# 3Ø Terminal Wiring



## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

Is there a standard for wiring a 3Ø receptacle or cord cap that would correspond to phase order? The markings at the terminals are X, Y, and Z.

I'm asking if X might be "A" phase, Y = "B", and Z = "C"?

It looks like this


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

That is how I would do it. The equipment grounding conductor obviously in the middle. If this is for a motor rotation may have to be changed anyway so it really doesn't mnatter


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

X Y Z = A B C..


Stupid forum software, sometimes there is a reason for all CAPS...


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## Awg-Dawg (Jan 23, 2007)

I just hook it up.

I would assume you dont know the rotation on the other end anyway.


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## CADPoint (Jul 5, 2007)

If your Phases come in that way then your good, is then any way to check
before you do twenty of them?:whistling2:


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

Xyz=abc
Xyz=boy
Xyz=bla r blu


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## Awg-Dawg (Jan 23, 2007)

mcclary's electrical said:


> Xyz=abc
> Xyz=boy
> Xyz=bla r blu


 

What do you do on a dryer recept?


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

I know it doesn't matter in the long run. I just wanted to know if there was a standard. As I said, I'm going to wire them all the same. That way all they have to do is change their feed conductors if the rotation is wrong.

They (customer) has a distribution box that will be fed from a Gen-Set. So if the rotation is wrong, they can just swap two conductors at the Gen-Set.


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

Dennis Alwon said:


> That is how I would do it. The equipment grounding conductor obviously in the middle. If this is for a motor rotation may have to be changed anyway so it really doesn't mnatter


Actually, the center is not the EGC. That's just a pin that I assume is just to guide the plug into the receptacle or connector body. The grounding is a contact on the side. If you look at the picture you will see a "G" with an arrow pointing to the contact on the side.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

A Little Short said:


> Actually, the center is not the EGC.


Not sure I ever installed one like that but I saw one the other day on a generator and I assumed it was a ground. Thanks


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## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

This is kind of off the subject and more applies to terminations in an enclosure, but somewhere in the NEC it says it should be A-B-C left to right, top to bottom, and front to back.


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## Monkeyboy (Jul 28, 2012)

Try the app, " nema configuration ". I got it & it gives every plug configuration out there.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

mcclary's electrical said:


> Xyz=abc
> Xyz=boy
> Xyz=bla r blu


I always wire mine this way too, then I know all of them are wired the same. No question about it, keeps everyone on the same page.


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## STLelectrician (Jan 2, 2015)

Monkeyboy said:


> Try the app, " nema configuration ". I got it & it gives every plug configuration out there.


You should try the electricians bible app has configurations and MUCH MORE for 3-4$ totally worth every penney!


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## Locknutz (Sep 7, 2012)

mcclary's electrical said:


> Xyz=abc
> Xyz=boy
> Xyz=bla r blu




It's not always BOY. several sites I've been on it is YBO.

If the equipment is sensitive best to check first and confirm or use a phase rotation meter before startup


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## glen1971 (Oct 10, 2012)

Locknutz said:


> It's not always BOY. several sites I've been on it is YBO.
> 
> If the equipment is sensitive best to check first and confirm or use a phase rotation meter before startup


Come to Canada.. Everything I've worked on is: A/B/C... Red/Black/Blue.... Orange/Brown/Yellow (when spec'd)...


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## derekwalls (Dec 18, 2012)

We follow the standard color configuration as well xyz=boy=bk r bl. Otherwise, rotation has been changed @ the plug.


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## Locknutz (Sep 7, 2012)

derekwalls said:


> We follow the standard color configuration as well xyz=boy=bk r bl. Otherwise, rotation has been changed @ the plug.



Point being there is no standard color config unless you install everything from the utility downstream. 

Go into some of the buildings around wash dc. and hook up a motor BOY and you may not be welcomed back. 

Had a foreman run the whole job under the assumption of a "standard BOY" setup. Only to find out at the end he was wrong. Superintendent was not too happy


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

Locknutz said:


> It's not always BOY. several sites I've been on it is YBO.
> 
> If the equipment is sensitive best to check first and confirm or use a phase rotation meter before startup





of course




Locknutz said:


> Point being there is no standard color config unless you install everything from the utility downstream.
> 
> Go into some of the buildings around wash dc. and hook up a motor BOY and you may not be welcomed back.
> 
> Had a foreman run the whole job under the assumption of a "standard BOY" setup. Only to find out at the end he was wrong. Superintendent was not too happy


Everybody on this forum is well aware of that.


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## Locknutz (Sep 7, 2012)

mcclary's electrical said:


> Everybody on this forum is well aware of that.



That's not true. 

Second, there were a few answers that replied to the OP that we're not very clear. If he was asking the question to begin with I'd be leery of making statements of "standard configurations"


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## AK_sparky (Aug 13, 2013)

Locknutz said:


> It's not always BOY. several sites I've been on it is YBO.
> 
> If the equipment is sensitive best to check first and confirm or use a phase rotation meter before startup


BOY and YBO are the same rotation though.


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## Locknutz (Sep 7, 2012)

Agree. Unless you tie in the receptacle BOY on a panel that is YBO.


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