240 volts male twist plug hook up?

You can't use that plug there. The plugs heads differ from each other by voltage rating for safety, so that users travelling to countries where the voltage differs, and users who have electrical equipment other than 120V can't possibly get themselves into trouble.

That said, the implication should be clear here. NEVER use a plug of one type with a socket of another.

I'm a professional engineer - if it helps you to know that, but having lived in other countries etc., I am VERY familiar with this subject - my profession notwithstanding.

You can't just change the plug, unless the equipment is rated to work on the alternate voltage source. For example, if the label says 120V/240V, then your manual should explain how to make the transition from one to the other - and a change of plug would be indicated in those instructions.

Otherwise - DON'T MESS AROUND with this stuff. Get advice from the merchant where you bought the equipment and ask if you have what you really need - AND clear up any confusion about setting up. Then go ahead and approach the problem again.

Best of luck!

Mason.

Most small portable generators are single-phase 120/240 volts, with two hot wires, one white neutral wire (called the grounded conductor), and one green ground wire (called the grounding conductor).

The hot wires can both be black, or red and black, or blue and black.

But they cannot be white, green, or green with yellow stripes.

You sound like you do not know how to use a voltmeter.

I strongly urge you get an electrician to help you, as there is more to this than you realize. You must follow good wiring practices to ensure people are not endangered by any exposed wiring.

There are several kinds of outlets and without a picture none of us know exactly what kind of outlet at the end of your conversion cable you are working with.

Take a photograph of the outlet on the generator, as close a possible.

Take a photograph of the plug that goes into the generator - the prongs.

Take a photograph of the plug that goes into the generator - where the wires go in.

Take a photograph of the outlet face.

Take a photograph of the outlet wiring side.

Post those photographs to Flickr.

If you haven't activated your Flickr account, it's easy to do.

Go to the Yahoo home page http://www.yahoo.com/

Look on the left side for the Flickr icon and click that.

Assuming you know what you are doing, I can tell you that the plug you have sounds like a 240v/3 phase connector, while the cabling leaving your generator is 1 phase. (assuming American power, not European power)

A single phase plug would have 3 pins (power, neutral, ground), where a 3 phase would have four pins (phase A, B, C, and ground)

So, if you TRY to hook it up, and place the neutral on, say, Phase B, one of 2 things will happen, depending on which type the generator is. If the generator is 1 phase, you have a 1 in 3 chance it will work, and a 1 in 4 chance you burn out the neutral. If the generator is 3 phase, you will in fact blow up your 240 device that you are trying to power, as instead of 240/neutral, you had 440v: A&B phases 120 degrees offset- with no neutral. If the generator is in fact a Delta-Y 120 3 phase, well then, thats a whole OTHER story on how it is hooked up!

So, yeah, if all this sounds like pig-latin, you really shouldn't mess with it on your own. My recommendation is take it to Home Depot with a confused look on your face, and have them do it for you.

What makes you think your particular generator is even equipped to put out 220V service?