2007-02-14 05:15:13 · 16 answers · asked by DERRICK H 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Someone mentioned this is on Answers UK and Ireland, but it is also showing on Answers for USA and Canada. I have no idea about European colors or electrical systems so please disregard if that is where the question originates. My answer is based on the North American electrical system, more specifically for what I've encountered in Canada.
Red and black are often both live lines in circuits which do not use neutral. Electric heaters and deep well pumps are often wired this way.
I've also seen red/black used to wire light switches. The red line is connected to live in the light box at the ceiling, and black is switched live back to the socket.
2007-02-14 05:51:21 · answer #1 · answered by Warren914 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Several answes, all are wrong based on the inplications of the wording that you used in your question. Since you did not explain about why you are asking or what you are working on, we can only guess at what you meant. Since you used the terms live and neutral, we must assume you meant an AC circuit, not a DC.
DC circuits do NOT have a neutral. They have a positive and a negative. The term neutral is not appropriate for DC circuits, even if one is connected to ground.
AC circuits do have a hot and a neutral. They do NOT have a positive and a negative.
In DC circuits, black is negative and red is positive. In motor vehicles, negative is USUALLY grounded. Years ago, some cars had positive ground, especially English cars. In AC circuits, black and red are both hot; white is neutral, green or bare is ground. In some countries, that color coding is changing.
Before you say that the wording is not so important, consider this; if you don't know the proper wording, how can you know what you are doing? The fact that a person uses the wrong terminology strongly suggests that they really don't know the subject.
P.S. it has been suggested that since this question is on the U.K. Yahoo system that it is a U.K. question. Since I see nothing that indicates that, I would ask how it is possible to verify that. The answer that I gave is 100% correct for the US and much of the rest of the world. Since the asker did not specify AC or DC, how can anyone be sure what is being asked? The fact that the terminology is incorrect for DC is not enough to indicate this.
I believe it is wrong to assume which one it is. I do not know the color code in England, but the question said NOTHING about being in England. It shows up on my site which is US. There is absolutely no indication that it is a UK question. My answers are not wrong for the U.S. and most of the rest of the world and it is improper to catagorize them as wrong.
I am aware that some people use the term live and hot as interchangable. Some people also refer to a circuit as live or dead to signify whether or not it is powered at the moment. That terminology is also used in the US, by some people. It is not unique to UK. The use of that term does not imply, in any way the location of the question. The mis-spelling of neutral makes any other implication of country questionable also.
2007-02-14 05:35:04 · answer #2 · answered by DSM Handyman 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
As you can see from the other responses, the answer to your question depends on where you are and what you are trying to do. Red is probably live, but Black may also be live. The best action is to get some advice from a local specialist. Better safe than dead!! Electricity Bites!!
2007-02-14 17:02:00 · answer #3 · answered by David W 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you are in North America the code says that they are both live and you have a 240 volt circuit. The code colour for neutral is white. The most common live wire colours are black and red. Occasionally blue
Best to give a little more detail in your question
2007-02-14 06:00:54 · answer #4 · answered by frozen 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If you don't know then dont try, get an electrician. It's not worth the risk. My house has some dodgy wiring done by a previous occupant and I test everything before I touch it since I nearly electrocuted myself changing a lightbulb. Dodgy wiring can be lethal.
2007-02-14 06:26:59 · answer #5 · answered by Alan C 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Get a mate to do it and stand behind them and shout "BANG" when they disconnect either.........
Seriously Electricians are called electricians as they are QUALIFIED to work on electrics - geddit
Note - If your house burns to the ground and it comes out that you have been messing about with the electrics - Guess what - your home insurance won't pay out - and your Mortgage co will sue you..............
So I would give it a little more thought eh...
2007-02-17 03:18:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the Uk RED is phase and Black is neutral.
DSM, you are the one that is WRONG!! You are replying to a question on Yahoo UK and IRELAND, you will be surprised to know that we do not have HOT wires, but LIVE. We do not have white colours for ANY cores. We DO use Brown for 1st phase colour followed by BLACK AND GREY. Neutral is always and only ever blue. We used to use a different set of colours which was RED/YELLOW/BLUE for three phase with a BLACK neutral. Red / Black for single phase, which the questioner is referring to. Our VOLTAGE is 240v single phase and 415/440 3 phase. So please stick to replying on your own US site in case some idiot follows your wrong advice and get killed or injured.
2007-02-14 06:34:57 · answer #7 · answered by jayktee96 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Well, well, everybody certainly has an opinion, don't they? I'll give my standard response to this question: If you have to ask this question you do not know what you are doing...Electrical work is not a hobby, call a licensed, professional electrician.
2007-02-18 00:33:51 · answer #8 · answered by gr8alarmguy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Red is live and black is neutral. They have changed twin flat and earth cable to the more normal brown (live) and blue (neutral) now.
2007-02-14 05:19:49 · answer #9 · answered by Del Piero 10 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The red is the live, the black is neutral and the earth should be yellow.
2007-02-14 06:03:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋