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).

Why is my white wire hot at switch?

Here’s a rundown of electrical wires: 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.

Why is my white neutral hot?





This enables current to flow through the light bulb and power it. 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).

Why is there power on the neutral wire?

The reason that one of the power wires is named “neutral” is because it is connected directly to the building ground connection at the circuit breaker panel. Therefore it is connected directly to the grounding (third) wire.

Does white wire have power?

White or gray wires indicate neutral charged wires. However, neutral wires may carry power and pose a danger of electrocution if not handled properly. White and gray wires carry power back to the service panel. Both hot and neutral wires have the potential to shock and injure you if not handled properly.

Why is neutral wire sparking?

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.

What happens if hot wire touches neutral?





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.

Why is my neutral bar hot?

It has much more resistance than it should, and it’s making a lot of heat. In that case the heat would be localized to the bar proper, and would travel up the *highly conductive) copper wire only a limited distance.

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.

Is there voltage on the neutral?

The neutral wire is often said to have zero voltage on it. If you touch that wire on a live system, however, you will often find out very quickly that technically having zero voltage is very different from meaning there is no electricity present.

Can you use white wire as hot?



Even though you are permitted to use a white wire as a hot wire by marking it with electrical tape, the opposite is not recommended or allowed. In other words, do not use a black wire as a neutral or ground wire, or for any purpose other than for carrying live electrical loads.

Can a white wire be positive?

Identify the black positive wire on a ceiling light fixture.



Recognize that the black wire is the positive one, the white wire is the negative one, and the green wire is the ground. You may see a copper wire instead of a green wire for the ground.

Can the white wire shock you?

When a circuit, electrical component, or equipment is energized, a potential shock hazard is present. Black and red wires are usuallyenergized, and white wires are usually neutral. Metal electrical boxes should be grounded to prevent shocks.

How do you know if a neutral wire is bad?



To test a bad neutral simply test the known hot to a good ground. Hot to ground should return nominal voltage ~ 110 – 125 Volts and hot to neutral would read something irregular. In the case the ground is either bad or missing simply run a drop cord from a working properly grounded outlet and test hot to ground.

How do you fix a bad neutral wire?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: We should have the same as the hot wires. Being that we should have one neutral wire coming from the source the power source one pigtail going to the receptacle.

Can a neutral wire short out?

If the insulation wears out, melts, or is damaged (often due to puncture by a nail or screw, or chewed by a rodent), live wiring may be able to directly touch neutral wires, causing a short circuit.

Can an open neutral cause a fire?

When there’s a loose wire connection, the neutral wire becomes abnormally hot and damages appliances in their wake. Most fires related to an electrical fault have an open neutral to blame.

What happens if you mix live and neutral?



There would be a shock hazard, and some devices might not work correctly. Depending on where exactly the wires are flipped, ground fault detecting circuit breakers may become ineffective. All around, this is a bad idea.

What happens if neutral wire is loose?

This can cause unpredictable effects, such as feeling a mild electrical shock or the sensation of current flowing when you touch a connected device. You might also catch a whiff of burning after a spark or arc.

Does neutral wire carry current?

To sum up, a live wire carries the full load current, while a neutral wire carries some current, only when the loads are not balanced.

How do I test a neutral wire?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: If you don't get a voltage reading the wire is neutral. If you get a reading the wire is hot you can also use color coding to identify. Hard neutral and ground wires.