Why does my outlet have 2 hot and 2 neutral wires?

The reason for multiple hot/neutral wires for one outlet is that the outlets are daisy-chained together. This means hot/neutral is only coming from one of the wires and it is being sent to the other wire.

Why do I have two neutral wires?





When an outlet is connected in the middle of a circuit it will generally have more than two wires because two hot wires bring power in and carry it out to the next outlet while two neutral wires do the same.

What do you do with two neutral wires?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Or a wire nut whatever you call this sort of goes by both names. And what you want to do is you want to take this and you want to twist it clockwise onto those two neutral wires.

Why would my neutral wire be hot?

If the neutral is disconnected anywhere between the light bulb and the panel, then the neutral from the light to the point of the break in the neutral will become hot (and the device will be unpowered, because no current will be flowing through it). Look for a disconnected neutral.

Why are both white and black wires hot?

The black wire is the “hot” wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the “neutral” wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.

Can 2 hot wires share a neutral?





What is a multiwire branch circuit? A multiwire branch circuit is a branch circuit with a shared neutral. This means there are two or more ungrounded (hot) phase or system conductors with a voltage between them and a shared neutral.

Why does my outlet have two sets of wires?

When an outlet receptacle falls in the middle of a circuit run rather than at the end, there are generally five wires in the outlet box. Two cables are hot wires—one bringing power in, the other carrying it onward to the next receptacle. Two cables are neutral and serve the same function.

What happens if you mix up hot and neutral wires?

This happens when the hot and neutral wires get flipped around at an outlet, or upstream from an outlet. Reversed polarity creates a potential shock hazard, but it’s usually an easy repair. Any $5 electrical tester will alert you to this condition, assuming you have a properly grounded three-prong outlet.

Can you put 2 neutral wires together in panel?

Bottom Line. Many homes have neutral bars that have too many neutral wires in one hole or slot. Generally this does not create a problem for the homeowner, however, it is an easy fix and most home inspectors recommend correcting the issue.

Why would a neutral wire spark?



So why the sparks? Between the two neutrals, it’s because there are downline loads being served by that neutral. When you sever a neutral, you cut off current flow, and the downline load “lifts” the neutral wire to 120V.

Why do I have voltage on my neutral?

The voltage you are seeing on the neutral wire is conducting through that other load from the hot. Your voltage tester is detecting voltage without drawing current so the resistance of the other load is not seen. Try disconnecting/turning off all other loads on that circuit.

Why am I getting 120 volts on my neutral?

If you have a neutral wire removed from the neutral bus bar in your panel it is possible to see 120VAC on that wire if the circuit breaker for that circuit is turned on and there is a load connected to the circuit and load device is also turned on.

What if the white wire is hot?



White Wire Labeled as Hot



Sometimes a white wire is used as a hot wire—not a neutral—in a switch leg, or switch loop, between a switch and a light fixture. In one common scenario, a switch is added to a fixture that is wired without a wall switch (as might be the case with a pull-chain fixture).

What happens if black and white wires touch?

A short circuit happens when a “hot” wire (black) touches another hot wire or touches a “neutral” wire (white) in one of your outlets. When these two wires touch, a large amount of current flows, creating more heat than the circuit can handle, so it shuts off.

What is a wire that is both black and white?

Answer: Well, the black one is the wire that’s actually termed as the hot wire. It carries electricity to your light source or switches from your breaker panel. Then the white is one is known as the common or neutral wire. This wire sends back unused electricity to that same breaker panel.

Does it matter which black wire goes where on an outlet?

White (neutral) goes on the side allocated for the larger prong. Black (Hot) goes on the smaller prong side or white to silver screws, black to gold screws.

Which wire is positive when both are black?



If the multi-colored wire is black and red, the black wire is the negative wire, while the red one is positive. If both wires are black but one has a white stripe, the striped wire is negative, while the plain black wire is positive. Look in the owner manual to determine which wires are negative in a car.

How can you tell which wire is hot without a tester?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: But you could also use a neutral wire if you know that the wire is in fact neutral. Then you could also use that as a means for finding.

Can the neutral wire shock you?

If you touch the neutral wire in a live circuit, whether it be a lamp, an appliance or something else, it is the same as touching the active wire. It is only “safe” to touch the neutral wire when there is no current flowing, just as it is “safe” to touch the earth wire (when one exists). That is, “safe” is relative.

Does neutral wire have power?

To summarize: the hot wire carries electricity from the power supply and takes it to the load (lightbulb). Neutral wires take the used electricity from the load and bring it back to the power supply.