Need quick electrical answer.

[FarmboyBill]

I had my air compressor hooked up and running. I had a 100ft hose line strung out and was putting air in my bailer tire when it quit. I went back to it thinking I had thrown a breaker when I saw that the tarp I had laid aside had been blown into the flywheel and wrapped around it. Also, for some reason the wires had been pulled out of the plug in. The wires are black, white and green. The flat prongs are the same size. If I hold the plug in say to the east, and I am standing also to the east, behind the prongs, Which wires go where. I tend to think that green is positive, white is neg and black is neg, but im not sure, and am probably wrong. But with both prongs being the same size, which wire goes where. Thanks.

[Cabin Fever]

black is hot
white is neutral
green is ground

Wire the plug so it goes into the outlet as shown below:

[artificer]

Take a look at this web page:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...hsehld.html#c2

Is the compressor 120V AC? If so, then white is neutral, black is hot, and green is ground.

If the compressor is 220V, then both white and black are hot, and the green is still ground.

Michael

[FarmboyBill]

Its 120V Thanks guys,

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

black is hot
white is neutral
green is ground

If the flat prongs are the same size, it makes no diffence which one the black and white wire are connected to.

I would have to stop and think that through quite well before I'd agree with you on that.

IF the wiring of the shed, barn, house, whatever has been wired improperly so that instead of a neutral, hot conductor, and ground is used and instead is wired hot conductor with neutral and ground wired together-----would that make a difference when it comes to safety of the tool?

Many do it yoruselfers of old didn't realize that the neutral and ground inside of a panel are different and should be wired differently. They instead connected the ground to the neutral bar.

[Windy in Kansas]

BTW, an old auto instructor said that he had been taught, and was teaching the same, that in an auto electrical system the flow of electricity was always from positive to negative. To ensure this flow battery makers always made batteries with one extra positive plate to provide "push", if you would call it that, in the right direction to get electrons moving properly.

He further claimed that Ford and other positive ground systems had more starting issues because of this.

Sorry for the thread drift.

[Cabin Fever]

Since FBB's grounded plug can only be inserted into the outlet one way, it would make a difference which prong was hot and neutral. I was incorrect when I stated it wouldn;t make a difference.

The comment about both prongs being identical threw me. I owuld have been correct if the plug was a non-grounded type which had identical-sized prongs...like on a lamp plug...in other words, it would make no difference which side of the plug was wired to hot or to neutral.

Farmer Boy Bill this is how to do it:



I'll go back and correct my earlier post.

[Harry Chickpea]

"If the flat prongs are the same size, it makes no diffence which one the black and white wire are connected to."

Actually, sometimes it does. Most of the time, the wires go to the windings of the motor and all is fine. Sometimes, the metal case gets involved, and if that case gets the hot wire (through an improper plug or socket) you can get knocked on your keister. I had a skil saw like that once. Got rid of it.

A mnemonic for remembering the configuration of a properly wired polarized SOCKET from the user side is "The ground is underneath everything, The Large Left is LOW, The small hole is Right Hot, keep your finger out of it." Or you can just think - they make the more dangerous hole smaller, so there is less of a chance of something getting in it.

Hot=Black= Brass (note the B B mnemonic)
Low= White= Silver
Green = Ground

[Nevada]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

I owuld have been correct if the plug was a non-grounded type which had identical-sized prongs...like on a lamp plug...in other words, it would make no difference which side of the plug was wired to hot or to neutral.

Functionally, the lamp will work fine with the power running either direction. However for safety reasons the power should be wired correctly. You don't want the threaded part of the bulb socket to be hot because of increased shock hazard while changing bulbs. For that reason they normally make the hot and neutral prongs different sizes on lamp plugs.

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by Nevada

Functionally, the lamp will work fine with the power running either direction. However for safety reasons the power should be wired correctly. You don't want the threaded part of the bulb socket to be hot because of increased shock hazard while changing bulbs. For that reason they normally make the hot and neutral prongs different sizes on lamp plugs.

You're absolutely right. I was referring to plugs that have identical-sized prongs, not the plugs that have the different sized prongs.

[Oldcountryboy]

I take it that Farmboybill is talking about the male plug on the end of a cord that is needing to be wired back together. Even tho the two flat bars are the same size the hot conductor (black or red wire) always goes to the right, which is usually the darker colored flat bar. The neutral conductor (white wire) goes on the left bar which is usually a lighter color. When you have the male plug disassembled the screw heads that you place your conductors under will most of the time be color coded. Brass colored on right for the hot conductor, silver colored on left for the neutral conductor.