the old one has four wires red black white and ground the new one only has a spot for three of them what do i do with the ground or what do i do with the neutral
2006-07-27 06:31:55 · 4 answers · asked by littleslix 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
You have the wrong receptacle. You need a 3-pole 4-wire dryer receptacle. Do not go back to the old 3-wire system as it is dangerous. This would also be a code violation.
The new 4-wire system separates the ground and neutral wires to prevent you from getting shocked from touching the frame of your dryer.
Do not connect the ground and neutral together as stated in another answer. The neutral has current on it. The ground is not supposed to have voltage or current unless there is a fault. By connecting these together you will have a problem with your ground system.
If you need further assistance, please visit -
http://electricalblog.gilchrist-electric.com
2006-07-27 08:41:05 · answer #1 · answered by gilchristelectric 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are not allowed to change a 4 prong dryer outlet to 3 prong by code. If you are trying to do this because your dryer has a 3 prong plug on it, get a new cord for the dryer. Remove the bonding strap connecting the ground and neutral in the dryer when you do this.
Another answer said connect the white and green together. NEVER NEVER EVER DO THIS!!!! That person said he didn't burn his house down. I made a campfire on my porch and didn't burn my house down. Just kidding, but my point is just because you don't have a problem does NOT make it safe. There are a lot of subtle things in grounding, and if you don't know what you are doing you shouldn't be doing electrical work!!
The old dryer method with 3 wires connected the dryer FRAME to the neutral, not the ground wire. They are two different things. Connecting the FRAME to the neutral is not as safe as the current method, but is not inherently dangerous. Connecting the ground to the neutral IS dangerous. Never do it!
2006-07-28 01:25:44 · answer #2 · answered by An electrical engineer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Red and Black are "Hot".. White is neutral, Green is ground.
Hook the white and green together.
I did this and I did not burn my house down.
2006-07-27 08:22:57 · answer #3 · answered by Bullfrog_53 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
change out the cord on your dryer. go to home depot, lowe's or the local hardware store. i recenty changed my 3-prong to 4-prong because the apartment outlet was different. you change change either way.
2006-07-27 06:36:35 · answer #4 · answered by more than a hat rack 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋