Red wire: The second hot/traveler wire is the red wire that serves the same purpose as the black wire between the two switch boxes. Depending on toggle switch configuration, either the red wire or the black wire will be hot if the light is on, but not both.
What is the red wire on a switch?
What are Red Wires? Red wires are usually used as secondary hot wires. Red wires are also hot and should be clearly marked to avoid the dangers of electrocution. Red wires are commonly used when installing ceiling fans, where the light switch maybe.
Where does the red wire go on a switch?
Attach the red wire from the light fixture to the nut at the top left of the switch. Connect the bare copper wire to the green nut at the bottom left of the switch.
Does the red wire go on the black screw?
The black (hot) wire goes to the brass screw or into the hole in the back of the device on the same side as the brass screw. This wire is sometimes red. The green or bare copper (ground) wire, if the device has one, attaches to the green screw terminal on the switch or to the electrical box.
Is a traveler wire hot?
The traveler wires run between the two 3-way switches, offering two potential pathways to complete the circuit and send power onward to the light fixture. Note that the terminal wires also are considered hot because they carry power when the switches are on.
Hence, my question, what do I do with the RED wire? The answer is that the Red Wire is the Hot Wire from the switch itself. You are wiring your fixture into a junction box where buku wires come together. Hook the white to white, ground to ground and RED to the BLACK Light Fixture Wires.