Let’s begin with the most fundamental point first: electrical wire in Toronto should be handled by a licensed electrician only. Be it in a residential setting, a commercial building or an industrial estate, licensed electricians have the skills, the experience and the safety training to handle electrical wire in Toronto safely.

AWG is of great benefit for electrical wire in Toronto, as it means interoperability between electrical items purchased in Canada or the United States and lessens the chance of unsafe operation.

Since the subject itself is vast, we’ll cover just the basics of electrical wire in Toronto homes in this write-up. Canada and the United States of America follow what is called the American Wire Gauge, a useful commonality, given both countries use electricity at the same voltage and at the same frequency. Common standards are great for consumers as they allow greater inoperability and lessen the chances of an electrical incompatibility leading to unsafe operation of electrical fittings.

The AWG has an inverse relationship the wire number and its rated amperage. For instance, the most common, #14 is rated to carry 15 amperes of current, whereas #8 can handle 45 amperes. Note, the maximum current carrying capacity of the wire is not a clear cut indicator about how much your circuit can carry: for instance, circuit breakers will be rated at a slightly lesser current, in order to prevent overheating the wire and acting as a safety mechanism.

#14 electrical wire in Toronto is suitable for most everyday utilities like lights, electronics, plug points and the like. However, certain heaters, and split kitchen receptacle circuits required in several areas use #12 for the greater amperage it can handle.

All electrical wire in Toronto homes will be comprised of three bundles of wires – white, red (or black) and green.

White electrical wire in Toronto represents the neutral wire. Since an electrical circuit needs to be completely closed loop, white carries the current from whatever appliance it is connected to back to the electrical source.

Black or red electrical wire in Toronto are ‘hot’ wires coming from the circuit breaker. They are the source of the electricity which will power the system.

Green electrical wire in Toronto is the ground wire. Literally, it is a path into the ground, and acts as a circuit breaker in the event of a short circuit. It is attached to all metals in an appliance; and, in the event of electrical current leaking into such metal parts, it provides the path of least resistance.

Electrical wire in Toronto is one part of a complex and rigidly controlled electrical code in the home. It is why licensed electricians are emphasized for all projects. Not only do they understand the ‘behind the wall’ intricacies of your electrical setup, they provide a standard level of service which means your electrical circuitry remains to a commonly understood specification. This keeps anyone using or working on electrical wire in Toronto safe from unexpected tampering and configurations.