How to Change a Tanning Bed From a T-Max to a 220 Plug

A T-Max electrical connector on a tanning bed allows the operation of the bed to be timed and controlled. The T-Max connector is wired into the tanning bed between the bed and the electrical outlet so the bed will turn off when the timer is complete or remotely shut off. This allows a bed to be run in a commercial tanning salon that sells tanning packages based on time in the bed. For home use, you may wish to remove the T-Max timer and use a direct plug instead. A 220-volt outlet may be required by your tanning bed (check the specifications), and once you remove the T-Max timer you will need a direct cord to the outlet. Does this Spark an idea?

Unplug the tanning bed. Disconnect the T-Max connector from the tanning bed. There will be screw terminals on the back of the T-Max connector connected to wires that lead into the tanning bed. Unscrew the T-Max terminals and follow the wire to the tanning bed.

Open the panel on the tanning bed where the electrical connections are located. You may need to unscrew it or it may be held in with clips (consult the instructions for you bed if you need more help opening the terminal). Locate the terminals for electrical connections. Depending on the configuration, you will either have three or four terminals on a 220-volt device. There will be two hot terminals (that carry electricity), one ground terminal and, in a four-terminal configuration, a common terminal. Black and red are always hot; ground is always green. White can be either hot or common, depending on the number of terminals.

Screw the pigtail end of the 220-volt cord (the end with the wires separated out and fitted with U-shaped metal clips) to the terminals on your tanning bed. Make sure you attach the hot black and red wires to the hot terminals on the bed and the green wire to the ground terminal. If you have a white wire, connect it to the common terminal. If you are not sure what type of cord to get, check the number of connections on your tanning bed (three or four) and look at the 220-volt outlet you have available (see Resources). Purchase the cord that will interface with the outlet and the tanning bed.

Close the tanning bed and plug it into the 220-volt outlet. Do not connect any other device to the same outlet.