Heartwarming Three Wire To Four Wire Dryer

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Three wire to four wire dryer. Some dryers may allow a 3 wire cord to be used however if you find that your new dryer does not allow a 3 wire cord to be used then a 4 wire circuit will need to be installed which is best accomplished by hiring a qualified licensed electrician. This was the reason why the code changed to. The dryer will work fine with the 3 main ones.

If you ve wondered how to convert a 3 wire dryer electrical outlet to 4 wire dryer outlet then wonder no more. The fourth wire was 12 gauge bare copper. The bare copper wire was screwed to the metal frame or shell or the dryer.

Newer dryers however have a 4 wire cord with a 4 prong plug. First though i have a working knowledge of mechanical processes and am detail oriented i am not an electrician. The cable used was 10 3 with the ground.

Three prong cords and 3 slot outlets were once the norm but since 2008 article 550 16 a 2 of the national electrical code nec has stipulated that connections for electric clothes dryers must be made with a 4 conductor cord and 3 pole 4 wire grounding type plugs or by type ac cable. The reason this change was mandated by the national electrical code is that the 4 wire setup is inherently safer and better able to prevent electrical shock see last wednesday s e mail from superior wirework. Clothes dryers can be wired with cords that have three prongs as well as with four prong cords depending on the age of the wiring installation.

I understand that an option is to replace the four wire cable with a three wire. The red and black are interchangeable but typically the red is connected to the right hand side of the block. Such a configuration creates a very slight chance of shock in the rare event that the dryer experience a short circuit in its internal wiring.

Building code requires the four wire plug now but you can change it and the dryer will work. This is the requirement for new construction or when a. If the answer provided is that i should back away from the project i will do so without hurt feelings.