The hot wire in a 120 volt residential ac circuit usually is coated with black insulation while the return or neutral wire is white.
Wall light switch no white wire.
Inside the light switch junction box the two black hot wires get attached to the screws on the light switch.
Because the electrical code as of the 2011 nec update requires a neutral wire in most new switch boxes a 3 wire cable runs between the light and switch.
The two white wires get attached together with a wire nut.
Two of the wires will be the current carrying wires that power the light.
The cable has a black wire which connects directly to the circuit and a red wire which connects to the switch.
This is an updated version of the first arrangement.
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Option 1 run a neutral wire if you want to use smart switches and don t have a neutral wire in your switch box you can hire an electrician to run a neutral wire between the light.
Plus learn how to change a single pole switch to a 3 way switch.
They will usually be colored one black and one white potentially with black stripe.
If the light switch has a ground screw on it usually green and at the bottom of the switch connect it now.
Put a wrap of black tape around the white conductor to label it as a hot wire.
Assuming it is a steel box.
The ground wire also connects to the switch but the white wire gets spliced to the circuit neutral wire and bypasses the switch.
But one of the wires may be white if your house is wired with plastic sheathed cable.
First of all we should connect the ground wires to the box.
The standard way to power a split tab outlet is to run a three conductor cable to a wall switch.
In most cases the two switch wires will be some color other than green or white usually black.
The red and black are used for hot and the white neutral wire at the switch box allows for powering a timer remote control or other programmable switch.
And then at the light junction box the two black wires or the black from the ceiling and the smooth solid color wire on the light fixture get attached together with a wire.
A switch box with no neutral loop will usually only have three wires see image below.