3 vs 4 Prong Cord for Range or Dryer
3 vs 4 Prong for Range or Dryer has been an issue since the introduction of 4 prong in 1996. Hi folks and I’m glad you found my page. This is a deep subject that I’m really going to have to dive into. Once upon a time, three wires were all that existed in any wiring in residential housing. Many years after the invention of electricity, someone decided they needed to add a fourth wire to mix. Honestly, I don’t know who or why, but that’s not what I’m here to discuss.
Difference between the Cords
Well, this one kinds speaks for itself. If you walk into your kitchen, look down at the receptacle on the wall where your oven is/should sit. Does it have three or four holes in it? Now go to the laundry room and look at that receptacle. Does that one have three holes or four? That is what will dictate if you need a 3 vs 4 prong cord.
The problem 3 vs 4 prong created
Onto the problem. First, let me explain exactly what the difference is between the 3 prong and 4 prong. A three wire system consists of two hot legs. Each of those wires carry roughly 120 volts, depending on your electricity provider. You will have a black and a white wire covered in insulation. The third wire will be a bare copper wire and is considered neutral. Back in the old days, it was connected to neutral in your breaker box which should have even been connected to a grounding rod going four feet in the ground. In other words, a ground wire.
In 1996 a 4 wire system came out that changed the game and still confuses “licensed electricians” today. Now they added a fourth wire for them to figure out what to do with. Oh, wait, that’s not all, the colors are NOT the same! Now we have black, white, RED, and a bare copper wire. What wire do I put where now?? If you remember what I said about three wire, black and white were the 2 hot wires. Now, it’s different. Black and RED are now the 2 hot wires. Now the he white is neutral, and the bare copper is ground.
The addition of this red wire confused so many “licenced electricians” that I just can’t understand. If they didn’t have a multimeter that checks voltage, what were they doing to start with. It’s very simple to check voltage in a breaker box. wiring, or a recpticle. If you can’t figure out the white wire is NOT giving 120 volts and the RED one is, said license needs to be revoked.
On to the 3 vs 4 Prong Cord for a Range or Dryer
All said above will apply to a range or dryer as well. You have 2 options depending on that receptacle you have on the wall. If you are putting a 3 wire cord on, that is super simple. The middle goes to the middle and the two outside wires don’t matter which way you place them on the outside. They both carry 120 volts, so they can be swapped. The middle wire just HAS to be in the middle.
The 4 prong setup is a little different. Now we don’t have all gray, we have black, red, white, and green wires on that cord. As said above, when you introduce the 4 wire system, that totally confuses people. Thankfully, appliance manufacturers have colored their wires the same. So, it sounds pretty simple, right? No, NOT so simple. Depending on the age, if your dryer/range has a white wire/brass bar connecting it to the middle screw, that MUST be removed. ESPECIALLY if connected to a ground fault breaker.
When connecting a 3 wire cord, leave everything alone. But, if connecting a 4 wire cord, you need to move the white wire to a grounding screw. If it was a copper grounding plate, you have to remove it completely. If you don’t break that connection and plug it into a Ground Fault breaker, it will trip it as soon as it’s plugged in.
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