Do you use white=negative, black=positive for DC in your RV? I know they come wired that way for lights, etc., and I'm not asking about that. I keep to that convention when installing lights or other DC internal house type wiring. I'm asking about other wire runs. As an example, I'm running some water pump remote control wires. I have an LED that will go on when the pump is powered. I'm running red to the LED and black to the switched ground. I've got three battery monitoring wires for a system I built. It feeds battery voltage to the DC voltage meter monitoring switch. I ran red/black to that. I had to run a backup charging cable to my generator battery - again, I used red/black.How many of you use black for positive when running your own DC?

White is negative at the battery so I keep white for a ground EVERYWHERE in the RV. Just confuses the issue if you switch for SOME circuits and not for others. Sounds like chaos to me.Good luck / Skip

Even worse each manufacturer has a different color code scheme Winne / Itasca is mostly consistent with Black/White for 110VAC and Yellow/White for DC Me I stick with Red/Black for DCand Black/White/Green for 110AC All the dozens of wires I have added follow my color codes DC - Red/Black +/- Never Black being Positive and I do not use Yellow or white for any DC connections AC - Black/White/Green Hot/Neutral/GroundThere are exceptions The 4awg and 2awg welding cables used for DC + lines But I did add red heat shrink to ID them

If I see red and black, I know the black is neg. If I see black and white, I know black is pos. If you can't see the second wire and you only see a black wire---oops. Need a meter, find a ground, see if the black is pos or not.I like to put some red tape on a black when the black is positive going to a battery post.

I use the boating convention of Red/Yellow for low voltage DC.

My Yamaha G3 boats (Both of them) use Red/Black for DC plus an assortment of other colors for the communications connections Could just be a Yamaha thing .... Have to agree with BLF get a meter if in doubt Do not assume others did it the same as you do

Do you use white=negative, black=positive for DC in your RV?

26 Replies

DryCamper11
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
KJINTF wrote:
Do not assume others did it the same as you do

I wasn't asking about how to figure it out. If I didn't install it, I grab the meter. DC color codes are just too mixed up. I've seen white/black used as positive/negative and negative/positive.

I just wondered what others did when running their own wires. I find AC power conventions to be quite standard, and I grew up thinking red/black was standard for DC, until I ran into RVs. I often wrap the white/black wires for DC with black/red near the light fixture, just to remind me.
KJINTF
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
My Yamaha G3 boats (Both of them) use Red/Black for DC plus an assortment of other colors for the communications connections
Could just be a Yamaha thing ....

Have to agree with BLF get a meter if in doubt
Do not assume others did it the same as you do
time2roll
Nomad
Nov 11, 2013
I use the boating convention of Red/Yellow for low voltage DC.
BFL13
Explorer II
Nov 11, 2013
If I see red and black, I know the black is neg. If I see black and white, I know black is pos. If you can't see the second wire and you only see a black wire---oops. Need a meter, find a ground, see if the black is pos or not.

I like to put some red tape on a black when the black is positive going to a battery post.
KJINTF
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
Even worse each manufacturer has a different color code scheme

Winne / Itasca is mostly consistent with
Black/White for 110VAC and Yellow/White for DC

Me I stick with Red/Black for DC
and
Black/White/Green for 110AC

All the dozens of wires I have added follow my color codes
DC - Red/Black +/-
Never Black being Positive and I do not use Yellow or white for any DC connections
AC - Black/White/Green
Hot/Neutral/Ground

There are exceptions
The 4awg and 2awg welding cables used for DC + lines
But I did add red heat shrink to ID them
skipnchar
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
White is negative at the battery so I keep white for a ground EVERYWHERE in the RV. Just confuses the issue if you switch for SOME circuits and not for others. Sounds like chaos to me.
Good luck / Skip

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Do you use white=negative, black=positive for DC in your RV?

26 Replies

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