Electrical – I have 10/3 wire. Can I replace the 3 prong outlet with 4 prong for a dryer

dryerelectricalreceptaclewire

In my house there was a 3-prong outlet for the dryer and when I opened it I saw that there is 4 wires and the ground and neutral are on the same terminal. Can I change the outlet to a 4 prong? The hot wires and neutral are 10 gauge, but the ground is 12.

Is this OK for the dryer?

Best Answer

First, separate neutral and ground at the receptacle, that should never have been done. Paralleling neutral is not allowed.

Second, go back to the service panel and make sure the neutral is on the neutral bus... And the ground is on the ground bus. Inside a main panel ("service equipment" as NEC describes it in RME's post above) don't be surprised if they use the same bar for neutral and ground. That is wrong to do in a subpanel.

Now install the new receptacle in the normal way. Hats off to the last guy for fitting the right cable.