I just moved into an old farm house. The 3 prong dryer outlet has a different configuration than the 3 prong pigtail on my dryer. All three outlet connections are a flat. My dryer cord has 2 flat and 1 that is a 90 degree plug. Do I have to replace the actual outlet or is there a cord I can get to fit this old style?

Thanks,
Kelly

Usually you can purchase the cord you need

You may want to verify the wiring is adequate for your dryer. The 2 plug styles may be for different ratings. If your dryer draws less than the breaker feeding it, fine, go with the new cord or outlet. If your dryer draws more than the breaker, changing the cord bypasses a safety. Let's hope the breaker matches the wire.

The 3 flat blades are 50 Amps, the 1 with the 90 degree prong is 30 Amps.
I would change receptacle to match dryer, then change breaker to 30 amps

May I interrupt? You have 2 flat and 1 L shaped on your dryer cord which is a correct set up for a dryer. 3 flat is the correct set up for a range. Check your breaker and verify it is a 30 amp breaker for a dryer. Now change the receptacle from a range receptacle to a dryer receptacle. Ta Da! All better!

Here are pictures of each the 30 amp receptacle on the left and 50 amp receptacle on the right.

While you may have a 50 amp outlet and a 30 amp plug, using a 50 amp cord and plug on a 30 amp circuit is not a problem. However, since the circuit and appliance needs a 30 amp breaker, there is a possibility in the future of someone coming along with a real 50 amp appliance and being able to plug in and use the circuit, which will trip the 30 amp breaker by overloading the breaker.

I was thinking, If it had a 50 amp cord on it. In the future, someone may try to use on a 50 amp circuit.

It seems backwards to me to be able to plug a 50 amp dryer into a 30 amp outlet. We would hope the breaker does just what it is meant for.