Reversed polarity

Electrical · Lights, Outlets and Switches · printed page 103 (PDF page 104)

Original page Sign in to save

Book index entries

Electric Reversed Polarity Polarity – Reversed – Electrical Reverse Polarity – Electrical

Text in the illustration

polarized (grounded) receptacle
should be neutral
should be hot
silver screws (for white wire)
brass screws (for black wire)
green screw (for ground wire)
ground slot
hot blade
neutral blade
polarized plug
when the polarity is reversed, the wide receptacle slot is (incorrectly) hot and the narrow slot is neutral - this is not uncommon when people forget that the black wire should be attached to the receptacle's brass screws

Generated explanation

The illustration shows a grounded duplex receptacle alongside a polarized two-blade plug. Callouts identify the wide receptacle slot as neutral, the narrow slot as hot, and the grounding opening as the ground slot. Silver terminal screws are designated for the white wire, brass terminal screws for the black wire, and a green screw for the ground wire. The plug's hot and neutral blades are also identified. An annotation explains that reversed polarity makes the wide slot hot and the narrow slot neutral; the drawing labels the intended connections rather than showing installed wiring.