what kind of wire supposed to be blue whats the name of it
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Green, Green-Yellow and Bare
According to Mark Dawson, master operating officer of Mister Sparky, "light-green insulated wires are used for grounding." Green is the most common basis wire colour, only "green-yellow" (green wire with a xanthous stripe) and "bare" wire (copper wire without colored insulation) tin can besides be used.
Ground wires reduce the risk of electrical overload and fires by redirecting excessive electricity during a short circuit or like mistake. Consequently, they tin comport electricity and should be handled with circumspection. "Never use a dark-green wire for whatsoever purpose other than for grounding, as this may pose a serious threat of electrocution," Dawson says.
Older homes with"knob and tube" (Grand&T) wiring only accept a black "hot" wire and white "neutral" wire, without any footing wire. "This older type of wiring does not provide a ground for modernistic appliances, which tin atomic number 82 to damage to the appliance or even worse — injury or death," says Dawson. If you observe this type of system while performing electrical piece of work in your dwelling, Dawson recommends replacement considering "there is no way to make this blazon of wiring safe."
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Black
Blackness wires are "hot" wires, which means they comport a alive current from your electrical panel to the destination. They feed electricity to electrical outlets, switches and appliances from the domicile'due south master power supply.
Black wires tin can also be used as "switch legs" that connect wall switches outlets and appliances (like ceiling fans or lights), and become energized when the switch is turned on. Black wires should always be considered live, so taking proper safe precautions is important to avoid electrocution. This includes shutting off the circuit breaker that supplies the wires y'all're working on, or shutting down the power to the whole firm at the master electric panel.
To verify the wire is no longer energized, Dawson recommends using a multimeter. A non-contact voltage tester can also be used.
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Reddish and Orangish
Red electric wires often act every bit secondary live wires. They're oft used when installing larger appliances like stoves, dryers or air conditioning units. Smaller electrical appliances are often powered by a 120-volt circuit that only requires a single (blackness) supply wire, but larger appliances are often supplied by a 240-volt circuit that uses an additional (red) supply wire. Carmine wires can also exist used in some 120-volt applications.
Like blackness wires, cherry-red wires can be used as switch legs. Dawson notes that red wires are usually used when installing ceiling fans that apply separate switches for the fan motor and lite. When this is the case, the hot blackness wire is continued to 1 switch to operate the fan motor, and the hot red wire is connected to another switch to operate the light.
Blood-red wires are also used every bit "trigger wires" for interconnected smoke alarms. In this instance, the red trigger wires allow all the interconnected alarms to go off simultaneously when one alarm is triggered. Orangish wire may be used in identify of red for all of these purposes.
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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'south electrical panel to complete the circuit. Without it, the electrical current couldn't broadcast and the live wire couldn't provide usable ability. As a result, a neutral wire tin bear a live electrical current.
Dawson explains that the term neutral tin exist dangerously deceiving because appears to imply a not-electrified wire. However, neutral wires may bear ability and can besides pose a danger of electrocution if not handled properly.
Furthermore, neutral wires tin exist used as a hot wire if both ends are clearly marked with colored electrical tape (black or ruddy) that corresponds to its repurposed office. In either case, handle them the same way yous would a hot wire, and take the same safety precautions.
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Bluish and Yellow
"Bluish and xanthous wires are sometimes used as hot wires," Dawson says. Specifically, bluish and yellow electrical wires are oft used as "traveler wires" for transferring power between three- or four-style switches.
Three-way and iv-mode switches operate a single appliance from multiple locations and use traveler wires to connect the switches. Blue and yellow are considered the near common travel wire colors, only brownish or majestic/violet can as well be used. Yellow is more ordinarily used equally a switch leg instead of a traveler wire in these applications.
Originally Published: February 12, 2021
Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/what-electrical-wire-colors-mean/
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