Is The Common Wire Hot. Connect the hot source wire (the one that's hot when the breaker is on) to the common, and the individual black wires to the other side of the three switches. The big black wire is probable your hot source, but you'll need a volt meter to confirm.
The big black wire is probable your hot source, but you'll need a volt meter to confirm. We then run the black traveller wire from the left traveler terminal of. Unlike the other wires connected to your thermostat it doesn't control heating or cooling functions.
Electrical wiring in North America follows regulations and standards for installation of building wiring which ultimately provides mains electricity.
In some jurisdictions all wire colors are specified in Hot (active) wires may be any other colors except these.
In order to determine which wire is the hot while working with knob and tube wiring, there are several methods available. Although much of the electrician's field terminology matches that of the electrical codes, usages can vary: Neutral wire is the return conductor of a circuit. The "common" is the "neutral" or "ground" wire, depending on the type of circuit.