I have a home under renovation and had electrical work done recently. For some reason, the electrician put in a NEMA 6-50 receptacle for the dryer. I have a dryer with a common four-prong plug. So I suppose I have to install another receptacle or find a cord to convert the dryer to fit a 6-50 outlet. There are three wires into the back of the receptacle, one white, one black and a ground. Would it be as simple as getting a different receptacle and replacing the 6-50? Or are there amperage or some other issues here that I don’t understand. I have never seen a 6-50 receptacle used – any idea why the electrician didn’t use a standard four-prong receptacle?
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The "standard 4-prong
The "standard 4-prong receptacle" has only been "standard" for about 20 years, and should only be installed if the wiring is 4-conductor. If the cable he used was already in place it's likely ony 3-conductor. If he installed new cable he probably should have installed 4-conductor, though I'm not sure this is the code requirement for dryer receptacles or only range receptacles.
In any event, unless you get the receptacle changed you should get a 3-prong "pigtail" installed on the dryer. Don't attempt to install an adapter, and don't install a 4-prong receptacle on a 3-conductor cable.
Electric Dryer Receptacle.
The wiring from the fuse box to the receptacle has three wires, one black, one white and a bare ground, but I can not find any plug that I can put on the dryer to go into the 6-50 receptacle.. I have a three prong wire with plug I can put on the dryer that will fit a three prong receptacle, but not the 6-50. Could I just change the 6-50 receptacle to an old style three-prong receptacle? And if that is possible, as I face the receptacle, which connection will take the white wire, which will take the black?
The three wire cable is new - why would the electrician use a 6-50 receptacle, which seems to be very rarely used, instead of putting in a four wire cable and a four prong receptacle? The fuse box is only six feet from the dryer receptacle.
Dunno about code issues re swapping in a different 3-prong -- I'm not a code lawyer.
It's vaguely possible that there would be some reason that a 4-conductor cable wouldn't be "legal", if breaker panel is old enough, or there's something weird about how it's fed. You'd have to ask an electrician.
From an electrical standpoint, in a 3-pin 240V receptacle it doesn't matter which pin white and black go on, but there may be a code thing about it anyway. (Note that it DOES matter very much with a 120V receptacle.)
Electric Dryer Receptacle.
You know, please disregard all that I just asked. I need to get the electrician out to run a four-wire cable like I think he should have done in the first place. But I still don't understand why he ran a three wire cable and used a receptacle that no dryer plug will fit. Was he saving money? Would a four wire require a more expensive breaker? Do you think he had a 6-50 receptacle from another job and didn't have a use for it?
I thank you for your time.
Have no idea what was going on here. He may have simply grabbed the wrong receptacle (though one would think he would have noticed).
That is the right answer. Get him to do it right.