Things You'll Need
Wire strippers
Utility knife
Slotted screwdriver
A NEMA 6-50 plug has two straight hot prongs, running parallel to each other, and a horseshoe-shaped ground prong. The hot prongs on the 6-50 have different widths, with the large prong on the right. A NEMA 6-50 plug connects to a 250-volt 50-amp electrical circuit. A 50-amp electrical circuit needs 8-gauge or larger wires. The NEMA 6-50's round face measures 2-1/8 inches across, and it mounts in a standard wall-mount electrical outlet box. Some appliances, like electric welders with a 3 horsepower rating, connect to its power source with a NEMA 6-50.
Step 1
Remove 3/8 inch of the insulation of the wires entering the NEMA 6-50 plug with either wire strippers or a utility knife. Often wire strippers will not work on the large braided wire that usually feeds a NEMA 6-50 plug.
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Step 2
Loosen the NEMA 6-50 plug's wire terminal screws with a slotted screwdriver. Do not remove the screws.
Step 3
Insert the ground wire into the NEMA 6-50 plug's ground terminal. The 6-50's ground terminal has a green screw. If the wire set has a black, red and white wire, use the white wire as ground. Otherwise, the wire set's wire without insulation or the wire with green insulation acts as ground.
Step 4
Insert the stripped end of the black wire into the NEMA 6-50 plug's left-side wire terminal -- the terminal that connects to the small prong. Tighten the terminal screw with the screwdriver. If both remaining wires have black insulation, choose either wire.
Step 5
Insert the end of the remaining wire into the NEMA 6-50 plug's remaining wire terminal -- the terminal that connects to the large prong. Tighten the terminal screw with the screwdriver.
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