There were three separate wire strands in Romex wire, where two of the wire strands are used as a non-conductive insulation and as an isolation barrier while the third wire is generally used as a ground wire that has no non-conductive covering. Around the wire set, there is a color-coded PVC jacket wraps to identify the Romex’s wire type and gauge. Romex wire with a white colored jacket contains 14-gauge wire, the yellow jacket is 12-gauge wire and the gray-colored means the Romex has an outdoor designation. If you want to do the outside wiring, then the plugs should only use a Romex with a gray-colored jacket. Here are the steps on how to wire romex to a plug.
You will need:
- Wire Strippers
- Slotted Screwdriver
- Utility Knife
- Needle-Nose Pliers
Romex
Steps:
- First, use a utility knife to remove 1 ½ inches of the Romex’s jacket by pressing the knife’s blade into the jacket from its end and pull the knife to the end of the wire. Pull the jacket away and cut the jacket off.
- Take a wire stripper and remove ½ inch from the non-conductive coating of both insulated wire strands. Place the insulated wire into the stripper’s jaws and squeeze its handles together.
- Twist the strippers before pulling the insulation off of the wire. Bend the ends of each wire into a hook using needle-nose pliers.
- Then, open the plug with a slotted screwdriver. Plugs use slotted retaining screws, which are located near its prongs to hold the plug’s housing against its base.
- Pull the housing off after unscrewing the base. Slip the plug’s housing over the Romex with the end that connects to the base facing the end of the wire. Push the plug for about 6 inches from the end of the wire.
- Check the plug’s base. Each of the plug’s prongs connects to a wire terminal, which are located under the plug’s housing.
- They have different colored screw for identification. The ground prong indicates by the green screw, the silver screw connects to the larger flat-shaped prong or the neutral prong, and the gold screw connects to the hot prong or the smaller flat-shaped prong.
- Next, use a slotted screwdriver to loosen each of the terminal screw, but do not remove the screws. Slip the hook on the Romex’s uninsulated wire around the green-colored screw, tightening it back with slotted screwdriver.
- Slip the hook on the Romex’s white colored wire around the silver-colored screw, while the Romex’s black colored wire around the gold-colored screw.
- Slide the plug’s housing to its base and align the base’s retaining screws with the housing’s screw holes. Make sure to tighten all of these connections with slotted screwdriver.
- If equipped, tighten the plug’s wire clamp with the slotted screwdriver. Some plug models use a two-piece wire clamp, which is located where the wire enters the plug’s housing. These wire clamps will prevent the wire from pulling out during usage. As the screws tightens, the clamp closes making the slotted screw hold the two pieces together.
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Additional Reading:
Some Facts About the Installation and Construction of RomeX Non-Metallic Sheathed Cable
Code Check Electrical: A Field Guide to Wiring a Safe House
