What wires go together on a light fixture?

One of the black and white wires goes to the light fixture. The other black and white wires are the electrical circuit for the switch. If the light can be turned on or off from switches at each side of the room, you’ll see a blue wire that connects the electrical circuits for three-way switches.

How do you know which wire is positive and negative on a light fixture?

If you have a wire where both sides are the same color, which is typically copper, the strand that has a grooved texture is the negative wire. Run your fingers along the wire to determine which side has the ribbing. Feel the other wire which is smooth. This is your positive wire.

Why is there 3 wires in my light?

However, the third wire, which typically has a green/yellow sleeve is the Earth wire. The brown wire is Live (also know as permanent live), this brings the live supply to the switch. The blue wire is known as the Switched Live and takes power to the light.

Why do I have 3 sets of wires in my light switch?

One of them is power in, one is power feed out to the rest of the circuit, and one of them is power to the light. Separate the black wires and turn the breaker back on.

What is the third wire on a light fixture?

ground wire
The third copper colored wire is the ground wire. Twist the exposed parts of the white wires together clockwise, then screw the wire nut onto the ends.

What happens if you wire a light fixture wrong?

But here’s the catch: If you connect the circuit wires to the wrong terminals on an outlet, the outlet will still work but the polarity will be backward. When this happens, a lamp, for example, will have its bulb socket sleeve energized rather than the little tab inside the socket.

Which wire is positive black or red?

One is marked positive (+), the other negative (-). There are also positive and negative cables in the jumper cable set. The red one is positive (+), the black one is negative (-). Never connect the red cable to the negative battery terminal or a vehicle with a dead battery.