QA

Quick Answer: Why Does My Light Fixture Has Two Black And Two White Wires

So, why are there two black and two white wires in your outlet box? There are two black and two white wires in an outlet box because the outlet is in the middle of a series circuit, accepting power from another source and sending it on. Two cables are hot wires, bringing the power in and carrying it onward to the next.

How do you wire a light fixture with two white wires and two black wires?

Connect the two white wires from the light fixture to the white wire located in the electrical box by twisting an orange wire nut onto all three wires. Connect the two black wires from the light fixture to the black wire from the electrical box the same way you connected the white wires.

Why does my light fixture have 2 black wires?

Two black wires are what you’d expect to see with a switch leg. That is what its called when the black wire up at the light fixture is interrupted and a pair of wires called a Switch Leg goes down to a wall switch. One wire goes in the top of the switch, the other into the bottom.

Why are there two hot wires?

The reason for multiple hot/neutral wires for one outlet is that the outlets are daisy-chained together. This means hot/neutral is only coming from one of the wires and it is being sent to the other wire.

How do I wire a ceiling fan with 2 black and 2 white coming from ceiling?

Assuming you have 2 wall switches in the room the two whites go together with the white on the fan. 1 black goes to the black on the fan and the other black goes to the blue on the fan. (The blue controls the light separate, I.e. it’s own switch, from the fan.

How do you change a light switch with two black wires?

Connect the top screw to the wire that feeds to the light. Connect the bottom screw to the hot wire. When you turn the power back on, and if you want to swap the direction of the switch (as in press down to turn off, or turn on), turn off the power and switch the two black wires.

Do black and white wires go together?

Typically in a home wiring situation, the black wire is the hot wire, the white is the neutral. You would not connect those together, it would cause a direct short! But you may find a black and white wire connected to a switch, it’s called a “switch leg”. Those would connect together to complete the circuit.

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.

Why would a black and white wire be together?

Why are black and white wires connected together in the switch outlet? If you see both sides connected together, it means it’s a switch loop. The white wire that’s connected to the black wire carries power to the switch. And the black wire that’s in the same cable carries back that switched power to the outlet.

How do you wire a light fixture with only black and white wires?

1 Answer take the smaller wires off of the white wire and connect your white light fixture wire to it. connect your black light fixture wire to both black wires – twist them all together.

Can connect two hot wires together?

If you take a volt meter and check across the two wires and there’s zero volts, you can put them together. If there is voltage present…you can’t.

What happens when you connect two live wires?

You will receive a shock if you touch two wires at different voltages at the same time. You will receive a shock if you touch a live wire and are grounded at the same time. When a circuit, electrical component, or equipment is energized, a potential shock hazard is present.

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.

Why does my ceiling fan have 2 black wires?

When you see two cables entering, and both blacks are already tied together, and both whites are tied together, that circuit is carrying current onward to some other point-of-use.

What color wires go together on a ceiling fan?

Connect the white wires (neutral wires) from your fan and ceiling together. Connect the green wire to your household ground wire (copper/bare wire). Connect the black wires together. Lastly, connect the blue wires together, or the blue wire to the black wire for lights.

Can 2 black wires touch?

NEVER TOUCH WIRING UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINED, AS IT COULD PROVE FATAL, DESTRUCTIVE OR A SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD. DO NOT use an EARTH wire as a return in place of a Neutral wire as it could be very dangerous and safety systems will not work correctly also it should trigger ‘Earth trip’ safety systems).

Does it matter what wire goes where on a light switch?

Originally Answered: Does it matter which black wire goes where when changing a light switch? If it’s a single pole switch with two terminals, the answer is no. One wire is the power to the switch and the other wire goes to the light.