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The red wire is also used as a by-pass in a two-way switched lighting circuit, and will often be used also as an interconnection or communication wire in a circuit that requires it, such as a smoke detector circuit.
![why do i have colonial flex type nm 600 volts 14/2 ground wire in hot water baseboard heater why do i have colonial flex type nm 600 volts 14/2 ground wire in hot water baseboard heater](https://i.stack.imgur.com/J0oki.png)
No wire with any of those colors can be used for establishing a ground or neutral connection.īecause a red-colored wire also serves as an ungrounded conductor, these wires are used to connect the second leg of the electrical system to loads which require 240 volts. In fact, any color wire except white, gray or green may be used in conduit to carry ungrounded power. Black and Red WiresĪccording to NEC, a black or red wire must be used as an ungrounded conductor or hot wire. The colored marks correspond to the colors of the current-carrying conductors in that cable. In recent years, manufacturers have begun spraying color codes onto cables with metal sheathing. Type MC cable does have a grounding conductor.
WHY DO I HAVE COLONIAL FLEX TYPE NM 600 VOLTS 14/2 GROUND WIRE IN HOT WATER BASEBOARD HEATER PLUS
The metal sheath, plus a thin aluminum bonding wire, provide the required path to ground. Type AC cable, commonly called BX, does not have a grounding conductor. Both Type MC and Type AC are sheathed in a flexible metal coil. The other two types of cable, which are often used to extend wiring in a system wired with metal conduit, are Type MC (Metal Clad) and Type AC (Armor Clad). “14-2/G”, for example, shows that that cable has two insulated, current-carrying conductors and one grounding conductor, size 14 AWG.Ĭompare NM cables and MC cables on Amazon Type NM cable will also have markings on the cable sheath of the cable, indicating the size and type of the conductors in it, along with other information. Modern Type NM cables have different color sheathing which indicates the size of the conductors: White for 14AWG (American Wire Gauge) conductors, Yellow for 12 AWG conductors, and Orange for 10 AWG conductors. Plastic sheathed, or Type NM (NonMetallic), cable, is widely used for home wiring circuits. A cable is a factory-made assembly of conductors in an outer jacket or sheath. Wiring Typesĭepending on where you live, the branch circuit wiring in your home will be made with individual conductors run through a hollow metal conduit, or with one of three types of cable. A Word of Caution: Always use a line voltage meter or circuit tester to determine if a wire is "hot" or "live." Never rely on a wire's color alone.