I just moved into a new place and it has a 4 hole plug and my dryer is a 3 pin plug. I went to Lowe's and bought a new cord to match the outlet. Except, of course, it has 4 wires instead of three and the colors are different. White and red, I have in both places. Instead of green (new) I have yellow (on dryer) and the extra black wire. Anyone do this conversion? Or know of a site? There is a green wire with a yellow stripe just screwed onto the cabinet very near the pigtail connections but not as heavy a connection place. Or do they made adapters, like when you have a regular outlet for a grounded plug? Thanks Kitty

-- Swanlady (swan_lady2001@yahoo.com), March 23, 2002

Answers

Green = ground wire

Black =hot wire {120}

Red =hot wire {120}

White =neutral

Question does the yellow have a green stripe ?

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 23, 2002.

I think you're converting a dryer pigtail that had no provision for separate equipment grounding to a pigtail that does.

But your description isn't clear. And forget the old three-prong plug. Don't even talk about it. Describe the new pigtail:

Exactly what color(s) is each of the four connecting wires on the new four-prong plug pigtail?

And.....

Exactly what color(s) is each wire going to each terminal of the connecting block on the dryer?

I can tell you right now that the green wire with the yellow stripe is the equipment grounding jumper wire that grounds the entire dryer cabinet into the wiring system.

I can also tell you that if you wire this thing wrong the result will not be that the dryer just won't work. The result will very likely be a fireworks display like you've never seen up close before.

-- Hank in Oklahoma (hbaker@ipa.net), March 23, 2002.

Thanks for all your help. We got it installed and we didn't have fireworks! YEAH!

-- swanlady (swan_lady2001@yahoo.com), March 23, 2002.

Great! -- Glad you got it.

One more thing: I hope you didn't scrimp on the muscle when you tightened those terminals down. The first law of electrical wiring is "tight connections."

Heat-induced expansion and contraction at terminals which are not absolutely tight will cause them to become loose eventually and begin arcing, which will draw excessive amps, heat the whole thing up and possibly cause a fire.

-- Hank in Oklahoma (hbaker@ipa.net), March 23, 2002.