I understand what everyone else were saying on here, and I am not an
electrical expert..but.. wouldn't it depend on how the wire is connected at
the electrical panel. What would happend if your red is connected to the
'hot' point and the red is wired to the neutral (white)?
Can someone else add to this?

Thanks.


"Olaf" wrote in message
...

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
news
On a 220 V line both the red and black wires are hot to the neutral wire.

Partially correct. Both red and black are hot, period. It's easy to ignore
the current that the neutral carries because the neutral is grounded.
Don't
forget the neutral does connect to the transformer at a live spot. It is
center tapped from a 220 volt split phase (single phase) conductor. Since
the neutral is grounded as well you don't feel curent running through you
when you touch the neutral and ground, but she's hot too.

There is no differance in the red and black wires except they go to
differant sides of the incomming 220 V wiring.

Since those wires are hooked to both legs of the split phase 220 at the
transformer their alternating currnents appear to be 120 volts AC out of
phase with eachother when tested to neutral or ground. If there was no
difference between the red and black wires they'd provide no voltage
between
them.


The OP's water heater should be fine, but I like the reversed-polarity
water
hypothesis.



"Joey" wrote in message
...
If 220V, then no effect but make sure you have the proper ground there.
Normally black is the hot wire.

J


Davy wrote:

What would be the result if an electric hot water heater wires were
reversed?
If the wires going into the hot water heater were red wire to black,
black
wire to red, what would be the result when the hot water heater was
started
up?