GFCI protection dryers

[winnie]

That bare wire needs to go to the load side neutral terminal of the GFCI. If the cable is SE and from a main panel (not sub panel), that would be grandfathered legal and should work. ...Removing the jumper removes the safety bonding from the dryer frame, but the GFCI should save a person when being shocked by tripping.

Best solution is to install a proper 4 wire circuit. But that may be difficult and expensive. Or eliminate the GFCI and do it the old school way with a bonding jumper between neutral and the dryer frame.

I strongly with removing the frame bonding to use a GFCI. Now you would have a floating metal frame on an appliance that is supposed to be grounded/bonded, and are depending on the GFCI alone for shock protection.

I know that GFCI protection is permitted for ungrounded 120V circuits, but this would be creating an ungrounded circuit to use a GFCI.

Just install the 4 wire circuit and be done, or convince the AHJ to permit the non-GFCI circuit to remain.

 

[Captorofsin1]

Next Edition: 2026
Revision Cycle: Annual 2025 NEC
First Draft Report Posting Date:
July 10, 2024

Section 210.8 is on the table.

There any amendments to this code?

 

[Rick 0920]

Wire it up with a flush mounted disconnect with a #10 whip directly to the dryer. No GFCI needed as you have no receptacle. Indoor "outlets" in this case do not need GFCI protection. Beat them at their own game

 

[TheCats]

For those that aren't aware, electric dryers typically use 120V drum motors with 208/240V heating elements.

The drum motor is connected to one leg/phase and ground/neutral. The 240V GFCI isn't tripping from nuisance current, it sees the full motor current.

Using a 120V motor has two advantages. It allows common parts with gas dryers (which only need a 120V circuit), and it keeps the drum speed as designed when used with 208V ('apartment power' / two phases of a 3 phase supply)

Even quite old dryers bring the motor 'neutral' wire to wiring point for the cordset, making it easy enough to attach a 14-30P cordset. But that doesn't help when almost all houses were wired without the extra cost of a neutral conductor.

 

[suemarkp]

Even quite old dryers bring the motor 'neutral' wire to wiring point for the cordset, making it easy enough to attach a 14-30P cordset. But that doesn't help when almost all houses were wired without the extra cost of a neutral conductor.

I would argue that most houses were built without an extra grounding conductor for dryers, not a missing neutral. There was always an intended neutral. It was just a dual ground-neutral like a service neutral. Voltage on the dryer frame to earth will be the voltage drop in the neutral which should be pretty minimal since the motor load isn't huge and you have a #10 conductor. If that neutral comes loose or breaks, then you have a shock problem though.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

@Captorofsin1 You started this same thread at Electricians Talk and got over 60 responses telling you to do many of the same things people are saying here. I am not sure what you are ooking for.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

NYC was way ahead of the rest of the nation in reference to dryer and ranges. They have always required 4 wire as long as I can remember. I would bet they never allowed 3 wire cables.