maintains load voltage stability) by carrying the difference in current between unbalanced loads back to the transformer. unbalanced loads), while the equipment ground never carries current unless there is a fault in the equipment.ġ) Prevents load voltages from drastically changing (i.e. An important distinction to keep in mind is that the neutral can carry current under normal operating conditions (e.g. The neutral wire serves different functions in different conditions. Black insulation indicates a hot wire, white indicates a neutral, and green indicates the equipment ground. The photo shows SOOW cord with 3 conductors. Please refer to the color code chart below to see what other colors we use for the line conductors in our SOOW cord. Typically, you will only see different colors for hot wires in cables with 5 or more conductors. The most common colors used to indicate hot wires are black and red, but other colors are also used to indicate hots (e.g.

The term “phase conductor” reflects the fact that virtually all long-distance electric power around the world is transmitted via high voltage AC, though high voltage DC transmission has been making gains in recent years. 'Hot' refers to wires that connect to the voltage supply source (typically a step-down transformer). Hot, neutral, and ground are the three most common types of connections for conductors. Keep in mind that we are assuming we have a 3-phase power supply.

The purpose for having standardized colors is to indicate the intended connections for each conductor so that anyone working around electrical wiring can know what each conductor is connected to. black and red insulation indicate “hot” wires). There are no codes governing the use of other colors for conductors, but there are industry standards virtually all electricians follow for the sake of simplicity and safety when working with wiring (e.g. Since SOOW cord is a type of multiconductor cable with two or more conductors, there are insulation color standards used to indicate the intended connection and function for each conductor.Īccording to the NEC, the only required colors are white or gray for neutral conductors and green (or just bare copper) for equipment grounding conductors.

Step down transformer wire color code