Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    orange3369's Avatar
    orange3369 Posts: 10, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Dec 9, 2012, 08:18 AM
    Replacing a 4prong dryer cord with a 3 prong
    I am wanting to replace a 4 prong dryer cord with a 3 prong. How do I do this and hook up a ground? Mother in law is worrying the mess out of me and I'm no electrician!! Lol Thanks
    drtom4444's Avatar
    drtom4444 Posts: 3,282, Reputation: 145
    Ultra Member
    		  
    #2

    Dec 10, 2012, 01:02 AM
    All you do is jump between the Neutral (silver) screw and the Green ground lug with the strip of brass supplied, or a wire. You then attach the center terminal to either the ground or neutral terminal and the two hot wires on the brass terminals. If you do it wrong it will blow a breaker. This is very easy to do, but make sure to tighten up all screws in the breaker box and on the dryer, in fact, you need to use the largest electrician's screwdriver (round with insulated shaft) you can get to fit screws without breaking anything and tighten all the screws in the breaker box and on receptacle before you turn on the power. The problem is that the screws in a breaker box loosen over time from heating and cooling 1000s of times. If you notice any burned wires call an electrician. Loose wires cause house fires and are the number one cause of fires. You really should go around to all outlets and switches and tighten the screws there, too. When you are using appliances that draw a lot of current you can burn down your house if you have loose screws in receptacles and in the breaker box.
    orange3369's Avatar
    orange3369 Posts: 10, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #3

    Dec 10, 2012, 08:21 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by drtom4444 View Post
    All you do is jump between the Neutral (silver) screw and the Green ground lug with the strip of brass supplied, or a wire. You then attach the center terminal to either the ground or neutral terminal and the two hot wires on the brass terminals. If you do it wrong it will blow a breaker. This is very easy to do, but make sure to tighten up all screws in the breaker box and on the dryer, in fact, you need to use the largest electrician's screwdriver (round with insulated shaft) you can get to fit screws without breaking anything and tighten all the screws in the breaker box and on receptacle before you turn on the power. The problem is that the screws in a breaker box loosen over time from heating and cooling 1000s of times. If you notice any burned wires call an electrician. Loose wires cause house fires and are the number one cause of fires. You really should go around to all outlets and switches and tighten the screws there, too. When you are using appliances that draw a lot of current you can burn down your house if you have loose screws in receptacles and in the breaker box.
    Thanks dr. it is an old house and it still has a fuse box instead of breakers! I don't want to burn down mother in laws house;) should I let an electrician do this to be safe? Barry
Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions
 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

When changing dryer cord from a 4 prong to a 3 prong cord [ 1 Answers ]

Is it necessary to use an grounding strap/wire to connect (N) neutral to (G) ground or can I simply connect the ground wire which is located originally on the body of the dryer to the neutral?

Is it possible to change a four prong dryer cord to a two prong cord? [ 4 Answers ]

How do I change a two prong outlet to fit a four prong dryer cord for a stackable washer/dryer unit? Will this cause a problem with the circuit? I have 100 voltage according to the breaker box.

How to change a3 prong cord to a 4 prong cord for an electric dryer [ 2 Answers ]

I moved into a house that has a 4 prong outlet and my dryer has a 3 prong cord, how do I go about changing the cord. I called an electrician put the job is to small for them to come. My manual only has about the where to put the neutral and the grounding wire but does not explain which screw to put...

Replacing a four prong cord with a three prong cord [ 1 Answers ]

Kevin, I am also replacing a four prong cord with a three prong cord. Can I cut a length of green wire off the old four prong cord and use that as a jumper for from the neutral to the frame?

What do I do with the white wire when converting a 4-prong dryer cord to a 3-prong? [ 2 Answers ]

I moved into an older house and have a brand new Maytag Bravos dryer. I took the 4 prong cord off and there is a white wire that was installed under the middle prong of the 4 prong cord. The white wire is part of the dryer... it comes from a bunch of wires inside the dryer. I am now putting a 3...

View more questions Search