My wife wants a new dryer

[joec]

Now I find out the new dryers come with a 4 prong plug and I have a 3 prong. Before I call an electrician, can anyone explain my options? I hear maybe I can change the plug cord back to a 3 prong? As this washer/dryers in going into a existing cabinet system, I do not have any good option beyond this.

 

[kserdar]

Converting a 4-Prong Dryer Cord to Fit a 3-Slot Outlet

One common electrical problem is when a 4-prong clothes dryer cord won't fit a 3-slot outlet. Learn how you can remedy the problem.

www.thespruce.com

 

[ssmith]

The 4th wire is the ground connection and newer dryers are built with it connected to the chassis for safety reasons - it’s not wise to let it float or connect it to the neutral since that defeats its purpose.

Because of that, your best option is to hope 4 wire cable (hot/hot/neutral/ground) was run from your panel to the box the receptacle sits in. All you need to do then is replace the 3 wire receptacle with a 4 wire one, then use a 4 wire cord on the dryer.

If the cable feeding the box is only 3 wire, the best solution would be to pull a new 4-wire cable from the panel. As the other alternative code MAY allow you to use the 4 wire dryer on a 3 wire circuit, but safety is compromised.

 

[junquecol]

Think how many MILLIONS of dryers and kitchen stoves are on three wire plugs. Ever hear of one causing a problem. Mobile homes don't allow three wire plugs, as frame of home could become energized. When I built my last house (1990,) if the stove or dryer was wired with SE cable, then only three wire was required. If it was wired with Romex type cable, then four wire was required. DUH!

 

[Gotcha6]

I had a similar situation on my recent kitchen remodel. New range and oven. Oven was 240v 20 amp so I wired with 12/2 w/ ground, standard Romex wire. Installation instructions for oven said to tie ground & neutral wires together if no separate ground wire was available, as neutral was for any load imbalance should any circuit in the oven be actually 120v. As for the cook-top, It was wired with 6/3 w/ground with a glass surface induction burners and only required ground and 2 hots, neutral not needed, but I couldn't find 6/2 w/ground in Romex. Left the unused neutral in the panel and the junction box for the oven capped off. Possible solution for safety may be to buy a GFCI 2 pole breaker of adequate size for the dryer circuit. I know they have them in 50 amp for pools and such but not sure about the usual 30 amp dryer size.

 

[Gofor]

A common problem with an inexpensive solution:

https://www.amazon.com/3-prong-4-adapter-dryer/s?k=3+prong+to+4+prong+adapter+for+dryer

 

[joec]

I knew you guys would solve this. Thanks for all comments.