Need some help.

I got a new clothes dryer, but it doesn't work with my wall plug. Dryer has a 4 prong plug, and the wall has a 3 prong plug.

Do they make an adaptor for this type of thing?

If not, would it be better to change the plug on the end of the cord, or the wall plug?

Thanks

I don't think I've yet moved into a house where the wall plug fit the dryer cord.

There are a couple of different varieties, so draw the pattern of your cord on paper, take it to your local Home Depot/Ace/Lowes/Whatever and get the right receptacle.

Takes about 5 mins (AFTER YOU TURN OFF THE POWER!) to swap out the receptacle.

If you leave the 220 supply connected, it may take awhile longer... :eek:

Mark, your new dryer needs a 30 amp 220v, 1 phase. Otherwards 2 hot wires, 1 neutral and a ground. I am not sure what your existing plug is. A 30 amp 2 pole breaker should be used.

It's possible to convert the dryer cord from three to four, although I'm not sure if it's possible or advisable to go from 4 to 3 if it came with 4. I went from 4 to 3 on my dryer but it was the same dryer I converted from 3 to 4 after I bought it :)

I good person to ask is Jeff (quikss)

I've had this same problem after moving.

I think it is 3-wire and an extra grounding the machine to a water pipe vs a 4-wire grounding it all using the wire.

pdq67

Mark, your new dryer needs a 30 amp 220v, 1 phase. Otherwards 2 hot wires, 1 neutral and a ground. I am not sure what your existing plug is. A 30 amp 2 pole breaker should be used.
Your existing plug probably doesn't use a ground. My dad has a 220v compressor that is wired this way. 2 hot leads and one neutral. You will need a new outlet with a ground wire. Hopefully some electricians will chime as there are probably codes that apply to this sort of stuff. Cesar

When in doubt, call an electrician. Do what you know (or can reasonably learn) but when it comes to the house or your life, its worth the money to hire someone who knows what he's doing.

This is a straight blade NEMA chart. Might take a look at it and post back which plug is in the box and which is on the dryer.
http://www.leviton.com/sections/techsupp/nema.htm

I'd replace the 3-prong plug with the 4-prong on the dryer. If you ever have to replace the dryer, the new ones will come with the 4-prong plug.

I had the same thing happen when I recently moved with my old dryer.

One of my many trades through the years. Appliance sales and service. The 4 prong is just another ground. Common in mobile homes and some apts.(could be code for the area) Just get a new 3 prong plug. Should have a L shaped center plug. Check your recepticle. Most ranges have a straight center plug. I have seen some of those installed as dryer recepticles.

If you want it right have an electrician replace the old 3 conductor cable from the panel with 4 conductor cable and replace the recepticle with the new modern type.

If you don't care about it being right change the plug to three prong.

Mark,

Dean has the technically correct solution but this issue comes up all the time when people in an older home buy new appliances.

The dryer can be wired with either way. Manufacturers ship new equipment with the 4 conductor cables because 4 conductor wiring is code. However, most rules do not make home owners upgrade their wiring when they pruchase a new appliance (unless the old wiring won't support the draw of the new appliance).

Contact the manufacturer of the dryer and get the correct 3 conductor plug and the instructions on how to wire it.

Dan

I work for a clothes dryer manufacturer and this is exactly the reason a new dryer is not shipped with a cord. Most of the time a person removes their old dryer put the old cord on...done deal. No biggie. Plus most of the time how many people are going to have an electrician come wire a new 220 outlet in when they can buy a cord and do it themselves. Not very many. Four wire is a grounded circuit and is code for some places.

I don't think I've yet moved into a house where the wall plug fit the dryer cord.
Mine did! We've got a gas dryer... ;)

Question - is there already a 220 outlet? If so, dkemerley sounds like he has the answer.

ive been a resi. electrician for 8 years and have seen this many times , like someone said before , just get a 3 prong dryer cord at any home supply store and install it yourself , that way there is no need to mess w/any of your homes wiring . there is no need to run a 4 conductor wire as long as your 3 conductor wire is atleast 10 gauge and is on a 30A 2 pole breaker.

Call wherever you bought it from and tell them you would like the correct cord put on. That dryer didn't come with a cord, none do, so you paid for one and it may as well be the correct one.

Otherwise you have two options:

1. Change it yourself to a 3 wire to match your recepticle. Super easy. Unscrew the cover on the rear of the dryer where the cord enters, remove 4 nuts that retain the wires. Pull 4 wire cord out. Put new 3 wire cord in, match the colors of the wire and replace the nuts. Only other thing you need to do is make certain the white wire and green grounding screw are mechanically connected. Simple.

2. You can change your recepticle to a 4 wire to match the cord. Not as easy. You need to replace the existing wire from the breaker panel to the recepticle with a 10-3 w/ground romex wire. You also need to replace the recepticle with a grounding recepticle. I would recommend you get an electrician to do this for you if you are not electrically savvy.

Again, you paid for a cord, have them put on the correct type. Cheapest and easist fix.

Will the 3 wire be a problem? Very unlikely. Thousands of homes are done this way. I believe it was the 1996 NEC that changed the requirement for new homes to be wired with 4 wire. Simply seperates the ground and neutral. As long as you never remove the neutral, in the panel or the recepticle, you won't have a problem.

Jeff

If you want it right have an electrician replace the old 3 conductor cable from the panel with 4 conductor cable and replace the recepticle with the new modern type.

If you don't care about it being right change the plug to three prong.

Dean is right if you want it done the correct way. Its up to you if you don't care if the appliance isn't grounded. If a conductor in the dryer should become grounded one day because of a bad connection etc the dryer case could become live, which would make the user if touching the dryer and a grounded object a conductor. Its up to you

Dean is right if you want it done the correct way. Its up to you if you don't care if the appliance isn't grounded. If a conductor in the dryer should become grounded one day because of a bad connection etc the dryer case could become live, which would make the user if touching the dryer and a grounded object a conductor. Its up to you


The dryer is still grounded thru the neutral. If you were to open up the back of the dryer, you would find a small metal bar connector (bonding strap) that grounds the frame of the dryer thru the neutral. The only problem would be if he were to lose the neutral somehow. A 4 wire system just adds a seperate ground as a back-up basically, should you lose the neutral. Think of it like this: A ground wire is called the grounding conductor, the neutral is called the grounded conductor

The 3 wire dryer cord is no diffrent and substantially less dangerous than the thousands of garages and shops that have a 3 wire w/ no ground feeding a seperate panel in them. When feeding a seperate panel like that, you are at greater risk of losing the neutral, which you then have nothing to ground thru.

Changing to a 4 wire system would be the politicaly correct way to do it yes, but just changing the cord to a 3 wire causes no harm.

Jeff

The dryer is still grounded thru the neutral. If you were to open up the back of the dryer, you would find a small metal bar connector (bonding strap) that grounds the frame of the dryer thru the neutral. The only problem would be if he were to lose the neutral somehow. A 4 wire system just adds a seperate ground as a back-up basically, should you lose the neutral. Think of it like this: A ground wire is called the grounding conductor, the neutral is called the grounded conductor

The 3 wire dryer cord is no diffrent and substantially less dangerous than the thousands of garages and shops that have a 3 wire w/ no ground feeding a seperate panel in them. When feeding a seperate panel like that, you are at greater risk of losing the neutral, which you then have nothing to ground thru.

Changing to a 4 wire system would be the politicaly correct way to do it yes, but just changing the cord to a 3 wire causes no harm.

Jeff

Jeff, I didn't realize that in the USA they would have the neutral grounded on the appliance. Here in Canada that is a no no. Neutral in only bonded once and that is at the service entrance. Once again, sorry for any misleading info.

Mine did! We've got a gas dryer... ;)

Funny guy... :)

Actually, we have a gas dryer now too... Had to change out that connector as well !

Change the cord.

I didn't mean to imply that it has to be done right, as Jeff said there are thousands and thousands of driers using the neutral as a ground and have been for years.

Sure you could just "change the cord" but one thing to think about is when you do any of your own electrical work you could possibly be setting yourself up for the basis of a denial of claim from your insurance company not to mention the possibility of causing harm to your family.
For that reason it would be better to have the people you bought it from or an electrician change the cord that came on it.

just my opinion

When in doubt, call an electrician. Do what you know (or can reasonably learn) but when it comes to the house or your life, its worth the money to hire someone who knows what he's doing.

About 10 years ago I was hooking up a gas free standing stove in the garage, The one with the glowing bricks in the front "window" and needed 110V for the fan to run. I saw the 220V outlet for my air compressor & said to myself "I'll just tap into that and get 110V from one leg"
I wired it up and turned the breaker back on and it popped. I thought WTF? Oh well back out to the garage I go. As I am getting closer I see an orange glow and started moving quicker. All I saw was flames along the wall & celing. I had to practacally jump through them to get into the garage to shut the gas valve off to the stove. Whole side of the wall was too hot to touch.
Apparently I hooked up both "hots" to the 110V for the fan and the cord was laying across the flexible gas line and when it grounded itself it severed the 3/4" gas line completely off and lit the gas. After I cleaned my shorts I figured it out and it worked great but just be careful when working with electricity, I almost lost my house & garage from a stupid error.
I know a lot more about electricity now & have not had any more issues so far.

LK

Mark,
NEC only requires the 4 prong plug in new construction. The three prong plug in grandfathered in if it is already there. Your dryer instructions should tell you what to do to use a three wire cable. Generally you have to jumper the ground to the neutral where the cable is attached to the dryer. Same thing goes for electric ranges.

I know us guys are not supposed to do this but ... Read The Instructions !