Fixitnow.com Samurai Appliance Repair Man.  The colossus of appliance repair help; washers, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, disposers, disposals, ovens, ranges, stoves.  Free repair help as well as subscriptions services available.
 
Our silly moto.

Appliance Repair Wisdom for the Ages


Appliance Parts
850,000 Parts (Including Sears-Kenmore)- 70,000 Photos! Return any part for any reason. Appliance repair parts and accessories shipped overnight.
Appliance Breakdown Diagrams
Cool, interactive diagrams that show you how your appliances are put together. A great troubleshooting aid!
Appliance Accessories
Specialty tools and test equipment for appliance repair, service manuals, water filters, cleaners, light bulbs, and tons of other accessories for all your appliances.

FAQs | Forum | Parts | Service | Store | Newsletter | Sitemap | Beer | Home


Click here to add this site's RSS feed to your My Yahoo page.
Add to My Yahoo
Subscribe to our site feed! (RSS format)
XML/RSS Feed

Saturday, August 28, 2004

Appliance Repair Revelation: The Mysteries of Dryer Cord Wiring

appliance tip of the day archiveWiring in a new power cord for your electric dryer? Upgrading your electric dryer outlet from the old three-prong to the new four-prong outlet? Well, grab hold of those two large lumps at the base of your spinal cord and let's romp through the wild and wacky world of dryer cords and outlets.


three-conductor dryer terminal--click for larger viewfour-conductor dryer terminal--click for larger viewThese two pictures illustrate the power wiring on a the terminal of an electric dryer. The one to the left here is the old-style three-wire configuration. Most people have this type in their homes. New code changes, though, require that dryers now have a four-wire cord, shown to the right. These are just just thumbnail pictures that you can click for a larger view. But I'll bet you already figured that out, didn't you?

Besides the number of wires in each cord, there are two important things to notice. First, in the four-wire configuration, notice that the dryer's grounding strap is folded back on itself. The whole point of the four-wire cord is to separate the ground from the neutral. The green wire (the "new" extra wire in the four-wire cord) is attached to the dryer cabinet. In the three-wire configuration, the grounding strap is left intact and the neutral and ground are tied together.

anatomy of a three-prong dryer outlet--click for larger viewanatomy of a four-prong dryer outlet--click for larger viewIf you need to re-wire the outlet, these pictures will explain the anatomy of the three-prong (left) and four-prong (right) outlets. Once again, these pictures are just thumbnails--click 'em for a larger view.


One more thing. All these pearls of dryer cord wisdom apply only to electric dryers--gas dryers use a standard 120v wall outlet.

Recommended reading: Electrical Requirements for Appliances.

For more information on your dryer or to order parts, click here.

the master revealing the mysteries of dryer cord wiring to his grasshoppers

Samurai Appliance Repair Man cast these pearls at 00:17 ET.  [permalink]
What's New at Fixitnow.com | |

3 Comments:

I bought a new dryer and need a 4 wire dryer cable that is longer than 6' - I want to stack the dryer on the washer so that I have some space in the laundry room. I can't find one anywhere (I live in Raleigh (Holly Springs)NC and now wonder if such a thing is available. Is this a code thing? ThX!

By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 10, 2006 11:21 AM  

Very helpful. Thanks.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at March 18, 2006 12:15 PM  

THe anatomy illustration is exactly what I needed. I was testing the outlet but didnt know what i was looking for. Thanks!

By Blogger stanke, at April 26, 2008 1:11 PM  

Post a Comment

click to return to the top of page

The Samurai Appliance Repair Forums Appliance Repair FAQ Live Appliance Repair Help

Appliance Repair, Tips & Help




Still not finding what you need? I can help. If I'm online, send me an IM and I can help you find what you need.

Recent Appliance Repair Morsels


Site Map

FAQs | Forum | Parts | Service | Store | Newsletter | Sitemap | Beer | Home

Search the vast repository of wisdom at Fixitnow.com:
 
Fill out your e-mail address
to receive our newsletter!
Subscribe Unsubscribe
I know, you're wondering how I do it--how did I manage to create the most awesome appliance repair website on the internet and be such a stud-muffin all at the same time?  My secret:  beer.  Lots and lots of beer.  Here's your chance to contribute to my debauchery.
Your Appliance Guru:
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Kicking appliance butt all over the globe.
"If I can't help you fix your appliance
and make you 100% satisfied,
I will come to your home and slice open my belly,
spilling my steaming entrails onto your floor."

URL: http://www.fixitnow.com
© copyright Live It Up LLC

Real Time Web Analytics