I moved my laundry room, so consequently, I have to run new dryer wiring. The dryer came with a 4 prong pigtail. I have run #10-3 w/ ground. Hooked up 4 prong receptacle. Problem is. there is no ground block in my box. The old wire was 10-3 with no ground. Do I ground to the neutral block or run the ground elsewhere? Thanks in advance.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Fine Homebuilding's editorial director has some fun news to share.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Wow. Do not, repeat do not, ground to the neutral. Call an electrician.
You have a ground connection in your service box, trust me. I don't know if you have a ground in your old dryer box (one would hope so) but if you don't you will have to run new cable from the service panel to the new box.
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927
Calling an electrician is a good idea, but if your panel is a main panel (and not a sub panel) you can connect the ground and neutral to the same bar. The ground and neutral are bonded together in main panels (or, in older boxes, are the same bar).
It sounds like you might be a bit short of sufficient electrical wiring knowledge and experience, though, to tackle this on your own, unless you're willing to do the homework to be sure you've got it right.
You are running the new wire back to the main panel, right? Do you have the right guage wire for the dryer? (10 guage will usually do it, assuming it's copper, but has to be equal to the dryer requirements.) The right capacity circuit breakers?
Edited 8/19/2002 7:01:14 PM ET by Bob Walker
Thanks for the reply. I don't have the sufficient electrical knowledge - that's why I'm asking before I fry something. I'm running new wire (10 ga is what's required for the dryer) and have a 30amp breaker (also OK). The box is old - all 2 wire non-metallic. I've got a call in to my electrician - I just hoped this might be one of those "done it thousand times" problems.
gl
Can I buy you a drink, or do you just want the money?
I often wonder what the deal is with our jurisdictions. Seems we all pretty much follow the NEC but out here (Oregon) standard clothes dryers, with 30 A. breaker, must be wired with #8 copper.
(Just an observation).
Is the panel you are running the cable to the first point of disconnect or is it fed by another panel up the line? If it contains the main breaker closest, electrically, to the meter there will not usually be a separate ground bar. At the first point of disconnect the neutral and the ground bars are one and the same bar.
If this is a subpanel there, assuming there are some 120v loads and so a need for a neutral, should be a ground bar and a neutral bar. The ground bar, in a subpanel, should be electrically isolated from the enclosure. The ground bar needs to be bonded with the enclosure.
At the first point of disconnect the neutral and the ground bars are one and the same bar.
I think this is a regional thing and what the various elctricians are used to using. Most newer panels in my area do have two neutral/ground bars, one running up wither side ot the breakers, and they are bonded together with a bar across the bottom (or sometimes the top.)
But there are some brands with just one bar in the panel, of course.
Electrically the bars when connected become one bar. This is the configuration for the first point of disconnect. Take out the the connecting piece and they become two and so configured as a subpanel. But for a bonding jumper both would be isolated from the enclosure. When the two bars are separate the jumper bonds one to the enclosure. This bar becomes the ground bar in a subpanel. The other bar becomes the neutral and isolated from the enclosure.
No, not unless things are mighty strange around your parts, it's not a reigonal thing. National Electric Code(NEC) thing.
Edited 8/20/2002 12:22:51 AM ET by 4LORN1
No, not unless things are mighty strange around your parts, it's not a reigonal thing. National Electric Code(NEC) thing.
Well, I think most people would call that 2 bars bonded together, not one.
BTW, you'd be amazed at the regional differences in construction, even with electrical. I see them all of the time through discussion on a private HI forum.
For a minor example, I see a lot of push-matic type boxes in my area, other inspectors rarely if ever see them and I've seen pitures of equipment used elsewhere that just doesn't get used where I am.
Bob,
The main difference that 4 was referring to is between a main panel and a subpanel. Main panels have the neutral and ground bus bars electrically connected, subpanels, if done per code, do not. I understand that every village, county and city has the authority to ammend the NEC, but most ammendments, that I've seen, are more restrictive, not less so. But with every other AHJ (authority having jurisdiction), logic is not a constant.
Pushmatic-type main panels were fairly common at one time, I had one in my last house, but they are usually replaced when the service is upgraded.
Tim