Is my breaker box at my home wired wrong ??

[Steve Wolf]

I have a number of questions but let me start with one. My electric breaker box has a Red coloured electric cable. It's just that normal plastic sheathing cable that is normally white colored and you use to run to to outlets. However this cable is red. Now I know that normally this is used for running two 120 V to two Breakers. so that you can run a heater or something like that.

However this red cable only has two wires inside, well not included the bare copper ground wire. The Red inside goes to a breaker. The black goes to the ground. I noticed it because it is the only Black cable connected to the ground bus that has all the White wires on it. Its obvious. All white wires then one black. As mentioned this Red Cable only has two wires Red and black.

Im wondering if the electrition who installed it maybe ran out of wire and just used red, but that seems wrong, or perhaps even illegal.

Any thoughts on why this might have been done.

[hubops]

Smoke detectors ? John T.

[Steve Wolf]

No it just goes to an outlet in the kitchen, however it is not a split circuit. As I say its just two wires Black and Red (and bare ground) and the black goes to Neutral where all the white wires are connected in breaker box.

[hubops]

Wire size ? John T.

[Steve Wolf]

12/2

[trader_4]

Sounds like you are somewhere other than the US, so IDK what the rules are regarding wire color or how wires that don't conform to the specified colors can be marked, eg by wrapping some white tape on the end, etc. But aside from the colors it sounds normal, except where you said the black goes to ground, I think you meant the black goes to the neutral bus. It could be the electrician had that cable available, needed to use it up or a homeowner did it, etc.

[micky]

Doesn't that implement a direct connection with Moscow?

You're getting your electricity from Moscow!!!

It might be a violation of code, which I think means it's illegal and wrong, but I can imagine someone doing it for just the reason you give. He doesn't want to knock off early today and come back tomorrow. The time off today is basically wasted and the extra travel time and he'll have to spend 1 to 2 hours tomorrow to finish, and get to tomorrows job at 10 or 11 which will keep him from finishing tomorrow's schedule until Wednesday, which will delay some of Wednesday's work until Thursday and no one sees the wire anyhow.

[Pat]

If it was done in order to get the job done with what was on hand, you might be able to fix it by adding electrical tape with the proper color to the existing wires. Green tape on ground wires, white on neutral, and black on the hot. Do it on both ends. In most areas, that makes it legal for code purposes. Note it still must be wired properly. My suggestion works if only the colors are wrong.

[Clare Snyder]

Need Clare-ification

Is it just the "jacket" that is red? or is it the conductor insulation? Red jacket with black and whute conductors is no problem. Code does not dictate jacket color but there are conventions that are often followed. Things like orange for electric heat and blue for AFCI circuits,

Also SOME manufacturers color code by gauge The cable jacket is color-coded for quick size identification; White -

14 AWG, Yellow - 12 AWG, Orange - 10 AWG, and Black - 8 AWG and 6 AWG.

[Steve Wolf]

Your right black to neutral.

[Steve Wolf]

Understood.

[Steve Wolf]

Yes thanks.