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Question:

can a 4 wire dryer work with a 3 wire plug?

Broken dryer, 4 bladed wire, Old dryer available to me, has a 3 wire cord, can I swap the cords?

Answer:

Yes, download the owners manual, it will tell you how to the unground neutral, and use 4 wire cord, but generally you will just need to disconnect a jumper that connects the center terminal to ground, then connect the ground wire to the frame. Post the model number if you need help finding it. I am a little confused, it seems your first and second question are opposite, but doesn't matter, all dryers in North America can work with either type. The code says you have to use the 4 wire receptacle unless you only have three wires in the junction box. NEC 250.140 Frames of Ranges and Clothes Dryers Frames of electric ranges... shall be connected to the equipment grounding conductor... Exception: for existing branch-circuit installation only where an equipment grounding conductor is not present in the outlet or junction box, the frames of electric ranges...clothes dryers, and outlet or junction boxes that are part of the circuit for these appliances shall be permitted to be connected to the grounded circuit conductor... The Equipment grounding conductor is the green wire. The grounded circuit conductor is the white/neutral wire.
the guidelines basically recently replaced interior the previous couple of years requiring new properties to be geared up with the 4 prong recepticals rather than the three prong recepticals for 220 V merchants. in the experience that your dryer is fantastically new, interior the final 4 years or so... the twine that is hooked as much because it now could have the skill to be interchanged with a 4 prong twine by basically buyingh a 4 prong twine and screwing the eylets to the surprising connections at the back of your dryer. in the experience that your twine won't be able to be switched out, then i'd pass backward and replace the 4 prong container with a three prong container. i'd do it this sort so as that one and all your electric connections are interior a receptical, rather of having 220 Volt wires basically twine nuted at the same time.ok good success.

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