See below the difference between this diagram and the 4 prong outlet below is the addition of a neutral.
Dryer electrical connection 3 prong.
One of the updates in the 1996 national electric code was to require grounding on 220 volt circuits such as dryer outlet wiring.
A 3 prong dryer cord was the standard for dryers prior to 2000.
3 prong cord wiring for an electric dryer.
Wiring a 3 wire dryer outlet.
You may find yourself with either a 3 wire or 4 wire electric dryer or a 3 wire or 4 wire outlet.
If your running a new circuit i highly recommend that you bring your outlet up to code and install a 4 prong dryer outlet.
After this update all dryer receptacles are required to have four wires instead of three.
It wasn t until 1996 when the national electrical code nec was updated to require 4 prong dryer outlets in all new homes.
Now a 3 prong outlet is outdated from modern electrical codes but is accepted if you already have one in your home.
Existing homes may still use 3 prong outlets.
The national electrical code currently requires 4 prong dryer outlets in all new home construction.
The switch to a 4 prong outlet was due to a flaw in the 3 prong outlet design.
Wiring a dryer wiring a 240v dryer.
Due to changes in the national electrical code nec recommended wiring for electric clothes dryer outlets changed in 1996 before the change dryer outlets were 3 slot devices that accepted 3 prong cords.
Instructions on how to install a 3 wire power cord to your dryer.
The dryer s equipment ground case ground was connected to the neutral conductor in the dryer cord and the household circuit.
Lets look a how the electric dryer is wired and what to do if your cord does not match the plug.
Make sure that the white wire is wrapped with black or red electrical tape at both ends of the cable to identify it as being a hot wire and not a neutral wire.
Connecting 3 wire and 4 wire dryer cords.
Nearly all homes built before this time featured either a 3 prong outlet or range outlet slightly different than a typical 3 prong dryer outlet.
See an electric dryer installation with a typical 240 volt electric power cord wiring system.
The code requirement doesn t apply to houses built before 1996 though.
This configuration did not include a dedicated ground connection.