Extension Cord from Generator to Air Compressor

My generator accepts a L14-20 plug for 240 output.
I purchased a male plug that has a neutral, ground, and two hot terminals, and 10-3 wire for the cord.

The compressor has a 220 on/off switch.

I hooked it up the same way it was previously hooked up on a 20 amp. outlet from the house, but i'm only getting 120v at the compressor.

Any help will be appreciated...

Thanks,
Robert

If this is what you have, you don't need the white wire for this application, since your receptacle on the compressor end will not accept a white wire, no place for it. That is why I suggested you fold the white wire back.

If you meant 10-3 INCLUDING the ground, then you only have a white and a black plus the ground, and this is where I suggested you re-mark the white wire to red on each end, it connects to the hot terminals.

Charles

Something else, after you get that straightened out. The guage of the wire that you're using and its length. Too small of a guage will get you going, but will heat up and shut down your compressor motor as well as cause it to overheat. Those small 12 or 14 guage orange type extension cords bought from Menards or where ever? They don't get it. Can cause a fire too.

Mark

I have three wires coming out of the compressor.
white,grey, and a bare copper.

The prevoius owner had a 220 wall-type on/off switch installed on it.

The grey and white were plugged into the back of the at the load terminals, and the bare copper wire to ground. The line treminals had the grey and white wires so, I assume the white(normally neutral) was being used as one of the hot wires.
I hooked it up the same way, on my generator, but it wouldn't run the motor fast enough. I finally wired it up directly to side terminals at the load side and it ran ok, but the pressure switch wouldn't work, and I didn't have an on/off switch.

I'm going to find another switch, one of the screws won't tighten properly, and try the original configuration again. That 10 ga. wire is hard to work with, if you are an amateur like me.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm using 10 ga. cable; 10-2 with ground.

Robert

It is common to _not_ count the bare or green whire when talking about a wire run, so it sounds like you actually have a 10-2 with ground wire that you are using?

A 10-3 wire with ground would have white for nuetral, black for hot, red for the other hot, as well as the bare or green ground wire.

Kinda confusing, when they don't count a wire that you see there, isn't it? :)

The nuetral, or white, wire is not used on a true 220v deal - you only need the 2 hots - red & black wires plus the always needed green or bare ground wire.

Some 220v devices end up using 110v plus one of the hot wires for controls such as a timer, light bulb, etc. A clothes drier or electric stove come to mind - they need all 4 wires to make everything work right - but your compressor does not have anything like that, so no need for the white nuetral wire.

The white wire can be used if you properly marke both ends with a red dye or red tape to let others know what you did - turned it into a current-carrying hot wire.

Hope this simple dirt farmer can explain it a bit without confusing..... Just do what Charles said, & it should work for you.

--->Paul

If you are seeing 120v at the compressor, you have the netural and one of the hots crossed.

Charles

On the male plug,(to generator)I have three wires, white, black, and green. I have the white connected to the silver(neutral)Lug. The green to ground, and the black to hot. Should I move the white wire to the other hot Lug and leave the neutral empty?

Just to be clear, on the on-off switch(at compressor)remove the white wire and dead-in it.

Charles