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Generally, black wires are live and white are grounded. However, it's a good idea to test this theory with a multimeter, not your fingers. In a Home/Residential environment, say a 120V outlet, there are three wires. Black is "Live" or "Hot". On an electrical outlet, it's the shorter pin on the right. White is "Neutral" it's the wider pin on the left. Green is always ALWAYS ground and it's the round-ish pin below the two flat pins.

Now, on a 240V outlet, such as an electric dryer, both wires are black, and both are live. This is because the alternating current on each wire is 120V relative to Neutral, but 240V relative to each other. (The voltage is 180 degrees out of phase). Both 120V and 240V are considered "Single Phase" power.

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15y ago
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13y ago

In a DC system, red = positive, black = negative.

A DC system can be negative ground, positive ground or isolated from ground.

So... "live" takes on different meaning, depending on the way a system was engineered.

Most automotive systems are negative ground; haven't seen a positive ground for many years.

Without additional information, you're on your own.

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11y ago

When you encounter a red wire in house wiring, it may be live or may be neutral.

Commonly used in wiring 2-way switched lighting, that red wire in a 4-wire bundle is switched by the 2 switches in some wiring arrangements so that it can be hot with the switches set one way, and neutral with the switches set another way.

In 220v circuits, both the black and the red wire are HOT.

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15y ago

Canada and US - The colour of live wires in home wiring are red and black. The neutral is white. Ground is bare when in a cable set like loomex. Ground is green when associated with fixtures and appliances.

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14y ago

The black wire should be the "hot" conductor and the neutral is the white wire. (assuming it is wired correctly in the panel which it likely is.

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Q: Is a red wire live or the black wire?
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