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When using 10-2 wire for a 3 wire dryer can the neutral wire be the uninsulated ground wire or does it have to be insulated?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
You need 10-3 PLUS ground for this 220v application. The ground is the only uninsulated wire. If you did it with 10-2, I would suggest re-doing it correctly ASAP. That leaves you without a neutral and potential for supply to go through grounding wire to breaker box (or through a person to ground, causing electrocution).
Clarification: you do not need three current-carrying conductors for all 220 v applications. There is no neutral in 220, so you only need two "hot" leads and a bare safety grounding wire. If the appliance (as here, a dryer) actually needs 110 in addition to 220, then yes, you need 10/3 cable, plus grounding wire.
First of all the word "shield" in electricity refers to blocking magnetic flux. What you meant to say is "insulated" which means to block conductivity. When #?-2 NM w/ Ground wire is used in a 240 volt circiut, there is no neutral conductor. You're connecting the black and white wires hot and the bare wire as equipment ground in the distribution panel. On the dryer a 3 wire cord is connected with the neutral and ground terminals jumpered, so that the ground wire ran to the dryer serves as both ground and neutral. This is how dryers have been wired for many years in most of North America. Electrically this works because ground and neutral have the same electrical potential. Technically, however, it's wrong because a ground wire shouldn't be used as a normally current carrying conductor, and in the case of a dryer, the motor and control circuits are 120 volt, causing a small current flow in the ground conductor with a 3 wire supply.
The real question is: Does a residential dryer require a separate neutral conductor or just a ground conductor? The same question asked differently does a residential dryer require a #10-2 or #10-3 supply cable?
The answer is: If this is an existing dryer supply, a #10-2 cable with a 3 prong cord will work just as well as it has for decades, but if this is a new installation, a #10-3 cable and a 4 prong cord is required to abide with current laws.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoIf your electric dryer (meaning the heating element is electric, not gas) has a neutral you need 4 conductors: 2 are hot, 1 is neutral, one is ground. Neutral should always be insulated.
If your electric dryer does not have a neutral you need 3 conductors: 2 are hot, one is ground
The ground in either case can be bare.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoNo, the dryer must have separate ground and neutral lines.
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Why 4 wires for dryer?
The dryer is a 240v dryer so two of the wires are your hot wires, or the ones with power on them. One is your ground wire. And the forth is your neutral.
How do you put on a four prong outlet on a roper electric dryer?
Black & Red are hot, and White is neutral. If it has no place to connect neutral connect neutral to ground.
Can groundwire be together with neutral wire at the dyer?
Ground and neutral should only be connected at the main electric panel to prevent parallel neutral currents. If it is a new installation, you must provide four wires (two hots, 1 neutral, & 1 ground) and connect to the four separate (appropriate) places on the dryer. If it is an existing installation and it only has three wires (two hots and a neutral) connect the neutral to both the neutral and ground connection of the dryer (the National Electrical Code allows this exception for older homes). Call a qualified electrician to do any electrical work.
Why are you reading 230v between neutral and hot on a dryer receptacle?
it is a miss-wire, check what voltage you get between ground and the other hot!
Ground wire burned and broke in half right where cord attaches to back of dryer Why did the ground wire short out on my electric clothes dryer?
The ground wire is NEVER used to provide a reference to create 110v for the controls of the dryer. That is the job of the neutral wire and why dryers are fed with a three wire cable. With the loss of the neutral the dryer would not start as it needs the 120 volts to bring the heating contactor and the motor contactor into activation.In many cases, the ground wire is used to provide a reference to create 110v for the controls of the dryer. With the loss of the ground, the dryer's control circuitry 'floated' as high as 220/240 volts.Usually, the small electric motor that drives the control knob can not handle these voltages, also the control contacts and any additional coils will burn up as well.There could be extensive damage, and may not be worth repairing the dryer.
Can you install a dryer outlet using the bare copper as a neutral wire in an older house?
Technically, yes you can. However, this is one of the most dangerous things you can do in electrical wiring. It's not only against the code, it's a fire waiting to happen. Don't do it! Understand, the neutral wire is a conductor. It carries current. It needs to be an insulated wire. Also, if you use the bare copper (ground) wire for a neutral, you have taken away the earth ground from the circuit, eliminating short circuit protection. If the dryer motor shorts out it will burn up. (fire again) A residential dryer requires a 30 amp 220 volt circuit breaker in your panel and a # 10 gauge wire with three conductors (insulated) and a bare ground. Have a qualified electrician install it.
Why 4 wires for dryer?
The dryer is a 240v dryer so two of the wires are your hot wires, or the ones with power on them. One is your ground wire. And the forth is your neutral.
How do you put on a four prong outlet on a roper electric dryer?
Black & Red are hot, and White is neutral. If it has no place to connect neutral connect neutral to ground.
Can groundwire be together with neutral wire at the dyer?
Ground and neutral should only be connected at the main electric panel to prevent parallel neutral currents. If it is a new installation, you must provide four wires (two hots, 1 neutral, & 1 ground) and connect to the four separate (appropriate) places on the dryer. If it is an existing installation and it only has three wires (two hots and a neutral) connect the neutral to both the neutral and ground connection of the dryer (the National Electrical Code allows this exception for older homes). Call a qualified electrician to do any electrical work.
Can you plug your washer and dryer into the same socket?
No. They are two different voltage and amperage rated pieces of equipment. Also, a dryer does not use a common (neutral) wire. It uses two separate 110 volt legs, and a ground. The washer uses only one 110 volt leg, a neutral, and a ground.
Why are you reading 230v between neutral and hot on a dryer receptacle?
it is a miss-wire, check what voltage you get between ground and the other hot!
Ground wire burned and broke in half right where cord attaches to back of dryer Why did the ground wire short out on my electric clothes dryer?
The ground wire is NEVER used to provide a reference to create 110v for the controls of the dryer. That is the job of the neutral wire and why dryers are fed with a three wire cable. With the loss of the neutral the dryer would not start as it needs the 120 volts to bring the heating contactor and the motor contactor into activation.In many cases, the ground wire is used to provide a reference to create 110v for the controls of the dryer. With the loss of the ground, the dryer's control circuitry 'floated' as high as 220/240 volts.Usually, the small electric motor that drives the control knob can not handle these voltages, also the control contacts and any additional coils will burn up as well.There could be extensive damage, and may not be worth repairing the dryer.
When connecting a 4 prong cord to a new dryer red and black are hot What are the green and white wires?
Green is ground and white is neutral.
What are the NEC requirements if a laundry circuit is to be installed in a basement of a dwelling for a washing machine and the dryer will be connected to a 30A dryer receptacle?
== == The washing machine outlet should be ground fault protected on 12-2 wire. The 30 amp dryer circuit should be on 10-3 wire with a ground. Laundry receptacle outlet for washer, 12/2 with ground yes! GFCI required if receptacle is within 6 feet of sink or duplex receptacle rather than single receptacle [but a GFCI isn't a bad idea anyway...Dryer, 10/3 with ground and 4-wire outlet and cord set connection at dryer location! NO NEUTRAL BONDING LINK!1) NEC requires a disconnecting means [plug and receptacle works] if equipment [dryer] is not within sight of the power source [in this case, if the panel is in the garage]2) You were never allowed to use the ground wire to carry neutral current, so you need an insulated white or grey neutral [this means three wire]3] You are not longer allowed to use the neutral jumper at the terminal in the dryer for a chassis ground [with certain limited exceptions - existing ungrounded three wire cable and new dryer] Ground wire goes to chassis. As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.Before you do any work yourself,on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOBSAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Is a ground fault protection for equipment required even if the neutral will not be used?
Yes, ground fault protection for equipment is requiredeven if the neutral will not be used.However, the question implies that it might not be required if there is a neutral. That is not true. With two exceptions, ground fault protection is always required in the US, and it is probably required in other countries as well.The exceptions are the use of an electric cooking range, and an electric clothes dryer. In those cases, the US NEC allows the neutral conductor to also be the ground fault conductor, except for the case where the range or dryer is in a mobile home. In the case of the mobile home, the ground fault conductor and the neutral conductor must be maintained separate and distinct all the way back to the distribution panel.In every other case, including where local code overrides the US NEC's exceptions, it must be understood that ground fault protection (protective earth ground) is not the same as neutral, even though the neutral conductor is grounded.
What is the difference between a 4 prong dryer outlet and a 4 prong stove outlet?
The four blade dryer plug brings a separate ground wire from the machine to the electrical grounding system. The three blade dryer plug depended on the neutral wire of the plug to make this connection.
Can you plug a four prong dryer into a three prong outlet or is there an adapter you should use?
=== ====== === Old practice [accepted by National Electrical Code requirements] allowed the frame [chassis] of dryer to be bonded to the neutral conductor by a link to provide ground. New NEC requirements call for separation of neutral and ground paths. In a new house, or if you install a new cable to feed the dryer, you would be required to run a wire with an insulated neutral and a ground wire [10/3 with ground - 4 wires]There are 2 possibilities:One is that there is actually a 4-wire cable feeding that outlet, in which case you CAN change the dryer outlet to a 4 wire type - you just have to put the right wires on the right terminals and make sure the ground is connected in the panel. [Even though we only used 3 wire outlets, most electricians I know had run 10/3 with a ground for dryers in case the unit got hard-wired, which used to be allowed.]The second possible answer is that you are allowed [unless your township or city doesn't allow it - always check with them first] to establish a ground-to-neutral link inside the dryer unit for the chassis ground and replace the 4-wire plug with a 3-wire plug. [See NEC Article 250.140] Answer Some dryers also have devices (such as lights and the timer) that run on 120 volts. These need a neutral that is separate from the protective ground.I got a new dryer yesterday... the plug on it has four prongs and my old one has three prongs. So can the old three prong plug be taken off my old dryer and be put onto the new dryer? I notice my old three prong plug is not color coded like the one on the new one. Also when I took the old dryer off and unplugged it, a green ground wire was still fixed to it (the old dryer), so how would I ground the new dryer being that it only has three prongs? Thanks in advance. === ===
