Dryer plug

[deberly12]

Not exactly tools but you guys are so helpful. I am in the process of redoing my bathroom with laundry in it. The old dryer plug was very sketchy... Wire shoved through a rough hole in the floor that hung loose up to a metal box half screwed to the drywall. Box was a in wall mount box and the cover was very loose.

Anyway the old plug was a 3 prong and my dryer was too. I bought a proper surface mount box and installed it. Ran the wire up inside the wall and brought it out directly into the box through the punch out. This is when it hit me that there was 4 wires. What do I do with the bare wire? I looked around online and everyone just said "do it right and get a 4 prong outlet and new pigtail." I would rather not go buy ANOTHER new outlet and pigtail.....

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[Richard Cranium]

Either you will need to purchase a new cord or a new wall outlet.

 

[bob15]

This should be in the Electrical Forum....not General Tools

Do it right and replace it.......

 

[Bellaireroad]

Are you installing a new dryer that needs a 4 wire plug, or the old one that uses a 3 wire plug?


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[KnurledNut]

Since you already have the wall outlet opened up, i wouldnt fool with replacing the cord on your dryer.
Id go get a three prong receptacle. Take your old one in and match it up.
Your four wires coming out of the wall should be red, black (both are hot), white (neutral) and bare copper (ground).
Look for a green screw on the outlet. Attach the bare wire to it.

 

[deberly12]

The dryer and the wall outlet are both 3 prong it is the house wiring that went to the old three prong outlet that is 4 wire. I didn't know because the old plug was a 3 prong also.

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[KnurledNut]

You have all you need, if thats the case. Follow the direction in my last post and you'll be set.

 

[deberly12]

You have all you need, if thats the case. Follow the direction in my last post and you'll be set.

Thank you this was my expectation from what i know of electric....you know...red being 120 down, black being 120 up, white being neutral, neutral being tied to ground in the box. I just like to have all my ducks in a row with 240... It isn't something to play with.

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[driz]

Here's my advice when I'm doing electric anthings start to get weird. Just go buy your stuff at a local electrical supply instead of a big box store. Take a few cell phone shots and or a drawing with measurements along in case you need a reference. Just tell the counter guy what you are doing and what you have to work with. He will set you up with the right stuff and will know all the codes and considerations so you don't have to. They also are a great source of free advice .
I usually use the big box stores for most things but found out long ago it's well worth the few bucks extra for the advice. So often they know of a simple solution or workaround that you wouldn't think of since you unlike him haven't done it for years.


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[sberry]

I would make sure of the terminations in the panel and convert to 4, it is a little expense but so much better and ready for the next replacement all at once. Buy a cord, or find one and a new recept.

 

[ssdave]

Sberry has it right. Do it right, do it once. Buy a new cord for your dryer, and attach the ground wire of that cord to the frame of your dryer. You will now have a safer installation, with protection from shocks if you have a fault occur in the dryer wiring. That is why the code was changed in the first place to require 4 wires instead of 3. If you buy a new dryer in the future, you will be ready for it that way also.

What I would caution you is, however you choose to do the job, do not connect the neutral and the ground together at your outlet. You have now caused the ground to be a current flowing conductor, which it should not be. Even if they are connected to the same bus bar at your breaker panel, they have entirely different functions, and the intent of electrical code is to insure that a ground is never used as a conductor.

If you choose to install a 3 wire outlet on a 4 wire circuit, just leave the ground unconnected, or ground it on the box if you are using a metal box. There is no benefit to bonding them together at an outlet, and possible bad outcomes.

 

[APEowner]

If it doesnt have one, you can jumper it with the white. They both go to the same place in your panel.

Do not do this! The only place that the neutral (white) and ground (bare copper) should be connected together is in the main panel.

If the box is metal than the ground needs to be connected to it, otherwise just shove the ground to the back of the box.

 

[sberry]

I found one a while back while moving a ciruit that had a 4 wire cord and left bonded at the appliance, done from an "appliance" store. You got to wonder how many there are out there.