric current into the outlet (often referred to as the ‘hot’ or ‘live’ wire); and one wire to send it on (usually referred to as the ‘neutral’ wire), this completes a circuit and allows electric current to ‘flow’.
What It Means When There Are 4 Wires In Your Outlet
Having more than two wires in an outlet simply means multiple outlets are using the same electric circuit and this outlet is a middle-of-run electrical outlet.
Is It Safe To Have 2 Black And 2 White Wires In An Outlet?
It is safe to have two black and two white wires in an outlet provided each wire is correctly attached to the terminal and insulated from contact with other wiring.
Do I Need To Change Anything In A 4 Wire Outlet?
An outlet with two black wires and two white wires will only need to be changed if the outlets connected to it are no longer needed and are being removed from the circuit. Each of the four wires provide a specific function and cannot be changed unless the needs of outlet are different somehow.
Conclusion
There are often more than an expected two wires in an outlet box: two black wires, two white wires, green wires and maybe some others. This is completely normal and is usually because the outlet is in the middle of a series circuit, accepting power from another source and sending it on.