Dryer Electrical Connection 3 Prong

See an electric dryer installation with a typical 240 volt electric power cord wiring system.

Dryer electrical connection 3 prong. The national electrical code currently requires 4 prong dryer outlets in all new home construction. It wasn t until 1996 when the national electrical code nec was updated to require 4 prong dryer outlets in all new homes. 3 prong cord wiring for an electric dryer. Nearly all homes built before this time featured either a 3 prong outlet or range outlet slightly different than a typical 3 prong dryer outlet.

Connecting 3 wire and 4 wire dryer cords. After this update all dryer receptacles are required to have four wires instead of three. Due to changes in the national electrical code nec recommended wiring for electric clothes dryer outlets changed in 1996 before the change dryer outlets were 3 slot devices that accepted 3 prong cords. Lets look a how the electric dryer is wired and what to do if your cord does not match the plug.

Help with electrical wiring for a 30 amp 3 wire dryer outlet. Now a 3 prong outlet is outdated from modern electrical codes but is accepted if you already have one in your home. One of the updates in the 1996 national electric code was to require grounding on 220 volt circuits such as dryer outlet wiring. Wiring a dryer wiring a 240v dryer.

If your running a new circuit i highly recommend that you bring your outlet up to code and install a 4 prong dryer outlet. The code requirement doesn t apply to houses built before 1996 though. The dryer s equipment ground case ground was connected to the neutral conductor in the dryer cord and the household circuit. Make sure that the white wire is wrapped with black or red electrical tape at both ends of the cable to identify it as being a hot wire and not a neutral wire.

See below the difference between this diagram and the 4 prong outlet below is the addition of a neutral. Wiring a 3 wire dryer outlet. The switch to a 4 prong outlet was due to a flaw in the 3 prong outlet design. A gas dryer plugs into an ordinary 120 volt electrical outlet and it has a cord fitted with an ordinary appliance plug.

Existing homes may still use 3 prong outlets. An electric dryer on the other hand heats the air with electric heating elements and runs on 240 volt current which requires a much different outlet receptacle and a special heavy duty appliance cord with a unique plug. A 3 prong dryer cord was the standard for dryers prior to 2000.