Which Black Wire Is Hot?

Hot: The black wire is the hot wire, which provides a 120 VAC current source. Neutral: The white wire is called the neutral wire

. It provides the return path for the current provided by the hot wire. The neutral wire is connected to an earth ground.

How do you know which black wire is hot?

Place the prong of the multimeter's black wire on the bare metal on the end of a white wire, then read the meter. If you get a reading, the black wire is hot; if you don't, the black wire isn't hot.

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.