4 wire dryer cord

[Brett Hartwig]

For a long time, our clothes dryer has been acting up...very loud, sounds like a thunderstorm is passing through. So, after 5 years of putting up with figuring we got a cheap dryer, we recently purchased a Whirlpool Cabrio. When I was switching over the 4 wire dryer cord, I think the old one was hooked up wrong. On the old one- the small white neutral wire from the dryer was connected to the green ground from the power cord, the white wire from the power cord was connected to the middle block, the black wire from the power cord was connected to the left block, the red wire from the power cord was connected to the right block. After reading on the internet, I believe the old dryer was connected as a 3 wire when it should have been a 4 wire. I think both white wires should have been together, leaving the green ground wire alone. Was that a dangerous situation all this time? Or could that have been the reason for the rough operation of the old dryer?

 

[Bob McDonald]

Without pictures and your talking about left/middle/right block has kind of made me confused.



Some assumptions I am making: The dryer is an Electric dryer and it is supposed to connect to a 220(240) AC circuit.



That being the case The green (ground) wire and white (neutral) wire are never supposed to connected together anywhere except in the main circuit panel box. The circuit run from the panel to the outlet should have been 4 wires. Anything else breaks code and 'could' be potentially dangerous.



Other than the potential of shock hazard, I don't think the mis-wiring would be a cause of 'rough' operation. But then again, I don't know what that description actually means from your perspective.

 

[Richard L]

Super easy !!



Just follow the steps in the YouTube video...it includes both 3 wire and 4 wire dryer hook ups.



for 220/240 power you need 2 115/120 volt lines and a neutral. The 4th wire is a ground ! The 3 and 4 wire cable makes it pretty much idiot proof.



:haveabeer:



...Rich