?

Here is what I do.? Use a voltmeter on the AC voltage range.? Hold one lead in you hand and stick the other lead in the socket.? The low side will be essentially zero.? The high side will show some voltage, like 47 volts.? The voltmeter is a high impedance between you and the electric line and your body is another high impedance to ground.? I have often used this method and lived to tell about it.? Never felt a tingle.? Caution, make sure you are on a voltage setting, not a current setting.

Jerry, W6XL

Skip, The codes said for a long time neutral is the white wire? and hot is the black wire. You can check that by using a meter connected to a copper water line where the hot should be 120 and neutral = nothing [maybe needing a very long wire to reach the water line ] ?but? if the wiring has no ground wire? things get messy as the an ungrounded polarized receptacle is likely hard to get.? You should most likely ?install a 3-wire cable. I am too far out of date to know what the codes allow now when updating older houses.

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Waldo Magnuson via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, January 1, 2025 3:51 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [HallicraftersRadios] 2-wire, unpolarized outlet ?

?

My house was built in 1955 and has several outlets that are unpolarized outlets. If I replace an outlet with a 2-prong polarized outlet (neutral opening larger than the hot opening) how do tell which wire is hot?
Thanks.
Skip Magnuson

--
don??? va3drl