I installed the dryer cord like the dryer diagram and the dryer was not working properly so I had an exchange. When sears came to install the new dryer they connected the neutral of the cord and the ground of the cord on the middle joint of the dryer. They told me I did it wrong on the previous dryer. Is this correct? I used a 4 prong cord and the outlet has the 4 wires all the way to the main panel.
2 Answers
Sometimes you read something and can't help but shake your head. The answer is no, they wired the dryer wrong. The ground wire is supposed to wire to the ground lug of the dryer as shown in the manual on page 15.
The ground on the dryer needs to be wired correctly to provide safety for anyone who touches a metal surface if a short in the electrical system were to occur.
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7It should be noted that although not correct, it WILL function that way, but it is LESS SAFE that way. The idea that you had it hooked up wrong before and that's why it didn't work would have nothing whatsoever to do with the ground wire connection. But what they did is not to Code and is potentially dangerous.– JRaefAug 31, 2018 at 20:08
Bootlegging neutral to ground is always wrong when both are provided. It creates not only a hazard for the dryer, but every ground in your house.
They are confused by the old, obsolete NEMA 10 type connections, which I'm sure they still see a lot of. Those did not provide ground at all. In those cases, an exception was made in code to ground the dryer's chassis to neutral. What could possibly go wrong?