1) I want to install a ceiling light fixture (chandelier style) but I don't have a ceiling outlet box. 2) I want to convert the chandelier to a lamp that gets plugged into a regular outlet, so I have a) the chandelier w/ it's own cord (meant to be attached to the ceiling box) and b) 20 ft of regular cord attached on one end to a quick clamp plug.3) On the 20ft regular cord, and I can tell on this cord which wire is hot b/c one side is smooth (hot) and the other side is ribbed (neutral). Unfortunately, the cord from the chandelier itself is SMOOTH on all sides and is not marked white/black, smooth/ribbed, hot/neutral or with any other indicator that would allow me to tell which side is which. Hence, I don't know which chandelier wire to attach to which cord wire.Please help!
Use a test lamp or continuity meter, (use the ohms scale), on the chandelier to find which wire is connected to the shell, (outside part), of the sockets. That's the one that gets connected to the ribbed, (neutral), wire on your plug cord set.
You can purchase a tester for about $10.00 that looks something like a pen or pencil. It is battery operated and all you have to do is the touch it to the wire and mash the spring clip and if the wire is hot it will illuminate. You do not have to take any wires loose and it is completely safe. You can purchase one at The Home Depot.
There are lots of clues that only a pro will recognise, for example the type of cable, insulation and sheathing, make and style of fusebox and accessories fitted, and many other things. Some parts of your installation may be newer than others, and new accessories often hide ancient wiring!
Check one of the sockets on the chandelier. The side of the socket is metal and so is the small contact on the bottom of the socket. The bottom piece is supposed to be the 'hot' side of the socket. It is a safety issue. It prevents you from touching the electrified part of the socket(the side part if it were wired backwards) when changing a bulb. That is the reason that the lamp cord has the ribbed and smooth sides -- to make sure that the bottom contact is hot and not the side --that applies to all lamp sockets.
There are other ways to mark a neutral. The most common is a white wire, and next I would say is being ribbed as you say. Look for any difference between the two wires (there are more ways they can be marked than I care to list here). Could be white marks of some sort, even one conductor being tinned and not the other, for example. If you put the difference you see in this question I could tell you which is which. If you cannot see any difference, then you can test it. Even if you knew what marking was used, it might be a good idea to verify it. Use a continuity tester to see which wire is connected where on the lampholder. The neutral is connected to the screw shell and the hot is connected to the tab at the bottom that contacts the tip of the light bulb. For completeness, the neutral is the wider blade on the polarized plug.
