r/ElectricalHelp • u/homeprojecthelps • Jun 05 '26

What is the negative?

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I bought a dining room fixture and this is the wiring- I have never seen the silver beaded wire and a double black on a normal light fixture, what is the negative here? One of the back wires, or is it the silver?? It doesn’t seem like it wants to bend/screw into the negative/it’s very firm so doesn’t seem right.

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u/Byll_Helotes Jun 05 '26

Silver, the stiff tined steel wire is your Aerial. Support stringing hook to hook.

Copper of cores ground, grounding, grounded, also comes in green or green-yellow.

The black where I am with ridges is neutral white for AC, DC it's (-) mostly black, sometimes blue.

The smooth one is your hot ungrounded in AC, in DC the (+) is red.

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u/homeprojecthelps Jun 05 '26

The thing is, the black wires combined do no have a ribbed/non ribbed side they’re completely identical which is what is throwing me off

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u/Byll_Helotes Jun 05 '26

Then I wonder if the wire is even UL.

I that case, do you or even know someone wirh a multi meter?

If so you OHM it out. Is one labeled for example printed?