How to Make an L14-30 Cable

L14-30P refers to a male plug made in the U.S. under the standards of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). The plug is rated at 125/250 volts AC, 30 amperes and is a three-pole, four-wire plug equipped with blades that allow the plug to lock onto a female outlet. Wiring an electrical cable to a NEMA L14-30P involves stripping the end of an electrical cable and hooking each of the cable's four color-coded inner wires onto their matching color-coded terminals inside the plug.

Diagonal pliers
Wire stripper
Screwdriver

Instructions

- 1
  Cut away 4 inches of sheathing from the tip of the cable to expose the inner wires, using diagonal pliers. Strip half an inch of nylon insulation from the tip of each wire, using a wire stripper.
- 2
  Loosen the clamp screws along the neck of the plug with a screwdriver. Loosen the retaining screws at the base of the blades and remove the plug cover from the plug housing. View the terminal screws behind the cover and loosen each screw.
- 3
  Slip the tip of the electrical cable through the clamps on top of the plug and pull the cable out from the other end of the plug. Wrap each wire clockwise around each screw behind the plug cover in this configuration: black wire (hot) to a brass terminal screw, red wire (hot) to the next brass terminal screw, white wire (neutral) to the silver terminal screw and green or bare wire (ground) around the green terminal screw.
- 4
  Tighten all screws securely and double check each one to make sure there are no loose connections. Push the plug cover against the plug housing and replace the retaining screws. Tighten the screws on the clamp but avoid over-tightening each.

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