Can a Clothes Dryer Take a Universal Plug?

National Electric Code

• An electric clothes dryer uses a 220V electrical outlet for its power source. Some exceptions, such as apartment and boat dryers, use 110V outlets, but these are much smaller than a full-sized dryer. Other appliances that use a 220V outlet are electric stoves, air conditioners and water heaters. For many years, the standard outlet for 220V was a 220V 3-prong outlet but the National Electric Code, which is adopted nationwide as the government standard for electrical installations, switched over to a 220V 4-prong outlet for all new construction.

3-Prongs versus 4-Prongs

• A full-sized electric dryer must have either a 3-prong or a 4-prong plug depending upon how the outlet is wired. No universal plugs fit both outlets or allow a conversion of one to the other at the outlet. If your dryer cord has a 4-prong plug but the outlet is the older 3-prong model, you can install a new cord and plug the dryer into the wall for under $15, at the time of publication. Or, you can pay an electrician several hundred dollars to convert the 3-prong outlet to a 4-prong outlet.

Conversion

• A 4-prong outlet cannot legally be converted to a 3-prong outlet. However, converting the dryer electrical cord and cable from a 3-prong to a 4-prong plug can fix the problem, and it'll only take about $15 and 15 minutes for a handy person. The main difference between the two outlets and dryer connections is that with the 4-prong, the ground is separated from the neutral. In the older 3-prong plug, they are run together.

Cord Installation

• Most clothes dryers are sold without the electrical cord, which is purchased separately. Knowing the type of outlet you have is important when picking the correct cord and plug. Directions come with the cable and are the same with all dryers. The cord has three or four wires with spade connectors at their ends. You merely open the electrical panel on the back of the dryer, loosen the color-coordinated nuts from the proper bolts, slip the spade connectors on the bolts and tighten the nuts down again.