This is why it needs to be remembered that this whole 3-wire vs 4-wire "220V" thing ONLY applies to household cooking appliances and dryers, NOTHING else. Because the neutral carries current, and any compromise in this neutral would create a dangerous situating if a bare ground were used. THIS is why you use a neutral, NOT a ground, in "3-wire" dryer and range circuits. WHO Keeps perpetuating this dangerous MYTH? Yes, it definitely matters, and NO, the recommended way is NOT to use the ground wire instead of the neutral. "220v" is not only an incorrect term, it is only half of the circuit description. The configuration of the blades determines both. There are 240V receptacles and 120/240V receptacles. I'm more curious than lazy.įirst off, you cannot just go swapping "angled blade" for "straight blade" "220" receptacles without confirmation of what wires exist and what the amperage is. I should not be seeing any current through the grounding prong, so neutral as a ground should be OK. However - in the case of my air compressor, welder, and space heater, all of them have 3-prong plugs. This would give you a hot ground wire, potentially compromising the rest of your circuits? Seems to me the danger lies with converting 3-wire to 4-wire outlets (ex: some dryers), and using one wire for both neutral and ground. I know the recommended way is to use the ground wire instead of the neutral, but it got me thinking.does it really matter? Neutral goes to neutral bar, which goes to main breaker, and then bonds with the ground. The wires were connected to the subpanel as you would for a 4-wire 220V setup. The heater is made in the USA, runs very quiet, is controlled by a thermostat and easily heats a 20 x 20 garage with 10 foot ceilings.When changing out the 3-wire 220v outlet in my new garage for a straight blade vs angled-blade 220V design, I noticed that the PO had wired the two hots correctly, but attached the neutral to the ground blade and left the ground wire floating in the box. I bought the "King 5000-Watt Electric Garage Heater with Thermostat" and the 4 wire dryer cord for just around $200.00 and was able to save at least that much on labor by doing the work myself. The white cord wire I capped with a wire nut and a wrap of electrical tape after cutting the copper flush with the wire's insulation and tucked it safely out of the way. The black plug wire went to the heater's L1 and the red wire went to the L2 lug. The green plug wire I tied to the heater's internal ground wire with a wire nut. The dryer cord even came with a metal clamp used to secure the wire to the rear panel of the heater. The heater is made to be wired directly so any 220 volt cord or plug type can be used as long as the wire is 10 gauge or sized to handle the 22 amp load. I'm happy to say I've got a heated garage brew room now and it really feels good doing stuff out there without having to be all bundled up. The store had only one 220 volt 5,000 watt wall mounted heater left, it was on display and I was able to buy it for 10% off. I ended up buying a 4 wire electric dryer cord that is compatible with my existing 220 volt wall outlet. Just wanted to provide my latest update since yesterday.
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