So the red wire is probably the one you want. Well cover the easier scenario first.
Light Switch With 2 Black Wires And One Red Home
Red wire on light switch. Attach the black wire coming from the light to the top right nut on the. Attach the black wire coming from the power source to the black nut on the bottom right of the switch. When you see a red wire in a light switch box it can mean two things. It could be there is or once was a three way switch in play. Twist the two copper wires in the first box together and attach them to the ground nut on the switch. What is the red wire for when installing a light fixture.
The most common home wiring uses non metallic sheathed cable with three wires in it. Or it could be the red wire is the wire going to the fixture and the black wires are the live wires. Red wire on the light fixture step 1 turn off the power to the light circuit then check the wires with a voltage tester to verify there is no voltage reading. In my friends case the solution was simple if not intuitive. The red wire as a spare wire when a ceiling fan is not installed this spare red wire is insulated with electrical tape or capped off with a wire nut. Green is reserved for ground and.
The nec reserves certain wire colors for specific purposes. But in places like a bathroom or a wall light if you see a red wire its a good bet that the red wire is the wire thats connected to the light switch. The wall switch typically when a ceiling fan is installed the red wire is most commonly used for the light and the black is commonly for the fan motor.