Instructions

  1. Remove Coverplate for Electrical Connections. …
  2. Remove the Strain-Relief Fitting. …
  3. Disconnect the Old Cord. …
  4. Separate the Dryer’s Neutral From the Ground. …
  5. Connect the New 4-Prong Cord. …
  6. Attach the Strain-Relief Fitting to the New Cord. …
  7. Reinstall the Dryer’s Electrical Cover Plate.

Can I plug my 3 prong dryer into 4 prong outlet?

Answer: You don’t. It is not possible to install a four prong outlet using only three wires either legally or safely. Put the three prong outlet back and install a new three-prong cord on the dryer.

Can you hook up a 3 prong dryer cord to a 4 prong dryer?





It is neither legal nor safe to use only 3 wires to hook up a 4 wire wall outlet. Question: When removing my old four prong cord from my dryer, the white and green wires were both together on the center terminal and the red and black on the outsides.

How do you wire a 4 wire plug to a 3 wire dryer?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: As we can see the four wire cord is color coded and the three wire cord is not the green wire on the four wire cord is ground black is l1 or line one white is neutral.

Why does my new dryer have a 3-prong plug?

A 3-prong dryer cord was the standard for dryers prior to 2000. The National Electrical Code currently requires 4-prong dryer outlets in all new home construction. Existing homes may still use 3-prong outlets. The switch to a 4-prong outlet was due to a flaw in the 3-prong outlet design.

What do I do if my dryer plug doesn’t fit?

Replace the wiring from the dryer’s breaker to the receptacle with all new wires. 2. Replace the cord and plug for the dryer to match the outlet in the wall. The first option will bring the old wiring up to current code but this is time consuming and costly, and in some cases, not feasible.

Is it safe to use a dryer adapter?





This is against National Electrical Code standards and while it may be a quick and easy fix, its a risky move. A newer dryer run on a 3-prong system is an electrical hazard at best, even if nothing goes wrong, and a disaster if there is a short or loose wire.

How do you wire a 4-wire plug to a 3 wire?

Connect the ground wire of the 3-wire cable to the ground wire of the 4-wire cable. Connect the black wire of the 3-wire circuit to either the red or the black wire of the 4-wire circuit. The red and black wires are the”hot” wires. Either wire can be used to power a circuit.

Where does the green wire go on a 4-prong dryer cord?

Tip. Some dryers have a green ground screw in a different location, to the side of the terminal block or sometimes on the dryer housing. A green screw is for the ground wire, and that is where the green ground wire of the four-prong cord is connected.

What is the difference between a 3 wire and 4 wire dryer cord?

3-Prong vs 4-Prong Dryer Hookups: What’s the Difference? The key difference between a 3-prong and 4-prong dryer hookup is the wiring. The 3-prong dryer hookup has only two hot wires and a neutral wire. On the other hand, the more modern 4-prong dryer hookup has two hot wires, a ground wire, and neutral wire.

Which is safer 4-prong or 3 prong?



A four-slot receptacle, four-prong plug configuration is therefore somewhat safer than the older three-slot, three-prong method, since it has a dedicated grounding pathway that serves no other function.

Why do dryers have 4-prong outlets?

Today all newly installed outlets for dryers must be compatible with a 4-prong outlet. These updated outlets contain a separate ground that eliminates the possibility of a current traveling back to the machine. This also helps to avoid electrical shock or even fire.

Why do some 220 plugs have 4 wires?

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, which in the case of a 220/240-volt circuit can be fatal.

Can you wire a 3 prong outlet with 4 wires?



It’s not code compliant to use a 4-wire receptacle on a 3-wire cord and place a neutral ground bond inside the receptacle box. If you need to, you can either replace the existing 3-prong receptacle with a new one or use a 3-prong cord kit for the range.

Can you use a 3-wire on a 4 wire range?

In an existing installation (such as an older home built in the 1950s), it is considered Code-compliant for the kitchen range or the clothes dryer to be installed using a 3-wire cord and plug.

Can you run 220 with 3 wires?

A 220 volt outlet can take cables with 3 or 4 prongs. Not all 220 volt outputs use a neutral (white) cable, but all will have two hot wires (one red and one black) and a ground wire (green).

Do I need to ground a 3 prong dryer?

Have you wondered why this is or have you had trouble connecting your dryer to your home electrical dryer outlet because they don’t match? The old style of 3-prong dryer cords did not include a ground wire. Changes in the National Electrical Code now require dryers to be wired with a ground wire.

How do you wire a 3 prong 30 amp dryer outlet?



Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Which wires are actually connected at the main panel. And make sure that the right wire either the neutral or the ground wire is attached to the ground prong of that three wire outlet.