How to Identify Cord Wires
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How to Identify the Individual Wires of a Cord When The Cord Wires are all the Same Color: The Best Way to Identify the Wires of a Cord and how they are Connected |
Guide to Identify Electrical Cord Wires
[ad#block]Electrical Question: I have a 2nd hand Whirlpool air conditioner, model number ACM082XC1. The previous owner must have ripped out the ground, so I went to Home Depot and asked for a two prong to three prong converter.
- The sales associate told me that still wouldn’t be safe, and what I needed to do is replace the plug head.
- He sold me a grounded plug, and told me “the wires will be marked- connect green to green, black to the darker screw, white to the larger screw, and you’ll be fine.”
- I knew green was ground from my previous experience hooking up outlets and ceiling fans for my parents, and a little bit of research told me black was live and white was neutral.
- The only problem is, when I cut off the old plug and stripped a bit of the wire, I discovered that the only wire which was marked was the ground!
- The other two were just copper wire fibers in the thick gray cable. I don’t want to hook up these wires incorrectly.
- Can you help me identify which is live and which is neutral?
- I can’t perform the multimeter test, because it is a standalone unit currently receiving no power.
Thank you for any help you could offer!
Bryan
This electrical question came from: Bryan, a Homeowner from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
See more about Home Wiring for Pennsylvania
Additional Comments: I like your site and the info it has to offer. Specific to my issue, I’d like to see a section on how to tell hot from neutral on older appliances.
Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your electrical question Bryan.
How to Identify the Individual Wires of a Cord When The Cord is all the Same Color
The Best Way to Identify the Wires of a Cord and how they are Connected
- How to Identify Cord Wires
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- The Individual Wires of a Cord
- Smooth side, ridged side: Which is which?
- Ridged Cord Wires
- I think a hardware store employee gave me wrong advice about cords. One side is smooth, one is ridged; which is which?
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