Dryer outlet with no GRD. question

[zappy]

Customer bought a new stacked washer and dryer 220v. There existing outlet is three prong, cord on the wash/dryer four prong. So questions are: 1. Can i put a four prong outlet and put a sticker "no equipment GRD." 2. Change the cord to a three prong, and take a piece of 10awg wire and tie the GRD. and the neutral together.

 

[peter d]

Just change the cord on the appliance to a 3-prong and bond the neutral and ground together on the appliance if it's not done already. Don't even think of doing option #1.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I would first try and convince the owner to upgrade the wire to four conductors. If that was not the direction they wanted then I would do as Peter said--change the cord on the unit making sure the neutral and ground are bonded together.

 

[celtic]

Customer bought a new stacked washer and dryer 220v. There existing outlet is three prong, cord on the wash/dryer four prong. So questions are: 1. Can i put a four prong outlet and put a sticker "no equipment GRD." 2. Change the cord to a three prong, and take a piece of 10awg wire and tie the GRD. and the neutral together.

I'd suggest you spend some time with 250.140.

 

[Twoskinsoneman]

Can i put a four prong outlet and put a sticker "no equipment GRD."

This would be a violation of 406.3(B) (unless you GFCI it :wink and 250.140.

It would also be very reckless because there would be not return path for ground faults.

250.140 allows you to change the cord to 3 prong for existing circuits. Of course as was already mentioned don't don't don't forget to bond that neutral to the frame or again not fault path and dangerous.

 

[JohnJ0906]

Have you actualy taken the outlet out of the wall yet? Ive seen some 3 prong dryer outlets run in 10-3 romex, and the EGC was just pushed to the back of the box. You may be able to compliantly install the 4 prong receptacle.

Also, if the 4 wire cord is to remain, check to make sure that whoever installed it removed the neutral-to-EGC bond - it often isn't.

 

[electricmanscott]

Have you actualy taken the outlet out of the wall yet? Ive seen some 3 prong dryer outlets run in 10-3 romex, and the EGC was just pushed to the back of the box. You may be able to compliantly install the 4 prong receptacle.

Also, if the 4 wire cord is to remain, check to make sure that whoever installed it removed the neutral-to-EGC bond - it often isn't.

Good advice. This happened to me once. In my own house. Moved in and found three wire receptacle. changed cord to to match. Somewhere along the way I realized there was an egc doing nothing. Ten years later I changed everything to four wire. :grin:


If the appliance people installed the cord you can almost bet they left the bonding jumper and didn't use any strain releif on the cord.

 

[peter d]

Good advice. This happened to me once. In my own house. Moved in and found three wire receptacle. changed cord to to match. Somewhere along the way I realized there was an egc doing nothing. Ten years later I changed everything to four wire. :grin:

The old school way was to install the 10/3 in a single gang box. I even worked for a guy who did this. :roll: The 3 wire receptacles fit just fine, but the 4 wire receptacles have to be pushed in with a hammer - literally. They scrape the sides of the box.

 

[celtic]

The old school way was to ....

Isn't there something in the '08 that seems to address the hammering a device in issue?

 

[peter d]

Isn't there something in the '08 that seems to address the hammering a device in issue?

Yeah, but this was way back in 2000. :wink:

 

[PetrosA]

Isn't there something in the '08 that seems to address the hammering a device in issue?

Isn't that what the big metal plate on dimmers is for? Hammering, I mean...