Maytag Performa Dryer Wiring

Power Requirements

• The heating element in your Maytag Performa requires a special appliance outlet, which must be installed by a licensed electrician. Appliance outlets, which are used for dryers and electric ranges, provide a 240 volt, 30 amp power supply, which is double that provided by a standard 120 volt, 15 amp outlet.

Cord Type

• The power cord used to power your Maytag Performa dryer has either three or four prongs. The number of prongs depends on the number of slots in the appliance outlet that is installed in the installation location. As an alternative, there may be a conduit cable provided at the point of installation in lieu of an appliance outlet. The conduit cable is wired in the same manner as the power cord, but it hardwires the dryer directly to the home's electrical system.

Grounding Methods

• Older building codes allowed appliances to be grounded using the neutral wire, requiring only a three-wire connection. New building codes call for a dedicated ground wire, which grounds the dryer to the earth through a fourth wire, resulting in the fourth prong.

Terminal Block Connections

• When connecting the wires to the terminal block, it is imperative that the black wire is connected to the left terminal, and the red wire is connected to the right terminal. The white wire must be connected to the center terminal on the terminal block. If installing a four-wire cord or cable, remove the grounding screw and discard the grounding strap, then connect the green ground wire to the grounding screw. If installing a three-wire cord or cable, allow the grounding strap to remain connected to the grounding screw, and ensure that the grounding screw remains connected to the center terminal.