You will need to disconnect the dryer’s neutral wire from the ground screw to change the wiring configuration from 3-prong to 4-prong. The hot terminals are the two outer terminals, while the neutral terminal is in the middle. Then remove the three screws holding the wire ends to the dryer’s terminal block to disconnect the old 3-prong cord. Separate the fitting’s two parts and pull them out of the dryer hole. Remove the screws that hold the cord to the back panel of the dryer’s strain-relief fitting. It should be right above the cord’s exit point. Then remove the metal plate covering the cord’s wiring connections on the rear of the dryer. The steps for a typical cord replacement are as follows:įirst, unplug the dryer from the wall outlet. If you don’t feel comfortable performing this alteration, you can seek out the services of a handyman or an electrical contractor. With a little bit of time and patience, it is possible for the homeowner to replace their dryer cord. This allows the homeowner to select the cord that will work with the wiring in their home. In fact, because of how many homes have 3-slot dryer outlets, most dryers are sold without a dryer cord. If your dryer cord doesn’t work with the outlet in your new home, the easiest fix is to replace the dryer cord. Only 4-prong electrical cords will fit into these outlets, which feature four slots.

New dryer outlets must now be wired with separate neutral and ground wires as a result of the code change. The dryer’s equipment ground was connected to the neutral conductor in the dryer cable – the cable did not have a dedicated ground connection. Dryer outlets used to have 3-slots and took 3-prong wires before the updated code went into effect. In 1996, the wiring for electric clothes dryer outlets changed due to modifications in the National Electrical Code (NEC). This situation is common and the fix for it is thankfully very straightforward.

Their dryer cord doesn’t plug into the wall outlet and they’re not sure what the problem is. When homeowners with older dryers that have 3-prong connections move into a property with a newer 4-slot outlet, they may be confused about why their dryer cord doesn’t work.

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Four prong dryer plug