The switch to a 4 prong outlet was due to a flaw in the 3 prong outlet design.
Dryer power cord 4 prong to 3 prong.
Up until the mid 1990s 3 prong outlets were the standard used in american homes.
When moving a newer electric dryer into an older house it s not uncommon to find that the cord and plug included with the new dryer doesn t fit the 240 volt dryer outlet.
Existing homes may still use 3 prong outlets.
Therefore the dryer s neutral was tied to the ground connection on the metal case of the dryer.
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While they can both effectively power a traditional dryer the 4 prong model contains an extra grounding wire as a preventive measure.
The national electrical code currently requires 4 prong dryer outlets in all new home construction.
A 3 prong dryer cord was the standard for dryers prior to 2000.
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Unfortunately few people understand the difference between 3 prong and 4 prong dryer cords.
In an effort to shed some light on this subject we re going to discuss the purpose of these cords and why there s a growing popularity for 4 prong cables.
The key difference in the wiring configuration between 3 prong and 4 prong cords is that with the older setup the 3 prong cord has only two hot wires and one neutral wire there is no separate ground wire.