I am putting a light fixture ,need help?

Question

in it says connect black wire to black and white to white but i noticed a red wire in the outlet box what is this for and do i need to use it?

Answer 1

It is standard practice for lighting mfgs to use a black wire and a white wire and a green wire. The black is the "hot".
the white is the neutral and the green is the ground. In your outlet box you may have different colored wires. White and green should be as stated above and any other colors such as black, red, blue, orange can be used as a hot. Before starting any work make sure that the switch is off or that the breaker or fuse that feeds the circuit is off. If you're still unsure of what to do contact a locally licensed electrician. If the ONLY wires you have in the outlet box are red and white, if the wiring was done correctly then it is possible that the red wire is the hot. This is best determined by using a voltage tester. If you're unsure of any of this, contact an electrician.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CONNECT 2 WIRES OF DIFFERENT COLORS THAT ARE EXISTING IN THE OUTLET BOX. THIS COULD LEAD TO A SHORT CIRCUIT, FIRE, SEVERE PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH.

Answer 2

This one's easy. Simply connect the new on EXACTLY as the old one was. The red is unimportant as far as you're concerned. It's likely just part of a 3 or 4-way circuit, which doesn't matter to you. Just reconnect the same way the old one was, and don't interfere with anything beyond that for your own safety.

Answer 3

If there is no black- then the red is used in its place- if there is red,black and white, you are probably dealing with a 3 way switched light.

Answer 4

if your house is wired to code no don't mess with the red one,but what its for i don't know. Is it hooked to your old switch? Might be part of a multipal switching circuit ( more than one light switch turns off the old light?)

Answer 5

just connect the w/w b/b and cap off the red.....