Clothes Dryer Wiring

Local Building Codes

• The type of power cord your dryer requires depends on the building codes in place at the time of the construction of your home. Many older homes have a 3-pronged dryer cable, while newer building codes call for a 4-pronged cable. The difference in the codes is the method used to ground the dryer. In older homes, it was acceptable to use the neutral wire to ground the dryer; newer codes often require a dedicated ground wire, resulting in a fourth prong.

Types of Cords

• During the installation of your dryer, you either must connect a power cord or wire a conduit cable to the dryer. If you have an appropriate wall outlet near the dryer, use a power cord. If you don't have an outlet, you need a conduit cable, which wires the dryer directly to the home's electrical system.

Terminal Block

• The dryer's terminal block is the point at which the power cord or conduit cable connects to the dryer. The terminal block is located behind a cover on the rear of the dryer. The block has three terminals as well as a grounding screw. When connecting the wires to the terminal block, connect the white wire to the center terminal, the black wire to the left terminal and the red wire to the right terminal. If there are two black wires, connect the second black wire to the right terminal.

Grounding Strap

• The grounding strap runs from the grounding screw to the center terminal. When installing a three-prong cord or three-wire conduit cable, ensure that this strap is installed on the center terminal. When installing a four-prong cord or four-wire conduit cable, remove the grounding strap from the dryer and connect the green grounding wire to the grounding screw.