Questionable Dryer Cord?

[turbowoodworker]

My wife orders a new washer and dryer. She does her research and ends up with a Kenmore set that gets delivered when I'm at work. A few days later I notice the vent hose is fully stretched resulting in a lot of dead space so I pull the dryer from the wall to address that.

And here is what I find:

So I'm no expert sparky but I'm thinking that knife edge sheet metal on a vibrating dryer is going to ultimately gnaw through one or four of those 10/4 wires. Then somebody is getting shocked and boy will she be pissed.

 

[The Cobbler]

that's not good

I would be calling the store pdq to get that fixed.

 

[turbowoodworker]

I take the cover off, and yes I did unplug it first. I also find the white wire is proud of the connection and possibly very close to the all metal cover.
I'm thinking there is supposed to be a bushing or something there to protect those wires. My dad called them red devils when he worked with NM conduit.

So I think I have it fixed to where it is safe now. I also moved the white so it was not at risk of contacting the metal cover.

I'm thinking the tech who installed the cord is just a delivery guy with little training. But I also suspect someone could be hurt if he doesn't get trained.
What do you think?

 

[turbowoodworker]

My first thought was get the Sears guy out here now. Saturday afternoon, right. I start thinking it will be Wednesday before someone makes it out and my wife will be inconveinenced waiting for them, not to mention not have use of the appliance.

So I went ahead and fixed it but we took photos to notify Sears of some unsafe practices there.

 

[Shawn S]

That ******* Sears employee can reproduce, and vote!

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Just missing the strain relief as pictured above.

 

[Richard Cranium]

and the center screw is the neutral.

 

[Norcal]

Not a questionable cord, just a questionable installation.

 

[sberry]

Store people do it wrong all the time. The store owners obviously don't care enough to train.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Though I agree that adding a strain relief is a good idea. That sheetmetal is rolled so there is no metal knife edge hazard. If those crip connectors pass the UL pull test, additional strain relief may not be required.

 

[matt_i]

That sheetmetal is rolled so there is no metal knife edge hazard.

I disagree, its punched and the burr is on the back side of the hole. Its possible a second abrasive finishing operation is employed but there's no way to argue that the strain relief should not be used....

 

[lakeroadster]

So I went ahead and fixed it but we took photos to notify Sears of some unsafe practices there.

Nice repair turbowoodworker

 

[Platonic Solid]

I disagree, its punched and the burr is on the back side of the hole. Its possible a second abrasive finishing operation is employed but there's no way to argue that the strain relief should not be used....

I'm going strictly by UL test requirements (and I don't have the standard in front of me). My point is just because a strain relief is a very good idea, doesn't mean it's required in all circumstances.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Maybe the pic shows it as rolled, but it has a palpable burr. And in a vibrating machine meant to work daily for years, that condition was unsafe in my book.

When you purchase a new cord, there is a strain relief fitting in the plastic bag. The delivery boy just threw it away, I'm guessing.

(Thanks Lakeroadster. I'm always a little more proud of myself when I fix something that is not wood).

 

[welder4956]

When you purchase a new cord, there is a strain relief fitting in the plastic bag. The delivery boy just threw it away, I'm guessing.

Probably forgot to put it on the cord before inserting the cord into the hole and connecting the terminals, and did not want to take the cord back off to install the strain relief.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Welder, you are probably correct. The relief clamp I used was two piece so it was an easy install and I checked the dryer cords on the rack and Lowe's, they were all two piece.

And judging from your avatar, I'm betting you would never let laziness trump safety 'cause that gets ships sunk, right? I'm betting you've got some interesting hull maint stories.

 

[sberry]

Make sure its wired right too, the knob that did it probably doesn't know that either.

 

[Bert_]

Make sure its wired right too, the knob that did it probably doesn't know that either.

This ^

I can't tell you how many times I've seen the installer leave the Neutral-Ground bond connected when using a 4 wire cord

 

[turbowoodworker]

Thanks for that tip. I was sure to do this when I moved the white to avoid contact with metal plate.
I appreciate everyone's input.
Rick

 

[ishiboo]

This ^

I can't tell you how many times I've seen the installer leave the Neutral-Ground bond connected when using a 4 wire cord

After Lowes gave me the gas dryer that shot flames, they reluctantly came back with an electric dryer. After they left, I wondered what the chances were they did it correctly. Nope - 4-wire dryer for with the neutral/ground bond in tact. So I went over to my moms, who had a dryer installed and delivered several years earlier (IIRC) with a 4-wire receptacle. Sure enough, same thing there.

God knows how many they did wrong over that time period, and if they ever changed their ways. The store didn't seem to care.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Funny side story.
As a kid, we got a new fridge and we got one of the first auto ice makers. The Sears guy comes out to install the icemaker and sees a pipe outside the house near where the refrigerator sits. So guess what he drilled into for a small icemaker tap? Yah, it was the gas line! Lucky he was a nonsmoker.

 

[welder4956]

And judging from your avatar, I'm betting you would never let laziness trump safety 'cause that gets ships sunk, right? I'm betting you've got some interesting hull maint stories.

A few. Most involve submarine repairs or bars in foreign countries.