How to Wire a 30 Amp 220 Volt Plug
Trying to wire a modern four-prong 220-volt plug can leave the average homeowner with the strong impulse to call an electrician. Regular 110-volt current is dangerous. 220-volt can be doubly so. One hot and one neutral wire carry 110-volt household current. A ground wire is used to shunt excess voltage away from the circuit in case of a short. The difference in 110- and 220-volt household current is the addition of another hot wire. As long as these wires are correctly wired in the service panel, you can wire your plug safely. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 220-volt plug
- Three-conductor electrical cable with ground
- Utility knife
- Wire strippers
- Screwdriver
Instructions
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1
Remove 4 inches of the electrical cable's outer insulating jacket with a utility knife. Do not cut the insulation on the conducting wires.
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2
Remove ½-inch of insulation from each of the conducting wires with a wire stripper.
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3
Separate the face of the plug from the insulating cover.
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4
Slide the wire through the back of the insulating cover. Once the plug has been wired, there will be no way to fit the cover over the plug without rewiring.
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5
Attach the conductors to the plug's terminals and tighten them with a screwdriver. Attach the bare ground wire to the terminal connected to the rounded prong. Attach the white, neutral conductor to the terminal connected to the "L" shaped prong. Attach the red and black conductors to the terminals connected to the straight flat prongs. It doesn't matter which flat terminal these are attached to, they are both hot wires.
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Tips & Warnings
Four-wire plugs are required for new installations. If you have an old three-prong, 220-volt outlet, consider installing a new, four-prong outlet for safety.
Never work on a live circuit. Shut power off at the main breaker before attempting any electrical repairs.
References
- Photo Credit High Voltage Sign image by Mark Grenier from Fotolia.com
