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The red wire would the “load” wire (controlled by the switch.) It would be connected to the black wire of the “load” (light fixture, outlet controlled by switch, fan, etc.).
What do you do with the red wire when installing a light fixture?
If the wire still is hot, the wire is a hot wire that delivers electrical power to the branch circuit. If turning the switch off turns the wire off, the red wire delivers power from the light switch.
Can I connect red and black wires together?
You can link two red wires together, or you can link a red wire to a black wire. Since red wires conduct current, they are considered hot. Red and black wires are both hot or line wires and should not be connected together.
What wire does the red wire connect to?
Red: Hot Wire Like black electrical wires, red wires are also hot or live wires. Red can also be the connecting wire between two smoke detectors that are hardwired. Also, if your circuit box is wired for 240 volts instead of 120 volts, you may even see both red and black wires.
What does red wire from ceiling connect to?
A red wire up in the ceiling fan junction box usually indicates that the wiring has been installed which provides separate switch for the light and a separate switch for the fan motor. If your ceiling fan does not have a light fixture, then simply cap off the red wire and attach the fan motor to the black wire.
Can I just cap the red wire?
If you don’t have a fan, simply put a cap on the red wire, and connect the light normally to the black wire. You will then have a switch which does nothing. This is fine. Do not splice the existing wires together as another answer suggests.
Where does the red wire go on light switch?
Attach the red wire from the light fixture to the nut at the top left of the switch. Connect the bare copper wire to the green nut at the bottom left of the switch. Push both switches into their boxes and secure them with screws at top and bottom. Turn on your power and test the switches.
Which wire is live red or black?
The live wire is brown in new systems and red in old systems. The neutral wire is blue in new systems and black in old systems.
What would happen if you switched the black and red wires?
If you switched the wires, what would happen? Red is positive charge, black is negative charge. If you aren’t running if you aren’t connected correctly.
How do you attach a red wire to a ceiling light?
Test the wires in the ceiling box with a voltage tester. Turn off the power to the circuit, either by flipping a switch or turning off the breaker in the main panel that controls the circuit. Twist a wire cap onto the red wire, then push it into the box.
What does red electrical wire mean?
Red electrical wires often act as secondary live wires. When this is the case, the hot black wire is connected to one switch to operate the fan motor, and the hot red wire is connected to another switch to operate the light. Red wires are also used as “trigger wires” for interconnected smoke alarms.
Is red wire a line or 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.
Do blue and red wires go together?
The blue wire is the hot wire for the ceiling fan light fixture. The ceiling fan motor does not have a ground wire. If you have the additional toggle switch, connect the two black wires together with an orange wire connector, and then match the blue wire and the red wire together.
Why do I have an extra red wire for my ceiling fan?
Ceiling fans are often equipped with a separate light kit that hangs beneath the fan. For the light to be controlled by a switch that’s separate from the fan, the wiring between the switch and the fan unit needs a fourth conductor, a red wire to carry the hot feed for the light kit.
Can I connect red and black wires together ceiling fan?
If you have black and red wires in the ceiling fan power box, the are likely from the same branch circuit source, one black wire in the wall switch box, and then black and red from the double switch to the fan ceiling box. This way you can run the fan and the fan light kit separately. Don’t connect them together.
Can red be hot wire?
Red wires are usually used as secondary hot wires. Red wires are also hot and should be clearly marked to avoid the dangers of electrocution. Red wires are commonly used when installing ceiling fans, where the light switch maybe. What are Green Wires?Jun 4, 2019.
Why does my electrical outlet have a red wire?
In a three-conductor cable, the extra wire is red, and it’s almost always used as a hot wire. When you see a red wire in a 120-volt duplex outlet box, it’s usually because one of the outlets is operated by a wall switch, while the other is always on. The red wire is for the light switch.
Where do the red and black wires go on a light switch?
The black (hot) wire goes to the brass screw or into the hole in the back of the device on the same side as the brass screw. This wire is sometimes red. The green or bare copper (ground) wire, if the device has one, attaches to the green screw terminal on the switch or to the electrical box.
