Disconnect for water heater??

[dannygd3]

i hope those who have a 10-2 ran for their dryer wear their shoes while doing laundry! the fact that the ground and neutral have to be bonded at the main doesn't mean they're interchangeable, the ground wire can't act as the neutral. the least of the worries here is that the NEC states that the neutral must be identified by having stripes in the insulation, white or gray colored insulation (unless #6? i think? or larger then they have to be marked with phase tape) correct me if i'm wrong there's always something to learn

[dannygd3]

just because it's common doesn't mean it's right...the green from the dryer cord should be bonded to the dryer not to the neutral. go nuts and bond the neutral and ground as many times as you want at/before the main there's nothing in the code against that but after the main bonding them is against code with the exception of at a transformer which shouldn't really come into play in residential.

[dannygd3]

i've been doing this a while, not forever so i don't know what used to be allowed but the only time i've seen the 3 prong dryer receptacles is on remodel type jobs where the electrical installation was done before pulling a ground wire was the norm

[jimbo]

i've been doing this a while, not forever so i don't know what used to be allowed but the only time i've seen the 3 prong dryer receptacles is on remodel type jobs where the electrical installation was done before pulling a ground wire was the norm

That is correct, danny. The elect code changed sometime late '80s early '90s, requiring 4 prong for stoves and dryers . One of the electric gurus will tell us the exact year.

As far as I know, if the three prong is in place, you can still use it as long as you don't move or remodel. Installers need to understand the difference, because the new appliance may come "rigged" for 4 wire cord, so you have to rearrange the ground/neutral connections on the block per the install manual

[hj]

IF they build a "smart water heater" it will either be all 240, or it will have a cord and need a 120 receptacle near the heater.

[Hackney plumbing]

I think all electric water heaters should simply plug in just like a dryer.

[hj]

Again we are talking semantics, because the "neutral" in the SEU cable is carrying current, but NOT insulated by anything other than the sheathing. When the electricians wired my 3 prong receptacle, they did NOT even know what kind of cord my dryer had.