Dryer Cord and Wiring Dryer 3 Wire or 4 Wire

If you have an electric dryer and need to change the style of cord that you have on the dryer on if you just need to install a cord on a new dryer, you may have questions about where the wires need to go. This tip will help you to figure these questions out.

Remember to ALWAYS make sure that all power is disconnected BEFORE beginning your work!!

On the back of your dryer will be a cover plate that will have the wiring connection lugs behind it. A screw or two will need to be removed to expose the connection point. Always remember to reinstall the cover after you have finished your connections.

If you have a 3 wire cord the plug will look like this.



You will have a red wire, a white wire, and a black wire, on the other end from the plug.
The black and red wires will go on the two ends to the matching colors. The white wire will go in the center. If you have a bonding strap make sure that you jumper that from the center lug to the frame of the dryer. If you do not have a bonding strap, then make sure to make one out of #10 ga. wire and a couple of crimp rings. Green wire is preferable.

The connection will look something like this.



If you have a 4 wire cord the plug will look like this



Here again, you will have the red, white, and black wires. This cord will also have a green wire. This wire gets connected directly to the frame of the dryer. With this cord, you do not need the bonding strap or wire. If you are converting from a 3 wire to a 4 wire then remove the old bonding strap if there is one there.

This connection will look something like this.



When converting from a 3 wire to a 4 wire you just REMOVE the bonding strap or wire and hook the green wire to the frame. If you are converting from a 4 wire to a 3 wire then you ADD the bonding strap or wire. It gets hooked from the center lug to the frame.

Always make sure that the outlet that you are plugging into is wire correctly also. The black and red are each 110 volt legs that have a voltage of 220 volts across them. The black and the red wires need to be wired to a double pole 30 amp. circuit breaker. The wiring needs to be a minimum of 10 ga. wire. The white or neutral wire goes to the neutral bar in the power panel and the green wire goes to the ground bar in the power panel.

By following this tip you should be able to hookup a new dryer or convert your existing dryer cord. Recheck all your connections before turning the power back on to the dryer.



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