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
As others have observed there are only three wires coming into the house and both ground and nuetral go to the same bus in the breaker box. The reason for two wires going to the same place is redundancy to reduce the risk of a wiring failure preventing a proper ground and possibly leading to someone getting hurt. As a society we got by without it for many years but decided about 15 years ago to improve safety by doubling up.
So, if I were in this situation, I would first check to be sure that the 3-prong plug has the same size ground wire as hot wire. It most likely does. I would take out the 3 prong plug and replace it with a 4 prong plug then run at least a 10 guage wire from the neutral terminal to either the electrical panel or a ground rod. The addition of the ground rod is what lets the utility company get away with only one neutral wire going to the house. A new ground rod at the plug provides the same security that the rest of the house has. This wire does not have to be insulated any more than the one from the panel to the existing ground rod. A ground rod can be added near the outlet by drilling a hole in the floor and driving the rod in. Follow the wiring instructions from GlenLever and you will be good.
So, if I were in this situation, I would first check to be sure that the 3-prong plug has the same size ground wire as hot wire. It most likely does. I would take out the 3 prong plug and replace it with a 4 prong plug then run at least a 10 guage wire from the neutral terminal to either the electrical panel or a ground rod. The addition of the ground rod is what lets the utility company get away with only one neutral wire going to the house. A new ground rod at the plug provides the same security that the rest of the house has. This wire does not have to be insulated any more than the one from the panel to the existing ground rod. A ground rod can be added near the outlet by drilling a hole in the floor and driving the rod in. Follow the wiring instructions from GlenLever and you will be good.
