# Zip Cord: Which conductor is which?



## derekleffew (Oct 3, 2012)

> Upon close inspection the two conductors are different--one has ribbed insulation, one smooth. The ribbed is the neutral; and the smooth the hot.




> I have learned that the ribbed was hot and smooth is neutral. Is there a standard theatrical convention to follow? I have seen polls on CB where people seem pretty slip 50/50 over a standard practice.



So which is it? And how do we educate everyone to follow our consensus?


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## CrazyTechie (Oct 3, 2012)

I've never actually thought about it because usually when I'm running zip cord it is for a light and it doesn't really matter which is which.

I'm all for having a standard way to do it, but again it's something I've never thought of.


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## gafftapegreenia (Oct 3, 2012)

Just did a quick survey of all the clip and desk lights at hand. All are factory wired (molded) with the neutral on the ribbed side.


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## MarshallPope (Oct 3, 2012)

I've always used the ribbed side as the neutral. The only reason, though, is because that is what the googles said the first time I needed to use zip cord.


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## derekleffew (Oct 3, 2012)

CrazyTechie said:


> I've never actually thought about it because usually when I'm running zip cord it is for a light and it doesn't really matter which is which.


So you're saying that in an E26 (medium screwbase) socket, it doesn't matter which (hot or neutral) goes to the center contact and which goes to the threads (screw shell)? 2011 NEC 200.10(C).

.....


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## derekleffew (Oct 3, 2012)

One might think that NEC 2011 400.22 and 400.22(F) would be the definitive answer, but somehow there's still room for confusion.


XXXX


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## Gern (Oct 3, 2012)

I, too, noticed a long time ago that manufactured lights use the smooth as hot and the ribbed or marked with a stripe as neutral. 
I follow the same pattern.
I, too, feel it IS IMPORTANT to ONLY SWITCH the Hot conductor. Some manufactured lights bond the neutral and the chassis, so if the conductors are not polarized the fixture body can then be energized.


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## tjrobb (Oct 3, 2012)

I believe the NEC does cover this. The ribbed / dashed color conductor is considered an "identified conductor" and would thus be neutral. Have to remember where I read that, though.


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## CrazyTechie (Oct 3, 2012)

derekleffew said:


> So you're saying that in an E26 (medium screwbase) socket, it doesn't matter which (hot or neutral) goes to the center contact and which goes to the threads (screw shell)? 2011 NEC 200.10(C).



That has always been my been my understanding. Although I'm open to being wrong about it.

Upon reading 2011 NEC 200.10(C) I would say that it would matter, but with zip cord since there are only two wires which would act as the ground?


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## gafftapegreenia (Oct 3, 2012)

CrazyTechie said:


> but with zip cord since there are only two wires which would act as the ground?




Depends on what kind of zip cord you buy.


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## hobbsies (Oct 4, 2012)

along these lines, is white hot or black?


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## Footer (Oct 4, 2012)

hobbsies said:


> along these lines, is white hot or black?



Huh? Is hot black or white? Is that the question?


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## derekleffew (Oct 4, 2012)

CrazyTechie said:


> Upon reading 2011 NEC 200.10(C) I would say that it would matter, but with zip cord since there are only two wires which would act as the ground?


Confusion over grounded conductor vs. grounding conductor perhaps?

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## gafftapegreenia (Oct 4, 2012)

Footer said:


> Huh? Is hot black or white? Is that the question?



No, he asked if WHITE was Hot or Black.

But I think he meant which color is which.

/snark


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## techieman33 (Oct 4, 2012)

Maybe he's asking about the cords that have a white stripe down one side?


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## chausman (Oct 4, 2012)

I thought the question was asking about when attaching the zip cord to a fixture (like a sconce, for example) that has two cords coming out the back, a white and a black. And, if the poll is to be believed, wouldn't that mean that the ribbed side goes to the white, and the smooth side to the black?


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## gafftapegreenia (Oct 4, 2012)

chausman said:


> wouldn't that mean that the ribbed side goes to the white, and the smooth side to the black?



Yep. 



Extra characters


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## JD (Oct 4, 2012)

This all has to do with the evolution of the table lamp! 
Back in the 60's, two prong outlets actually had no size variance between the hot and the neutral. Few of these are left. Once the change was made to having the neutral blade larger, the next logical step towards safety was to try to get the neutral routed to the larger surface area of the screw socket. This is when "ribbed" zip cord started showing up. As long as I can remember, the rib has been on the neutral and has been connected to the threaded (easier to contact with finger) part of the lamp socket, and to the larger blade of the two prong plug. 

I would suspect if the NEC was a person, the old Edison medium screw base on the table lamp would be the bane of its existence, causing much rage!  

Talk about something that violates every safety feature you can think of! But there it is, "grandfathered", so to speak. Still, at least we can make it a little safe......


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## hobbsies (Oct 5, 2012)

Footer said:


> Huh? Is hot black or white? Is that the question?



Drugs from getting my wisdom teeth out screwing with me. I meant: Is Hot supposed to be black or white?


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## CrazyTechie (Oct 5, 2012)

hobbsies said:


> Is Hot supposed to be black or white?



In the US hot is black.


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## hobbsies (Oct 5, 2012)

good, that's how I do it. I've been told the opposite in the past though, and just wanted to clarify. Are there other countries in which white is hot?


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## CrazyTechie (Oct 5, 2012)

hobbsies said:


> good, that's how I do it. I've been told the opposite in the past though, and just wanted to clarify. Are there other countries in which white is hot?



If I recall correctly Europe uses a yellow-green, brown, and blue color system, but I'm not sure if anyone else uses white as a hot.


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## Chris15 (Oct 5, 2012)

White is one active phase in a 3 phase cable here in Aus.
The only other time I see it in a mains cable is in a twin switch wire with red...


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## JD (Oct 5, 2012)

One trip-up point for non-electrical people is that they are more likely to have been exposed to automotive wiring in day-to-day life, where red is hot and black is ground. (+/-) I actually had to argue with a friend about this, who was convinced black was ground or neutral. No, he wasn't doing any electrical work at the time, and I advised him he never should. (US)

I find it interesting that in HV power on hybrid cars, Both + and - are orange!


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## JonCarter (Sep 27, 2013)

This all dates WAY back. In the beginning, wire was insulated with rubber, and the rubber was black. The writers of the early issues of the NEC decided that all wires should be assumed to be "hot" EXCEPT the identified, neutral/ground, conductor, so the mfrs. painted some wire white to identify it, and the "white/neutral/ground" business started. Now that we have rainbow-colored plastic insulation, the "Identified" wire is still white (and every other color is assumed to be "hot") (except the green/ground business which came much later.) The ribbed side of zip cord is considered "identified," so, that's the neutral.

-"Old fart"


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