[SOLVED] Not color coded power supply cord for dishwasher

[Robin]

I recently purchased a new dishwasher. My old one was bought late

80's. When I replaced the dishwasher, I forgot to mark the old power supply cord wires, which one was black(hot)and which one was white(neutral). They are not color coded but one has covered with grooved(?) gray rubber skin and the other one is just smooth.

Could anyone know which one goes to black?(hot)

Thanks!!

[jeff]

Hi,

Are you talking about the cord/power supply itself you are installing onto the d/w?

With a volt meter and the power on, *carfully* test each wire to ground ( bare or green wire ).....the power wire will show 110-120 volts AC to ground the the nuetral will show nothing ( 0 volts AC ) to ground. The one that showed power will go to the black wire on the d/w, the one that showed 0 volts will go to the white wire of the d/w.

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

[Speedy Jim]

The "grooved" wire is the "identified" conductor; this is the Neutral.

The smooth conductor is "Hot".

Jim

[I-zheet M'drurz]

Do you have a simple "continuity checker"? If so, look at the blades on the plug, one will be smaller than the other, that will be the hot blade. Test from that blade to end of each wire, whichever one beeps/lights your checker will be the hot conductor.

[Robin]

It worked like a charm. Thank you so much!!!

[barry martin]

Robin:

R > I recently purchased a new dishwasher. My old one was bought late R > 80's. R > When I replaced the dishwasher, I forgot to mark the old power supply R > cord wires, which one was black(hot)and which one was white(neutral). R > They are not color coded but one has covered with grooved(?) gray R > rubber skin and the other one is just smooth.

I remember it as "wibbed iz white" (ribbed is white). To go further, "wibbed iz whit iz wide" ==> the wider blade on the plug is the white one.

A way to doublesheck is to take a voltmeter with one lead to the cold water pipe (assuming copper pipe all the way) and the other to the electric supply. One will read 120v or so, the other zero or near zero. Could also use a test lamp.

- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®

• Definition: Holstein -- an entire beer mug

[I-zheet M'drurz]

(on polarized line cords)

But (I don't know the answer, not a rhetorical question!) is it *always* that way??? Is it an industry wide convention to mark polarized cords that way??

As an aside to your white/wide, I use a foolproof (for me, anyway) way of remembering that "little"="hot". It's a long story, but it works every time.

Now if I could only come up with a way to remember how to sort out red/green/tip/ring/black/yellow/orange/or-white/ blue/bl-white etc etc etc.

[Bob Jones]

replying to jeff, Bob Jones wrote: Just wanted to say thank you for this fantastic answer. You explained it in plain and simple terms that were impossible to misunderstand.

Well done. 14 years later and your comment is STILL helping people. :)