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Why are there only two wires coming from the ceiling and one is solid (copper) wire the other is strands? Which is hot and which is not?

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    Depending on how old the wires are, the insulation around them might be quite brittle, so need to be careful on how you handle it.
    – crip659
    Commented Jan 11, 2023 at 19:01
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    I am replacing this light fixture with a remote ceiling fan . But not sure how to wire the transmitter to the two wires . Black and white only wires on the transmitter.
    – Paul
    Commented Jan 11, 2023 at 19:03
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    It would be easy with a voltage meter and a good ground, but do you have ground handy in a 1900 house. Without knowing when or if the wires were upgraded to be in code it will be difficult to find out. 120 years of possible mistakes and the transmitter/receiver might care.
    – crip659
    Commented Jan 11, 2023 at 19:15
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    It would be most helpful if you were to provide a picture of what you're seeing. It's rather unusual for there to be both solid & stranded wire, but it's possible if you have conduit in your house (but still unlikely). Edit your question then use the "sun & mountain" button to add a picture.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jan 11, 2023 at 19:34
  • That's a good start. Unfortunately, it's still really hard to tell what's going on here. I can't tell what's in the first picture, and the second pic doesn't actually show the copper so we can't see what's solid and what's stranded. It does, though, look like you've got some very old wiring here, so be very careful around it. Movement can crack that old insulation, leaving you exposed to shorts.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 15:30

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