I know this is a longshot...

So we just went through Hurricane Ian and had to use our trusty generator. It's got 2 "regular" 3-prong plugs, and one 4-prong plug. I thought I'd get an adapter to allow me to use the 4-prong plug. So I ordered one on Amazon. Got it today. Here's the problem.

The plug is an L14-30P (see picture). The problem is the notch on the ground prong. If you notice my annotations, the actual notch is going "clockwise". In other words, the notch is on the right side of the prong when you're plugging it in. Now, look at the NEMA L14-30P diagram below it. That's what it looks like on my generator. But the notch is to the left, or "counter-clockwise". The plug won't fit. Every adapter I'm seeing on Amazon has the plug with the notch that way. I even looked on Lowes, same thing. WTF? Where do I find one with the ground plug going in the correct direction?

Interesting. Just checked our generator. This is what it looks like:



See if anything here matches: [www.ebay.com]

I'll check. It's weird. Mine's a Coleman generator, and is essentially the same as a Craftsman one from the same time frame (~2004), so it's not like they were off brands.

The diagram of the L14-30P is the plug looking from the metal connectors down to the cable (the face on the male connector). If you look at the picture of the cable and look down from the connector end, it matches the reference L14-30P. The cable in the top picture would fit into wurm's generator.

Get a picture of your generator? Any marking on the generator?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2022 07:43PM by MikeF.

The image you have for NEMA L14-30P is for the plug. That's what the "P" indicates in the notation.

The other image is 5-20R with "R" for receptacle.

So your image NEMA L14-30P matches the plug you have shown. It should not match the receptacle on the generator.

If the angled part of the plug (the part that is the wrong way around) is angled toward the outside instead of pointing inward, you may have a NEMA L14-20R socket on the generator instead.




Then something like this might be needed.
[www.amazon.com]




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2022 07:54PM by TheTominator.

Quote
TheTominator
The image you have for NEMA L14-30P is for the plug. That's what the "P" indicates in the notation.

The other image is 5-20R with "R" for receptacle.

So your image NEMA L14-30P matches the plug you have shown. It should not match the receptacle on the generator.

If the angled part of the plug (the part that is the wrong way around) is angled toward the outside instead of pointing inward, you may have a NEMA L14-20R socket on the generator instead.




Then something like this might be needed.
[www.amazon.com]

You appear to be correct! Thanks.