In order to prevent us electricians from using terms like "the
outlet with a t socket," "a
monkey face," or "Looser head", the.
National Electrical Manufacturers Association created a hierarchy of devices with number designations. Every device has a name that designates its wiring style, amperage, and type of device.
Your typical home outlet is called a
5-15R. 5 - meaning
125v 3wire L+N+G (line, neutral and ground) - 15 meaning -
15amp -
Receptacle. Adding an L to the terminology, means that it is a locking or "Twist Lok" device.
L5-30P means
Locking -
125v, 3 wire L+N+G -
30amp -
Plug. There are 20 or so wiring styles and many combinations
thereof.
What helps us electricians is that each designation has different contact blade widths, shapes, orientation, and dimensions that are unique to that particular voltage, current capacity, and grounding system.
(1)
So a L5-20P cant fit into a L6-30R. Being that one is 125 volt and the other 250 volt, thats a good thing.
The other benefit is that we can look at the equipment's plug and quickly determine the voltage.
Bottomline, you dont need to learn all the NEMA subclassifications to discuss your UPS power needs, just know that I will always refer to devices not by crazy descriptive name, but by their NEMA name. And my most common Nema devices are
here
