Changing vintage 3-prong dryer outlets

If the box the outlet sits in is metal, one of the two hots may be touching it creating a short-circuit.
The two hots may be touching each other or even the neutral, again causing a short circuit.
If the black or red wire accidentally made it to the neutral post (intended for the whtite wire it will also short-circuit, as the neutal terminal is grounded right there at the outlet itself.

If you are having no luck:
Turn off the power.
Remove the outlet, tape off the wires and arrange them so that they are not touching anything (or each other). Turn power on.

The circuit-breaker should not now trip.
If it does trip, the insualtion has worn away and there is a short circuit BEFORE the outlet.
If it does not blow, turn off power and re-install outlet.

[Please use a tester if you have one to determine that all conductor are indeed dead before you "FRIZE" u-self.]
Black to red is 220v
Either of those colors to white is 110v

GOOD LUCK!

P.S. when working with live wires (which one should always avoid) it is best to put one hand in your back pocket. This way power can not enter via one hand/arm and exit via the other- thusly crossing through your heart. This is not a good thing.


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Post# 236513 9/13/2007 at 19:40 (6,068 days old) by moparwash (Pittsburgh,PA )
Checkrate/Likes Changed the 'old' 3-prong outlet the '59 GE range was plugged into to a 'new' 3 prong outlet..installed it EXACTLY like the old one, and when I plug the dryer in, the circuit breaker trips..any ideas?..Apologies if this is in the wrong forum!

Post# 236529 , Reply# 1 9/13/2007 at 21:28 (6,068 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY)
Checkrate/Likes If the box the outlet sits in is metal, one of the two hots may be touching it creating a short-circuit. The two hots may be touching each other or even the neutral, again causing a short circuit. If the black or red wire accidentally made it to the neutral post (intended for the whtite wire it will also short-circuit, as the neutal terminal is grounded right there at the outlet itself. If you are having no luck: Turn off the power. Remove the outlet, tape off the wires and arrange them so that they are not touching anything (or each other). Turn power on. The circuit-breaker should not now trip. If it does trip, the insualtion has worn away and there is a short circuit BEFORE the outlet. If it does not blow, turn off power and re-install outlet. [Please use a tester if you have one to determine that all conductor are indeed dead before you "FRIZE" u-self.] Black to red is 220v Either of those colors to white is 110v GOOD LUCK! P.S. when working with live wires (which one should always avoid) it is best to put one hand in your back pocket. This way power can not enter via one hand/arm and exit via the other- thusly crossing through your heart. This is not a good thing.

Post# 236530 , Reply# 2 9/13/2007 at 21:35 (6,068 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY)
Checkrate/Likes uhm. what prompted you to change the outlet? Was the breaker tripping BEFORE "surgery" Did you replace the power cord-(flex) on the stove? Does it only pop when the stove is plugged in? Did the gorunding strap (on the stove where the cord meets the terminal block) come lose and is it now touching something current-carrying like a "hot" conductor? Jsut trying to rule-out a legitimate breaker pop due to ground(earth)-fault. [i.e. a short-circuit in the appliance). The mere act of dragging the stove roughly could theoretically cause a short circuit.

Post# 236543 , Reply# 3 9/14/2007 at 00:40 (6,068 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)
Checkrate/Likes Sounds like Moparwash is using a range outlet for an electric 220 volt dryer. The outlets are similar, except that the dryer outlet has a 90 degree angle on the neutral prong receiver, while the range outlet has a straight neutral prong receiver. Also, the range outlet circuit should be fused at 50 amps, whereas most dryer outlets are fused at 30 amps. While a 50 amp breaker will work for a dryer, for best protection it should be changed to 30 amps. If the wiring is correct for the dryer outlet conversion, then I suspect that the dryer itself has a fault and is causing the circuit breaker to trip. Does the dryer work properly on any other 30 amp 220 volt 3 prong outlet? If it does, then the problem would be in the outlet you just re-wired. I'd check that wiring again.

Post# 236561 , Reply# 4 9/14/2007 at 05:12 (6,068 days old) by moparwash (Pittsburgh,PA )
Checkrate/Likes The old outlet had 3 straight blades, where the dryer plug has 1 with a 90deg bend in the blade..the range and dryer both worked before...thanks for the answers..Instead of fixing(screwing it up more)myself, I think I'll call a hot electrician and mix martinis!