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The line side of an outlet is where you connect the incoming source power. The load side is where the power leaves the device (or electrical box) and travels down the circuit.
What happens if you switch line and load wires?
Here’s what happens when somebody wires a GFCI receptacle with the load and line wires reversed: The GFCI will work, in the sense that you can plug in a hair dryer and the hair dryer will blow hot air. If the load and line wiring gets messed up, a ground fault (radio in the tub) won’t trip the GFCI.
What happens if you switch line and load on a switch?
The white wire is the neutral and is grounded in the breaker box and runs to the load and not through the switch. If you put a white wire and a black wire on the switch poles the best case is that you get a dead short and you trip the breaker. The worst case is the switch explodes and creates a fire.
Does line or load have power?
In the electrical trades, the terms “line” and “load” are shorthand words that refer to the wires that deliver power from the source to a device (line), vs. those that carry power onward to other devices further along the circuit (load).
Is load wire white or black?
So, what color is the load wire? Load wires are mostly black, but red can also be used as a secondary load wire. They are also connected to the switch’s top half, while line wires are connected to the switch’s bottom half.
Is line or load — the hot wire?
Line is always hot. Load is the wire going from the switch to the device. Load will only be hot if the switch is closed.
Is load or line the hot wire?
Line is the wire that goes from a source to a switch. It’s upstream of the switched device. Line is very hot. The wire from the switch to the device is called load.
Which black wire is the load?
The easiest way of identifying the line/hot and load wires is to check the colors of the insulation. White and grey wires are neutral; green with yellow stripes, green and copper are ground wires, black can be line/upstream wire, red or black are load/downstream.
Is the common wire the load wire?
Common Terminal: When installing a Brilliant, the Common wire hole is where you will insert your “Line” or “Load” wire into the Brilliant base. Brilliant can automatically detect which wire is “Line” and which is “Load”, so it doesn’t matter which of these two wires you install into the Common wire hole.
What does load mean in electrical?
Load is the amount of electricity on the grid at any given time, as it makes its journey from the power source to all the homes, businesses and industries within a utility’s territory.
How do you know if its a line or load?
Load Wire – Generally connected to the top half of your switch. If the wire is coming from the top of the switch box, it is likely your load wire. Line Wire – Generally connected to the bottom half of your switch. In some cases, line wires are marked with “line”, “pwr”, or a lightning bolt symbol.
Which is line and load on outlet?
The “line” wires are the incoming power from the breaker box and the “load” wires are the outgoing power that travels down the circuit to the next outlet.
Why is there two black wires in 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. These are ground wires.
What is electric load example?
An electrical load is simply any component of a circuit that consumes power or energy. In a household setting, the most obvious examples of electrical loads include light bulbs and appliances.
Is a switch a load?
A load switch is simply a switch, mechanical or electronic, that connects or disconnects a load to the high side of a power source. A wall light switch is a load switch. Any off/on switch on an appliance or electronic product is a load switch. A relay can be a load switch.
Which wire is hot if 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.
What happens if a light switch is wired backwards?
When an outlet is wired in reverse, the hot wire is now on the supposed neutral side. So, if you were to plug in the same lamp as noted above, the lamp socket would have power even if the switch was off since the switch is only on the hot side.
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.
What happens if you mix red and black wires?
If the black and red are a hot and switchleg, then if connected to the black from the fixture it would mean the light is always on. If the black and red are 220V between them, then connecting them to the black from the fixture would burn up the fixture. You need to know which wire is 120V to neutral.
