Which Side Of Plug Is Hot

Focus on the top half of this us style duplex outlet.

Which side of plug is hot. The hot wire in a house is the source of electrical potential. These outlets are the older version of the current type b outlet. Or you can look at the cord and whichever side is smooth not ribbed but smooth is your hot wire. The hot side is the side connected to the breaker itself back at the panel.

The hot wire on a lamp cord will be the the side that has the more narrow prong on the plug in. Type b was created to provide a connection for an electrical safety system. Usually if a plug has different size prongs connectors the common white side will be the larger of the two or the white silver the hot side will be smaller or bronze dark black 0 0 1 0. A plug that is hot to the touch may pose fire and electrical shock hazards.

If the cardboard insulator is worn out common on old lamps the metal parts of the lamp also could become hot charged. Similarly overheated plugs can damage the insulating material around the plug s prongs or electrical cord wires. When you plug in an appliance or light bulb the current flows out the hot side of the plug to the appliance or light and then back out of the appliance on the neutral wire into the left side of the plug completing the circuit. This is easier to show by looking at the electrical outlet that the plug fits into.

But not everyone follows conventions and sometimes people make mistakes. The narrower flat slot on the upper right is hot typicall. A two wire plug uses a type a outlet. The two prongs provide a hot and neutral electrical connection.

The hot side of the outlet the side that can deliver a shock is wired to the threaded socket if the wires are reversed. If the people who wired the house followed the conventions then a black wire was run from the breaker to the connector in the outlet that accepts only small prong. If an overheated plug is near flammable materials such as curtains wood furniture or paper then the plug can ignite those materials starting a fire. The type a plug has two flat parallel prongs and can fit in both styles of outlets.