How to Wire a Twist Lock Plug

Green is for ground, white is for neutral; power is anything else.

The Twist-Lock connector is a product of Hubbell Wiring Device-Kellems. The Twist-Lock connector is used in applications where the connector must stay locked in place, like some computer and medical equipment. The "plug" has curved blades that, once inserted into the receptacle and twisted, can't be pulled from the receptacle unless the plug is twisted in the opposite direction to "unlatch" it. When wiring the plug, you 'll find it has three color-coded terminals, a positive, a neutral and a ground.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver

Instructions

1. Wrap the "hot" wire--usually black, clockwise around the screw in the plug's gold-colored terminal. Tighten the screw with a screwdriver.

2. Connect the neutral wire, usually white or gray, to the silver terminal, by wrapping it clockwise around the screw in the terminal in the Twist Lock plug. Tighten the screw.

3. Twist the strands of the the ground wire, usually green or green with a yellow stripe, to form a single thread of wire. Wrap that thread around the screw in green terminal in the plug. Tighten the screw.

Tips & Warnings

• The positive conductor "may" be black. In theory, it can be any color except for those reserved for neutral and ground wires.

References

• Sandia National Laboratory: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Hubbell Wiring Device-Kellems: Twist-Lock