3 prong 50 amp plug to 4 prong 50 amp ????
We lost a good camping friend last night to a sudden heart attack and will be going up to their place to help out with the family/wake/funeral. He has a 3 prong 50 amp outlet on side of garage which ...
Forum Discussion
Lots of good discussion here and most are correct. The actual difference in 3 prong vs 4 prong is the NEC "National Electricians Code". I used to be licensed years ago as a Journeyman Electrician. Most all new dryers and other items have a 4 prong. The code still allows 3 prong on welders as they ground through the welding rods or wires.
As has been stated, a circuit only requires 2 wires, one to provide the power & one to return or close the circuit. Thus, the old 2 prong plugs. As safety got better, it was realized that a ground was needed to be added to the chassis of the device to prevent shorts directly to or thru people. The code changed & a ground was added to allow the path of least resistance and try to prevent people from getting hurt when shorts occur. A GFI breaker will see this and kill the power as there should never be voltage on the ground in normal operation.
It is true that the ground and neutral in all breaker boxes connect to a single point (110 & 220v only) (408v or greater is a different story). The voltage can travel back to the electric company on their neutral and to the earth through the grounding rod.
Think of a 4 prong plug having 2 circuits (which it does) and you see the need for the fourth wire. 2 wires carry the hot (110 on each leg) and one wire (called neutral - typically white) to carry the current back to the panel from the electrical device. That is 3 of the 4 wires. The last wire is the ground used as safety. You can normally find the ground wire attached to the chassis of whatever the plug is coming from. No different than any 3 prong plug we see today.
What it really comes down to is ones knowledge of electricity and comfort level of wiring. I highly recommend that if there is any question, please contact a license electrician to prevent anyone from getting hurt. In my years of an electrician, I saw many mistakes even by licensed electricians and they got hurt bad. Even with just 110v.
Just want everyone to stay safe and keep enjoying life & their RV!!! :)
As has been stated, a circuit only requires 2 wires, one to provide the power & one to return or close the circuit. Thus, the old 2 prong plugs. As safety got better, it was realized that a ground was needed to be added to the chassis of the device to prevent shorts directly to or thru people. The code changed & a ground was added to allow the path of least resistance and try to prevent people from getting hurt when shorts occur. A GFI breaker will see this and kill the power as there should never be voltage on the ground in normal operation.
It is true that the ground and neutral in all breaker boxes connect to a single point (110 & 220v only) (408v or greater is a different story). The voltage can travel back to the electric company on their neutral and to the earth through the grounding rod.
Think of a 4 prong plug having 2 circuits (which it does) and you see the need for the fourth wire. 2 wires carry the hot (110 on each leg) and one wire (called neutral - typically white) to carry the current back to the panel from the electrical device. That is 3 of the 4 wires. The last wire is the ground used as safety. You can normally find the ground wire attached to the chassis of whatever the plug is coming from. No different than any 3 prong plug we see today.
What it really comes down to is ones knowledge of electricity and comfort level of wiring. I highly recommend that if there is any question, please contact a license electrician to prevent anyone from getting hurt. In my years of an electrician, I saw many mistakes even by licensed electricians and they got hurt bad. Even with just 110v.
Just want everyone to stay safe and keep enjoying life & their RV!!! :)
