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Typically the black wire is "hot", and the white wire is neutral. A 2 pole breaker is most commonly used for 240 V, and as such, you would typically use a 3 conductor wire, with black, red and white (+ ground). In a typical application, the black and red are used in the 2 pole breaker, and neutral is connected to the neutral bar in the breaker panel.
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BlakeYes no problem at all. The black conductor is connected to one of the two poles on the breaker. The white wire is connected to the other pole on the two pole breaker. In this situation, the electrical code requires the white wire to be identifies as a current carrying conductor. This is done by wrapping black electrical tape around the white wire. This will let anyone that works on the circuit in the future that the conductor is a current carrying conductor.
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How do you wire a GFCI if there are 2 black wires?
You will have to run new electrical wire or a single ground wire back to the panel (though the former is highly recommended). A GFCI outlet will cut off the circuit if it senses voltage leaking to ground. If there is no ground wire, it will not function.
What do you use a clamp meter for?
The clamp part is for measuring amps via induction. You set meter to amps and clamp around only a single wire. Device you are measuring must be operating. This means you couldn't clamp around a lamp cord to a table lamp since the current induced in each direction cancels out. You would have to separate the wires. An electrician would carry a short extension cord with the wires already separated. Most often a clamp meter is use to checks amps in a breaker panel on the black wire coming from the breaker.
How do you wire multilple power outlets and light?
Power into the first outlet and out to all other outlets, black to gold and white to silver screw, ground wires to ground screw. From the outlet closest to the light switch run power from that outlet up to the switch box. Run another wire from the switch box up to the light. In the switch box tie all the whites together under a wire nut and push them back into the box. Tie all the ground wires together and connect that to the ground screw on the switch. Connect the 2 black wires you have left to the 2 screws on the switch. Does not matter which if you only have power in and power out to the light.
Can you install two ground wires in the same raceway?
There should be no reason to install two ground wires in the same conduit. Code requires that only a single path should be required if it is to carry a fault current. This ground wire should be single and continuous from the device back to the distribution panel. It is the fault current that is carried on the ground wire that trips the breaker or fault protection device. Don't confuse grounding wires with bonding wires.
Why will too many electric devices operating at one time often blow a fuse or trip a circuit breaker?
In a house, usually all the outlets in a room are on one breaker or fuse. Each thing plugged into those outlets consumes some electrical power. This is a number rated in Watts. In this case, the more Watts something consumes, the higher the current is (measured in Amps) in the wires that connect the outlets to the main power in the breaker box. The current in power circuit must be limited for safety reasons. The wires in the walls can only handle a certain amount of current safely. If too much current flows the wires can become extremely hot, possibly starting a fire.
