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220V home wiring code

850 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Oso954
Hi,

Just moved into an apartment in the Caribbean and it is wired with European outlets and wiring.

I have a simple light fixture ( non dimming single phase) but the wires are White, Black and Green.

Which wires should I match up with the ones coming out of the box on the ceiling.

The wire colours coming out of the ceiling are Black, Blue and Green/Yellow. I have access to 220V bulbs.

Thanks a bunch!

Dew
1 - 3 of 7 Posts
The green/yellow is your ground. Blue is your neutral.
The black wire (or a brown or grey) would be the hot.

So, black to black, white to blue, green to green/yellow.
Make sure your fixture is rated for 220, too.
It's highly unlikely to be rated for the higher voltage. Conversely most fixtures built/sold in Europe are not rated for use here. For most incandescent fixtures just changing the bulbs is all you need to do.

Voltage rating is important for lamps contains fluorescent ballasts or led drivers

Going from 120 to 240v, your amperage is cut in half, so if anything the wiring is slightly oversized

While the fixtures are not listed for use, from a practical point I would consider the use of a North American listed fixture elsewhere, or a western europeon fixture used here, far safer than many DIY or Artisan lamps that some people make/buy here.
That is normal. The ceiling wires are sized by the circuit breaker, the fixture wires are sized for the fixture,

If you pulled the fixture out of your previous house in the US you would have #14 or 12 solid (romex) in the ceiling with #16 or 18 stranded in the fixture.
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