Wiring Electrical Outlets: Interpreting A Receptacle

When dealing with wiring electrical outlets you should know that the labels or markings that appear on a receptacle convey important information about safety and usage.

A UL label, for instance, means that the device has been certified for safety by the American Underwriters Laboratories, while a CSA label indicates approval by the Canadian equivalent--The Canadian Standards Association.

Also shown are amperage and voltage ratings which state the maximum permited for the device.

You should be especially alert to the acceptable wire usage designation, which indicates what kind of wire is safe to connect to the receptacle.

ACE labels means that only copper wire can be used; CO/ALR indicates that aluminum wires are acceptable; and CU/AL specifies copper or copper-clad aluminum wires only.

The screw terminal colors on a receptacle also denote specific information.

Use the brass screw terminals for black/red hot wires, the silver screw terminals for white neutral wires, and the green terminal screw for grounding connection.

Wiring Electrical Outlets: High-Voltage Receptacles

Large appliances in a home often draw significantly more current than smaller appliances.

For this reason, contemporary homes usually have two types of receptacles—one type provides low-voltage power (120 volts), and the other provides high-voltage power (240 volts).

Appliances that are rated for 240 volts—such as cooking ranges, clothes dryers, and air conditioners—are required to be connected to a single circuit.

Most high-voltage appliances are connected to either a flush- or surface-mounted receptacle box.

A nonmetallic sheathed cable containing two hot wires, each carrying 120 volts, and a grounding wire typically form an end-of-run connection within the receptacle box, which must be located within the length of the appliance cord.

Because no neutral wire is needed, the white wire is coded, using black tape, to indicate that it is hot.

However, when dealing with wiring electrical outlets, a high-voltage circuit that also requires 120-volt current to operate clocks, timers, and lights does need to have a white neutral wire connected to the receptacle—so that the appliance can split the entering current between 120 volts and 240 volts.

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