The bare or green-wrapped ground wires serve as a backup to divert the power safely away in case of an electrical fault. In most cases, two black wires will be attached to the switchs two terminal screws. The ground wires will be connected to each other and attached to the grounding screw on the switch.

What if both wires are black?

You will get a reading if one wire is hot and the other isnt. However, if both wires are hot, the reading will be zero. However, if you need to rewire a light switch or a plug socket, you may occasionally come across two black wires. Its essential that you determine which black wire is hot before proceeding.

Why do I have 2 white wires?

You likely have a switch loop. You should find which one is hot when the switch is on (mark it black with electrical taps) and connect that one to the black wire of the fixture. The other white should connect to the white of the fixture. The ground should be connected to the bare wires (ground) in the box.

What happens if you wire black to white?

If you see both sides connected together, it means its a switch loop. The white wire thats connected to the black wire carries power to the switch. And the black wire thats in the same cable carries back that switched power to the outlet.

Is black wire live or neutral?

Black (neutral) Red (live) Green and yellow (earth)

What does black wire indicate?

Black: Black wires are neutral wires and the wire is connected to a neutral bus bar inside the electrical panel. The bus bar is a conductive piece of metal used for the purpose of distribution. The black wire can be connected to another black wire, and as it is neutral, it does carry a charge.

What does black wire mean?

hot Black wires are “hot” wires, which means they carry a live current from your electrical panel to the destination. They feed electricity to electrical outlets, switches and appliances from the homes main power supply.