One is that the outlet is a 240 volt one which requires an extra hot wire. Except in rare cases it is a hot wire or a switched hot wire.
Which Wire Is Hot Black Or White Is The Black Wire Hot
Is red wire hot. Red wires are also hot wires. Its possible to link two red wires together or a red wire to a black wire. In 220 volt circuits red wires are the secondary live wires. Red goes to black or black to red because those are your hot wires. These wires carry power but arent used in typical outlet wiring. Another is that the box is on a circuit three way switch loop.
Theyre used in more complicated circuits and are used as hot wires to conduct current between switches and poles therefore known as travelers. Red wires are sometimes used as the second hot wire in 240 volt installations. Although a white wire should only ever be connected to another white or grey wire. In a 110 volt setup an additional wire usually red or blue normally indicates a hot wire controlled by a light switch. White wires with black or red tape. Since red wires conduct current they are considered hot.
In standard 120 volt wiring the hot wire is black but it can also be red. The exact purpose of a red wire for a light fixture can vary. The additional wire is hot but switched off at the switch. When you see a red wire in a 120 volt duplex outlet box its usually because one of the outlets is operated by a wall switch while the other is always on. Blue and yellow electrical wires. As hot wires can be connected to each other a black wire can be connected to a red wire.
In a three conductor cable the extra wire is red and its almost always used as a hot wire. Another useful application for red wires is to interconnect hardwired smoke detectors so that if one alarm is triggered all of the others go off simultaneously. Like black wires they can also be used in some types of switch legs. Red wires are used to designate hot wires. The red wire is for the light switch. Under those conditions a black wire should be always hot and always on.
In most cases you see a red wire in an outlet box only in special circumstances. Ive covered red wires in light fixturesand light switchesbefore. Blue and yellow wires are most commonly found in commercial buildings and are used as the live wires pulled through a conduit. White wires are always neutral in 110 volt circuits but can be used as the second hot wire or switch leg in 240 volt applications and three way switches respectively. White and grey wires are your neutral wires and those should never be connected to brown which is a hot wire. In addition red wires are used to connect hardwired smoke detectors to the homes power system.
Check the wire with a non contact voltage tester with the power and.