The national electrical code nec says that white or gray must be used for neutral conductors and that bare copper or green wires must be used as ground wires. But looking deeper the color of the wires inside of the sheathing reveals that different colored wires serve different purposes.
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Green black white wires. The bare copper or green wire goes on the green screw. Black wires are always hot wires meaning that they carry electricity. In oil burner relay switches you have a black and white wire. The white wire goes on the silver terminal the black wire on the brass one and the green wire on the green one. When youre done join the two halves of the plug casing and tighten the screws to hold it together. The orange is the motor the violet is the ignition etc.
If there is a green wire its screwed into the junction box. The different colors of electrical wires indicate the function of the wire with black and red indicating the wires carry electric current white usually indicating neutral charge and green indicating the wire is grounded. A black wire can be the hot wire of a 120 volt supply. Note that the outlets screw terminals are certain colors. Beyond that are general industry accepted rules about wire color that indicate their purpose. Loosen each terminal screw hook the wire around it and put the screw down tightly.
A green wire or bare wire with no insulation is normally the local ground wire. The colors regulated by the national electrical code in the united states are standardized for safety. The white wire goes on the silver screw. There are no color codes in his 77 years of wiring 200 year old houses. A white wire is normally the neutral wire. The black hot and white neutral wires carry the current and the copper wire is the ground.