How To Connect A 4 Prong Dryer Outlet

The 4 prong dryer cord is comprised of two hot wires a neutral wire and a ground wire.

How to connect a 4 prong dryer outlet. If you ve wondered how to convert a 3 wire dryer electrical outlet to 4 wire dryer outlet then wonder no more. The nec requires that dryers have a dedicated circuit with a minimum of 30 amps. If the house outlet is a 4 prong box you can go to lowes or home depot and purchase a 4 wire dryer cord. A 3 prong three wire outlet as well as a 4 prong four wire outlet.

Before the mid 1990s most electric clothes dryers operated with three prong plugs that fit into three slot outlets but since 1996 the electric code has required four slot outlets. If you love your old dryer but you think safety demands that you install a four wire receptacle don t fret. The switch to a 4 prong outlet was due to a flaw in the 3 prong outlet design. Wiring for a 4 prong dryer receptacle.

An alternative would be to ground the outlet separately to a metal stake driven into the ground or possibly to a suitable metal water pipe. You can change the cord or even easier you can use a three prong to four prong plug adapter. The 120 volt service is for the dryer s timers sensors and other electronics while the 240 volt service supplies power to the heating elements. In a 3 prong outlet the ground and neutral wires are contained in the same prong.

Let s talk diy electrical wiring tips. The same is true if you buy a new dryer and need to plug it in to an old three wire receptacle. If you want to replace your three prong dryer outlet with a four prong one you have to run a ground wire back to the panel and connect it to the panel s ground bus. When moving a newer electric dryer into an older house it s not uncommon to find that the cord and plug included with the new dryer doesn t fit the 240 volt dryer outlet.

This has the potential to allow a current to find its way onto the ground wire. When you get ready to put it on pull the dryer away from the wall.