Which wire is hot if both wires are the same color?

Working with live wires is both delicate and risky work, and any electrician will tell you how important it is to know how to tell live wires from neutral wires. You don't want to mix them up or it can lead to all sorts of problems, the most common being a short circuit. Although the wires are usually color coded for easy identification, sometimes they are not. This may be due to a poor wiring decision in your home, or a device where the manufacturer has chosen the same wire color.

Whatever the reason, you need to know what methods you can use to identify a hot wire when both the active and neutral wires are the same color. In this article, we will teach you exactly how you can do this, so keep reading.

When dealing with electrical wires of the same color, the best way to determine which is hot and which is neutral is to use a good multimeter. Connect it to the wiring according to the manufacturer's instructions and the wire with the voltage in it will be the hot wire.

Understanding the difference between hot wires and neutral wires

A simple word analysis will tell you that a hot wire is one that operates at a higher than usual temperature. When they are not active, all wires are cold wires until you run electricity through them. Conducting electricity generates heat, and the wire through which the electricity passes heats up. This is why live wire is also called hot wire. (1)

In a typical single phase system, you will have two wires running through the system, one of which carries the electricity. This is the wire that will connect your switch to appliances such as a light bulb, fan, or other electrical appliances. There are two scenarios that you usually see when working with colored wires. They can be red and black or black and white wires. In the first case, the hot wire is usually red, whereas, in the second scenario it is usually the black hot wire and the white wire is the neutral.

However, if both have the same wire color, then it can be quite confusing for you to determine which electrical wire is hot and which is natural. Luckily, there are methods you can use to properly identify wires so you don't connect them to outlets and appliances the wrong way.

Figuring out which wire is hot when both are the same color

You can check if an electrical wire is live or neutral using several different methods. However, most of the available methods have some sort of security advisory. This means that a hobbyist should not use them, as this can lead to a short circuit or, in the worst case, death of the person interacting with the wires, since high voltage is deadly.

Therefore, we will detail the only process that is safe to use and widely recognized by its very nature.

The method we are talking about is to use a multimeter. Knowing how to use it can be extremely helpful in a wide variety of scenarios. In this case, he can easily determine which is which by conducting electricity through his sensors.

Make sure you know how a multimeter works before you decide to use it to test hot and natural wires.

Now that you have a working multimeter, you will need to follow the steps below to identify the hot wire and neutral wire.

1. Set the multimeter to AC voltage mode, which is usually labeled as HVAC, VAC, or 200V. This may vary depending on the country you are in and the brand you are using. Be sure to get a good quality digital meter so you don't accidentally short it out and damage it.
2. Touch the red test lead on the multimeter to one of the wires, and then touch the black test lead on the socket housing, which is usually made of metal. The case will serve as a grounding station, which means that as soon as you connect to a live wire, the current will flow into the ground and will not harm the multimeter or you.
3. Look at the readings currently displayed on your multimeter. If you see a reading of 0, or a value very close to it, then the wire you are touching with the red probe is neutral. However, if the value on your multimeter is around 100-120 volts, then you are touching a live wire with your hands. This value can also be between 200 and 240 depending on the voltage regulation in your country. (2)
4. Double check the wires to make sure which one it is, and then mark the live wire by attaching a small piece of electrical tape to it. You can also use some other methods, but make sure none of them damage the wire.

Summing up

Electricity is a dangerous thing, and you never get a second chance to correct your mistakes if you screw something up. That is why it is extremely important to know which wires are live and which are neutral. An incorrect connection can lead to all sorts of problems that you don't want to see. Follow our guide carefully and be sure to follow all safety recommendations.

Take a look at some of our articles below.

• How to determine the neutral wire with a multimeter
• How to distinguish a negative wire from a positive one
• How to find a short circuit with a multimeter

Recommendations

(1) Electrical conductivity - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/

what-materials-conduct-electricity/

(2) voltage regulation - https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/

voltage regulation