ha well shiiit. I would like to have an outlet right there in my room but I also found another outlet on the other side of my house I could run an extension cord from.
I just don't get why there's 3 of each color in the box. and then unsure of which ones to select to go into the actual outlet, help!
120vac 20amp Single Phase 3-wire circuit consists of the following:
the UNGROUNDED conductor, or 'hot' leg. this wire is always black, red, or blue in what we call a single phase system. this is the wire that will shock the hell out of you and make nice fireworks. dont confuse this wire with a (+). the polarity reverses 60 times a second. this is what the 60hz means.... that is also the nasty tingle you feel when you get shocked.
the GROUNDED conductor. this wire is normally white or gray or marked white. this wire provides a path to ground to complete the 120v circuit. without this wire your 120v device will not work. for examples sake, think of it like a 'common' like you find in a car or 12v dc system. but be warned, this wire can also shock the everliving shit out of you. many electricians think the worst shock comes from a neutral, and from my own experience, i can say this with no bullshit, i would rather take that hot wire and shove it into my bellybutton than get in between a neutral and ground... it really hurts, lol... has to do with the type of power your getting shocked by and im not going to go into tech details.. just trust me on this one guys.
the equipment GROUNDING conductor, or ground. this wire is ALWAYS green, marked green, or bare (no insulation). this wire is probably the most important of the three, and often the most neglected. this wire provides a safe, controlled path to ground for fault current when bad things happen. think of it as the 'lightning rod' for your circuit. not only does this wire protect the equipment connected, it also provides the ability for your circuit breaker or fuse to trip every time... without it there is no guarantee that the power will shut if if you say, accidentally short out the hot wire to say, the frame of your clone cabinet. here you come along to check on the babies and zap! you get electricuted... and since the breaker doesnt trip, you get hit pretty good.
85% of all deaths from 120vac electrical shock in the united states are caused by contact with ungrounded equipment that has become energized. think about that.
ps- the black wire goes to the brass (yellow) screw. the white wire goes to the steel (silver) screw, and the ground goes to the green screw. theres no other way
make jumpers (we call 'em pigtails or stingers) from the 3 wires under each wirenut to feed the plug. you can even find wirenuts that have the jumpers built in... made by Ideal, they are called 'Term-a-Nuts). a little pricey, they make adding a plug about as simple as it gets :
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