Nice Connecting 4 Wire To 3 Wire Dryer
This is the requirement for new construction or when a new clothes dryer circuit is installed but older installations are allowed to retain their 3 prong 3 slot dryer cord and outlet configurations.
Connecting 4 wire to 3 wire dryer. Install the new 4 prong cord by inserting the loose wire end through the hole in the dryer s back panel and making the following connections. Connect the white cord wire to the center neutral terminal. This equipment grounding conductor is the missing wire in the older 3 wire configurations.
Step 1 remove the plate covering the electrical connections and remove the four screws holding the red white black and green leads in place. Connect the new 4 prong cord. It s much easier and much less expensive to replace the 4 wire whip with a 3 wire whip.
The 4th wire in that cord and plug configuration is an equipment grounding conductor. 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. 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.